DC 2010 Day 5

September 15, 2010

The final day of our trip was spent on a tour bus taking in the sights of Washington DC. Our first stop was at the National Cathedral.

The stained glass windows in this building are amazing! The left picture is the famous moon rock window that contains an actual piece of the moon in one pane. Our tour guide explained that each window contains much more symbolism than one can see at first glance.

We arrived at the cathedral at a perfect time of day to see the rainbow patterns splashed on the walls by the natural light coming through the windows.

We got an exclusive behind the scenes tour of the cathedral and got to walk the upper outdoor walkway. It was here that we finally learned the meaning of the term "flying buttresses". They are the exterior supports that hold up the building. They look like a bunch of arms coming out the sides of the building.

This grotesque seen at the left is one of many sculptures around the cathedral. Our tour guide confirmed the rumor we'd heard that there is a grotesque somewhere on the premises that looks like Darth Vader.

From our view out on top of the cathedral we could see the Vice President's house. He lives very near the National Cathedral and quite a way from the center of Washington DC.

This tour was one of our favorites of this trip. We learned so much about the cathedral's history and beauty. We were in awe of the massive undertaking it was to construct such a building in more primitive times. We both agree this stop was one of the great highlights of our trip.

We did not get to stay long, but we did get to see Ford's Theater for a few minutes. This theater is where President Lincoln was shot in 1865. The theater is still used for live performances today. We also went across the street to see the Petersen house; the house where Lincoln died.

Our final eating place: Hard Rock Cafe. Jennifer ate at this very same restaurant location 17 years ago when she came to Washington DC as a freshman in high school.

And here is our big orange tour bus. This is the bus we rode all around Washington DC that told the world that, yes, we ARE tourists! Jeremy took this lovely shot at the end of our journey. We were tired from a long fun filled trip and ready to head home.

We had a great trip and feel like we know DC almost as well as our own home. We dream of taking our family for a summer month-long visit sometime in the future. We'll go back someday, but for now we will say farewell to the East Coast.