heading home

 our last day - as we headed back to baltimore to catch our flight home...we stopped at the national 9/11 pentagon memorial.  a very somber experience that reminds us of the strength and resilience of a nation united after tragedy.

we made the 30 mile drive to the airport, said goodbye to our rental, and headed home. i am grateful for this uninterrupted family time and opportunity to make some lasting memories.

day 7

since today had rain in the forecast, we decided to spend time indoors as much as possible.  minus the walking to and from places.... we started at the national archives where we saw the declaration of independence, bill of rights and constitution (no pics allowed). this was by far the most crowded place we went.

although the weather was gloomy, we tried not to let it dampen our admiration of the historic architecture all around us.

we walked in a little bit of rain. tried to see the air & space museum, but no more passes were available for today. the museum of the american indian was interesting and now very crowded.

we did not have any bag restrictions today like we did yesterday, so we found a nice spot outside along the street and did some people watching during a break in the rain, refueling with some snacks and drinks we had packed.  

next we hit the botanical gardens.

we kept getting peekaboo glimpses of our main destination for today:

the highlight of our day was definitely the 45-minute guide-led tour of the capitol.

the rotunda - wow!

the painting at the top of the dome is titled the apotheosis of washington: it covers 4,664 sq ft and is 180 feet above the floor !!

after our tour ended, we tunneled over to the library of

congress. wow - now i can't decide which of these architectural beauties i

liked more!

we passed by of the supreme court as we made our way back towards the hotel area.

we got 20,000 steps today but it was well worth it!