Our nation's capitol - day 3

We didn't really plan to do so much on our 3rd day, but it turned into our longest, most cram packed day of the trip! We hit the street at 9:00am and didn't get back to our hotel until 7:30pm! We walked, according to my FitBit, 10+ miles. Whoa!

So, we went to the üUS Capitol. Pretty awesome. They're doing some refurbishing so we didn't get to see the rotunda :-(  But we got to see the original Supreme Court, where Thomas Jefferson was sworn in! I love the past.

Then we went to the US Library of Congress. The largest repository of knowledge IN THE WORLD. OMG!!! I think it was my favorite building of them all. It was also the first 'electrified' building in DC. It was gorgeous! You just have to see it. Every corner of every room is magnificent!

And on display, they have the very first bible ever "printed"...

...as well as this hand written bible!

It was really something.

Next stop, the US Botanic Garden and Conservatory - I've never been to a conservatory!

I like bark. I don't know why. Oh wait, yes I do...it's cool! 

look at how cute this one is....thorns and hearts!

This display was great...who knew that the roots to some things were soooooooo long!!!!

OK - onward! This is going to be the longest post in the history of IndyScooterGirl.

On our way to the National Archives building, it was kind of weird. There are so many people from all over the world, in DC, that for a second it didn't even feel like you were in America. I've never heard so many different languages and seen so many different kinds of people.

OK, the National Archives. No photos here. Not allowed. And it's dark. And you probably don't know this but, The Declaration of Independence, which gave me goose bumps to see, is barely visible. You can hardly see the J in John Hancock. It's soooooo faded. It made me kind of sad. and happy that I've gotten to see it while you still can. 

Then we decided, what the hell, it's a beautiful day and it's only about a mile or so, let's walk down to the Lincoln Memorial!

I know Bill said before we went that he didn't care about seeing any of the memorials, but 

I'm pretty sure he's glad he did.

It's impressive for sure!

                                            

 And the view is fantastic!

We passed this place on our walk;

And the Vietnam War Memorial;

Put yourself there. Look at those people standing in front of the wall. Look at how long that wall is. Imagine allllll those names. Tragic.

The Korean War Memorial;

The World War II Memorial;

I think that covers our last day. It was an amazing journey, walking through so much history. If you've never been, it should be on your bucket list. I promise, you'll feel things you never have before!

Our nations capitol, day 2 finale

After hours and hours of museums, you would think were done. Nope. Well, sorta. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped in the Hirshhorn Museum. What the hell is that? Well, it's a super cool building...

filled with stupid crap like this;

We walked around one floor and left. I know some people are passionate about modern art, but I just don't get it. 

How is this art!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Boooooo.

OK, last stop of the day, the Smithsonian Castle! 

You don't get to walk around the whole place, but the parts we wandered into were awesome!

We did a lot of walking on Friday and we've been to 5 museums so far but our last day was the best for sure!

Our nation's capitol, day 2 cont...

Next up was the National Museum of American History.

Look! A piece of Plymouth rock!!

Bill loved this sculpture. He said Washington was absolutely a warrior!

this is just a vault door, like you would find somewhere there were priceless things to guard. 

 Bill said he liked this museum a lot more than he thought he would. He really loved all the mechanical displays of steam engines and how they progressed. It was interesting if you're a gear head.

For me, this was the most interesting room/display. This room is filled with 'snapshots' of American history. Look at the people in this era - Rockefeller, Carnegie, JP Morgan, Edison, Twain, Geronimo, Booker T Washington. These people contributed SO MUCH to our culture and way of life!!

Now look at the 2nd group. I was so interested in all of these - I looked at each one. They included, Ford, the Wright brothers, Susan B. Anthony, Marcus Garvey, Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart.

Then we got to the last group. Go ahead, look at the faces. Tell me what you see? Madonna? Harvey Fierstein? James Taylor? Shaun White? Michael Jordan? Kennedy, Obama, Warhol. Not to take anything away from their talents, but...aside from maybe a half dozen people, I see celebrities, athletes and politicians. Think about that for a second. It's depressing. Americans changed the WORLD. Now? Humph.

Anyway, it really was interesting, American history. The things we've accomplished and achieved and invented and created.