The Dark Side

On the north of the Washington National Cathedral - the dark side - there is a gargoyle of Darth Vadar.  It is way way high up and lots of visitors and school parties crane their necks to try and see it.  Fortunately the zoom on my compact camera helps.

The Gargoyle was one of 4 chosen by schoolchildren in the 1980s to go on the facade and it was installed in 1987.  The others (e.g. of a businessman or yuppie with a suitcase) were more difficult to spot. There is a lot of scaffolding and repair work going on after the earthquake in 2011 which caused a lot of damage to the stonework which is still being repaired.

The building - the 6th largest cathedral in the world (depending on how these things are measured) - was started in 1907 and completed in 1990.  Hence the more modern touches (and lifts inside).  There is some magnificent modern stained glass work in vibrant colours depicting scenes from the Bible, European development and American History.  Of particular note is the space window - see extra - to mark the Apollo 11 mission.  In the centre of the red swirl is a piece of moon rock.

Apart from the Nave there is an extensive crypt and, outside, a lovely garden to stroll around.

So this was the focus of our final fun day in Washington in what turned into a lovely day again.

We were glad to be able to visit today.  Tomorrow the cathedral is shut in preparation for a memorial service on Wednesday to Madeleine Albright which Presidents Biden and Obama at least are expected to attend.  There were lots of smartly dressed men and women wandering around with clipboards for a lot of the time planning what needed to be done.