Grandiose Buildings

A beautiful day with the temperature eventually reaching over 27oC.  We went to the east side of Capital Hill for some impressive views.  The visitor centre remained shut but the Library of Congress was open (every visitor had to have a timed entrance ticked but they were fairly readily available for today).  The blip is of the main hall of the building built to house the Jefferson Library.  The reading room can be viewed from above - see first extra - and you can then tour the various impressive halls and exhibits: from one of the first (and best) editions of the Gutenberg Bibles, to an exhibition on the photographs held by the Library (some very well known ones); to a hall detailing the life of Rosa Parks; to a reconstruction of Jefferson's circular library; and to presentations on Maya and Inca artworks.  Fascinating and we spent over 2 hours wandering around (out if the heat).

On exiting, the Supreme Court which had been cordoned off in the morning was now accessible so I went up the steps to the massive columns to look around (the building was closed).

A stroll then through beautiful gardens with azaleas and tulips in full bloom toward Union Station - another grand building with high ceilings and fancy decoration.  No more extras as I have to save some for the rest of the year!