MY FIRST VISIT INSIDE THE WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL

In high school, when I visited my best friend who lived in the WATERGATE APTS in WASHINGTON, DC (that's crazy, isn't it?!), I always passed the WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL, but never stopped to tour the inside.  I finally had the opportunity to do so last week.  WOW! 

We had the most interesting guide, RUTH ANN, who is a retired teacher from the private Girls' School next door.  She taught there for 47 YEARS!  She was full of humor and interesting stories.

GEORGE WASHINGTON conceived the idea in 1791. The location (the highest ground) was finally identified in 1896 and in 1907 the FOUNDATION was laid.

All major DC FUNERALS and WEDDINGS are held here. There is a seat in the front row RESERVED for the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES and FIRST LADY.  

MARTIN LUTHER KING preached his last Sunday service here and RUTH ANN was seated in the very front row on the side!

While we were waiting for our tour, we walked around the outside of the building and passed this sign explaining that the outdoor construction was repairing damage from the 2011 EARTHQUAKE that really shook the whole WASHINGTON, DC area. I actually felt it here at home, 3 hours north.

Drawn to SCULPTURE, I was fascinated by the tops of columns on the exterior decorated with intricate sculptures; each one telling a story.

This one, in particular, caught my eye, because it was so TINY!

The OUTBUILDINGS (with their beautiful flowers) surrounding the CATHEDRAL are charming.

Naturally, the FRONT DOORS of the CATHEDRAL are intricately designed.

And when you enter the CATHEDRAL you need to STOP, to take it all in.........

An interesting story that RUTH ANN shared with us.......

Three of the ASTRONAUTS who landed on the moon had children in her school. One of them, ASTRONAUT MICHAEL COLLINS, brought back a piece of the moon and donated it to the CHURCH. If you look very closely, in the CENTER of the TOP CIRCLE (the MOON), you will see the piece that he brought back.

Some additional BRILLIANT and COLORFUL STAINED GLASS windows -

DAVID AND GOLIATH are featured in this TAPESTRY.

Colorful handcrafted NEEDLEPOINTS are everywhere.

HANDCARVED WOOD decor........

Statues of GEORGE WASHINGTON and ABRAHAM LINCOLN are stationed near the entrance to the CATHEDRAL.

And here is an example of the EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE to the interior floor.

 Beautiful ALTARS.

We ended our tour with an elevator ride to the 7th Floor - the TOP FLOOR of the front TOWER. Can you see the WASHINGTON MONUMENT in the center of this window view?

The TOWER HALLWAY is marvelous!

Thus ends our WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL tour. After visiting multiple GRAND CATHEDRALS in Europe, it's ABOUT TIME that I visited the interior of this one!!

JOAN

WASHINGTON MONUMENTS AND MEMORIALS

When in WASHINGTON, DC last month we took an evening tour of the MONUMENTS and MEMORIALS that was wonderful AND informative.  We started outside of our enormous CAPITOL BUILDING.

Next stop was the JEFFERSON MEMORIAL. Who knew that there is historical information downstairs, under the statue of THOMAS JEFFERSON at the MEMORIAL (and also downstairs under ABRAHAM LINCOLN at the LINCOLN MEMORIAL)?!!

Getting "up close and personal" with the THOMAS JEFFERSON statue in the MEMORIAL was heart-stopping for me.

The construction you see on the roof is to make the DOME bright WHITE again!

Next stop on our tour was the MARTIN LUTHER KING MEMORIAL. My first visit there to see an amazing rendition of him emerging from the stone. The bottom portion is "undone" because the artist wanted to brilliantly express that MARTIN LUTHER KING's work was UNFINISHED when he died.

 

Our next stop was the KOREAN WAR VETS MEMORIAL. Also a FIRST for me. This was my favorite memorial in DC. 

The first picture here was taken standing right next to the long wall (on the right) that has VETERANS' FACES etched into it. The wall also reflects the statues of SOLDIERS in the grassy area to the left.  VERY POWERFUL.

Then, on to the famous LINCOLN MEMORIAL. Again, there is historical information and displays in the downstairs area, which I never knew existed.

At the top of the steps, before entering the MEMORIAL with ABRAHAM LINCOLN's STATUE, etched into the stone walkway, marks the place where MARTIN LUTHER KING presented to OUR NATION his "I HAVE A DREAM" speech.

The statue of ABRAHAM LINCOLN faces the WASHINGTON MONUMENT, which reflects beautifully in the water stretching out toward it.

In the dark, our next stop was the WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL. I had seen this in the daylight on a previous visit but lit at night, it's exceptionally moving.

There are several computers there that allow you to look up family members who served in WWII. My UNCLE HAL is in there but for some reason, our DAD is not. We have to take the time to make sure he is included in that registry!

Our last stop was to see THE WHITE HOUSE lit up at night. It's just as MAGNIFICENT at night as it is during the day.

Our guide, TUNDE, with ALL WASHINGTON VIEW was terrific. I highly recommend him. He's SMART, JOYFUL, KIND and a TERRIFIC PHOTOGRAPHER too!   (allwashingtonview@gmail.com)  

And of course, I have to end with two photos of POLICE DOGS who were protecting the area surrounding THE WHITE HOUSE.

On this JULY 4th I remind myself and others how truly BLESSED we are to live in a country where FREEDOM is available to each of us in so many ways. I'm incredibly thankful to those who have fought and for those who continue to fight to keep our country FREE!! 

JOAN