Today is our last full day in DC. We had requested tour tickets for the Capitol in advance last week, not realizing we should have been looking into tickets for other places well in advance. No Holocaust Museum or White House tours for us, but we're thankful to see the Capitol.
We were able to sleep in and enjoy a big breakfast at the hotel before walking down to the Capitol. We arrived at the back side of the Capitol and took pictures by the beautiful fountain before walking around to the Visitor Center near the front of the building. Beautiful!
We started the tour by watching a film about the Capitol building and work done there, then were separated into groups for a guided tour. My favorite place on the tour was the Rotunda. The Rotunda ceiling is under renovation but the parts we could see were beautiful!
The artwork and sculptures throughout the Capitol are also impressive. Each state has two sculptures on display somewhere in the building - we found one from Oregon in the old House Chamber. The old House Chamber is also impressive and beautiful.
The Senate was in session this afternoon but we weren't able to enter. We were too late requesting passes from our senator...should have done more research while planning our trip! It was a nice tour and one of my favorites of the trip.
After touring the Capitol, we took a cab to Arlington National Cemetery. We started at the Visitor Center, then walked through the cemetery to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. We arrived about 15 minutes before changing of the guards, so sat silently watching the soldier on guard. After the clock struck on the hour, a commanding officer and relief guard arrived and we watched the changing of the guard.
On the walk back out of the park, we saw a horse-drawn wagon driven by four service-men and women, carrying a departed veteran. It was humbling to see the respect and care given in the cemetery to honor these veterans.
We rode another cab back to the motel then cooled off by swimming in the hotel pool and having big, juicy burgers at Fuddruckers. We plan to leave in the morning for Chesapeake, VA.
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