Life abroad has been extremely exciting and busy! While that's great for me, that also means this blog is hopelessly behind what's happening right now. So, basically it's time to start retroactively blogging, starting with my first day in Washington, D.C. on July 24!
This trip is my first time visiting the East Coast. I was so excited, not even the gloomy skies and oppressive humidity could keep me from nabbing a quick picture of the mall's major sights.
Stop one was the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where $1.4 billion worth of bills are printed every single day (although 95% of those bills are used to replace current bills in circulation). There were no pictures allowed during the tour of the printing plant, nor were we allowed to take any samples home, so instead I will entertain you with a few facts about our money: A bill can be folded 4000 times without tearing! Bills cost between 3 and 13 cents to make! About 4% of the bills from the plant have to be destroyed because of defects!
Alright, that was fun. I hit the National Archives next, which doesn't allow photography - so take my word for it when I say I saw the Magna Carta, Emancipation Proclamation, the Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and the Bill of Rights all in one building.
Next was the Library of Congress, which is both a cultural landmark and ornate Renaissance-style structure that was completed in 1897 (and ran out of space not long after). Everywhere there are references to great intellectuals, which are meant to inspire visitors to take their scholarly pursuits in the library seriously.
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| The ornate roof of the Library of Congress |
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| Every tile in this ceiling fresco was hand placed, and none of them were ever painted |
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| Minerva, goddess of wisdom |
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| The famous reading room |
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| Naked babies lying around, called putti, are a hallmark of Renaissance architecture. Putti in European buildings are always just lounging around not doing much. But not so with these American putti - these putti have jobs! From right to left, a mechanic, hunter, winemaker, and a farmer |
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| Panorama from the 2nd floor balcony |
As you can see, the interior of the library can be quite a lot to take in and to look at. This was the intent of the architects and designers, as it turns out. Appropriately enough, the effect of displaying so many artistic elements that it overwhelms the viewer is labeled with a GERMAN term - Gesamstkunstwert! Neat!
Nearly the entire rest of the afternoon was dedicated to a tour of the Capitol building. Being in our nation's seat of government as a political science major was exciting! Definitely worth the 45-minute security screening process.
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| The old Supreme Court room, home to cases like Marbury v. Madison and Dred Scott |
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| The back of the old Senate chambers, pictured here, is where Senator Charles Sumner was famously caned |
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| The rotunda was being restored, but the rotunda was grand nevertheless. Check out that frieze - it may look three dimensional, but it is only a flat painted surface |
Armed with a smartphone and some walking maps that gave me an illustrated history of every landmark on the National Mall (if I'm going to look like an unapologetic tourist, I may as well be a well-informed one), I soldiered on to catch my first look at the White House.
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| A sculpture garden on the way warranted a stop |
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| A sniper on the lookout |
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| First Division Monument in front of the Eisenhower Executive Building |
The rest of the night was dedicated to a nice dinner with my wonderful host, Ranjani, and one of her friends. Thanks again, Ranjani! Judging by the ridiculous amount of D.C. that I covered while I was out from 6:30 in the morning until 11:30 at night, day one was a resounding success.
