May 7th - Our Guilded Tour of the Capitol

Tour of the United States Capitol and the Senate

Today was a really important day on our Washington, DC, leg of the trip. Jim had arranged with his Senator from Pennsylvania, Senator Arlen Specter, for us to have a guided tour of the Capitol Building and a visit to the Senate! We were all very excited about it and had been looking forward to it very much. We arrived at the Hart Building at the duly appointed time, and cleared the usual security to enter the building. We were immediately struck by the large metal sculpture by Alexander Calder, called "Mountains and Clouds". Being of the not too clever type, we at first couldn't figure out what this huge metal thing hanging from the ceiling was supposed to represent. Took a bit of internet research to run it's origins down!!!

Well, well well!!! On our way to Senator Specter's office we happened to pass by Barack Obama's office!!!! Couldn't resist posing Harold and Joyce beside it. From the look on Joyce's face, I'm not too sure of her political leanings!!!! Is this a photo suitable for blackmail, Joyce???

We each got a name tag to stick on our clothes to give us clearance for the tour.

And off we went...... "follow the leader"!!!!!
We weren't sure just what was coming down that track, but the whole thing looked darn efficient!!!!
ALLLLLLL ABOOOAAARRRDDD!!!!!!
Down into the "bowels" of the building!!!
A ROMAN BATH???? Give me a break!!

In the basement of the Capitol building in a utility room are two marble bathtubs, which are all that remain of the once elaborate Senate baths. These baths were a spa-like facility designed for members of Congress and their guests before many buildings in the city had modern plumbing. The facilities included several bathtubs, a barbershop, and a massage parlor. Our intern really led us on a merry chase, but we all certainly enjoyed it!!! While it wasn't exactly what we had expected, it made the visit SO much more interesting! A real "insider's peek" at the buildings!
At last we emerged into the light!!! We were finally in the Capitol Building itself. The Brumidi Corridors are composed of five different hallways, known as the main, west, inner, north, and Patent corridors. Even the walls are works of fine art!

From the Brumidi Corridors brochure:

"The Brumidi Corridors are the richly painted hallways on the first floor of the Senate wing in the Capitol Building. The decorative wall painting were designed by Italian artist Constantino Brumidi, and executed by him and painters of many nationalities. Brumidi left his native country and immigrated to America due to political upheavals in Rome. He arrived in New York City in 1852 and became a United States citizen five years later.

By 1850, the Capitol needed additional room to accommodate the growing country, and extensions were designed to provide office space and new House and Senate chambers. In 1855, Captain Montgomery Meigs, Engineer of the Capitol Extensions, hired Brumidi to begin work in the Capitol; in 1856 the classically trained artist began creating designs for the Senate corridors, based on a loggia by Raphael in the Vatican. Meigs envisioned a similar decorative plan for the Capitol, with the walls displaying classical images and symbolic representation of American culture.

Some areas within the Brumidi Corridors were left incomplete, due to insufficient time or funds. Several of these empty spaces were later filled with historic scenes painted by 20th century artists.

Constantino Brumidi worked in the Capitol for over 25 years, using his talets as a fresco artist to decorate the Senate corridors and numerous other areas throughout the building. His allegorical painting entitled The Apotheosis of eorge Washington is located in the eye of the Rotunda dome. Brumidi died on February 19, 1880, four months after slipping and nearlly falling from a scaffold while working on the Rotunda frieze.

Brumidi has been called "the Michelangelo of the Capitol" by historians. Proud of his accomplishments, the artist is reported to have remarked: "I have no longer any desire for fame or fortune. My one ambition and my daily prayer is that I may live long enough to make beautiful the Capitol of the one country on earth in which there is liberty."

Since they were first painted in the 1850's, the wall and ceiling decorations fo the Brumidi Corridors have been repaired many times. In the past, such repair work included repeated retouching, repainting and varnishing. Over time, these treatments camouflaged the decorations' original appearance and presented a darker, flatter version of Brumidi's inspired work.

In the past few years, however, professional conservators have begun to restore the corridor decoration to its original appearance. Each of the lunette paintings with historical scenes has been restored, and recovery of the elaborate wall paintings is presently underway. In the recently completed Patent Corridor, the visitor is now able to see, for the first time in a hundred years, the delicacy and vibrance of the original wall decoration."

Above - Finished Corridors

Below - Unfinished

Even the floors are fabulous!!!We had to stand in line to wait our turn, but finally we were in the Rotunda! What an amazing room.
The ceilingThe Frieze around the dome.
On to the National Statuary Hall
Originally the Hall was the House of Representatives Chamber and was in use as such for fifty years. The Hall is one of the earliest examples of Greek revival architecture in America. In 1864, Congress determined that the best use of the Hall was to honor great Americans by inviting each state to contribute two sculptures created from bronze or marble, for permanent display. The collection of statues were donated by the individual states to honor persons notable in their history. The entire collection now consists of 100 statues contributed by 50 states (2 from each state) and is complete.
And they are actually placed EVERYWHERE!!! Not just in the Hall!
This statue was one of our Intern Guide's favorites!
These were our tickets that allowed us to enter the Senate Chamber while it was in session. We couldn't take any pictures in there, so I "borrowed" one from another website. My bad.While this is obviously a "stock" photo, there were not that many more people in the chamber while we were there, even though it was in session! One of the Senators was giving a speech and his subject was---are you ready for this??---the price of gasoline!!!! Actually, it was probably about the dependence of Americans on foreign oil, but our ears really perked up when high gasoline prices were mentioned! We were only going to stay for a few minutes, but the Senator's speech almost immediately put Jim to sleep, and we couldn't wake him up!!!!All in all, it was a GREAT visit, and we really appreciated that Jim took the time to get us our personally guided tour!!! THANKS JIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May 6th - World War II Memorial

The World War II Memorial as viewed from the top of the Washington Monument. The Lincoln Memorial is at the far end, with the Reflecting Pool separating the two monuments. If you enlarge this photo and look at about the middle of the photo on the left hand side, you can see a little bit of white. That is the Washington World War I Memorial--small and lonely.
The whole WWII Monument
Stone at the entrance
The Inscription at the entrance to the Monument. If you look towards the Lincoln Memorial, you can see the Freedom Wall and it's 4,000 gold stars commemorating the more than 400,000 Americans who gave their lives in WWII.

A Nation at War

On each side of the memorial's ceremonial entrance on 17th Street, 12 bas-relief sculptures recall scenes of America at war. In one of the scenes, a family gathers around its radio to hear President Franklin D. Roosevelt ask Congress for a declaration of war after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands.It wasn't always easy to define what each sculpture's exact meaning was, but in this one, my best guess was that it showed the young men getting checked over after entering the service and then their fathers waving goodbye to them as they left for training.

Twin Atlantic and Pacific pavilions symbolize a war fought across two oceans. Inscriptions at the base of the pavilion fountains mark key battles of the war. All those who served received the WWII Victory Medal that also adorns the pavilion floors.

Roll call of the nation: The 56 U.S. states, territories, and District of Columbia the united in a common cause are inscribed on these pillars. They alternate to the right and left of the field of stars, based on when they entered the Union. Delaware was the first state.

Arsenal of Democracy
Wreaths of Oak and wheat on each of the memorials pillars symbolize the nation's industrial and agricultural strength, both of which were essential to the success of the global war effort.
Excerpts from the NPS Brochure:
Building the Memorial:
In 1993, Congress authorized the American Battle Monuments Commission to establish a World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Selected in a national competition, Friedrich St. Florian designed the memorial. Funded mostly by pricate donation, it was begun in Septermer 2001 and dedicated on May 29th, 2004.
Ideals of Democracy
Placing the memorial between the Washington Monument and Lincold Memorial reflects the importance of World War II in preserving and internationalizing democratic ideals won under George Washington and defended under Abraham Lincoln. This morial continues America's story of striving for freedom and individual rights.

As with all the memorials and monuments, it is a very moving experience to be there. However, the WWII Memorial is one that also affects us personally. Clive was born in England, on the Isle of Wight, during the Second World War, and personally experienced wartime issues such as rationing, bombing raids, etc. His father was in the Home Guard, and away most of the war. I never got to know my mother's oldest brother, as he was killed in Italy towards the end of the war, just before I was born. One of her younger brothers then joined and served, as did one of her younger sisters. It was a time when not many families were left untouched by this horrible war.

May 6th - Arlington National Cemetary

Memorial Drive, leading up to the entrance to Arlington National CemetaryThe first sight of all the rows and rows and rows and rows of white headstones, is very moving. Even though everyone has seen it many times on television and in movies, you still don't realize the immensity of the place until you are actually there!
There are, of course, many famous people buried in Arlington, not the least of which is the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, his wife Caroline and his two sons, baby Patrick (who only lived two days) and John, Jr., who was killed in the crash of his small airplane in 1999. The site is marked by an "Eternal Flame" at the request of Caroline Kennedy. Apparently, at first the flame was fueled by propane cylinders, but now is directly linked into a natural gas line. Across from the grave sites is a granite wall engraved with one of JFK's most famous phrases.
The Eternal Flame
The view from the granite wall at JFK's burial site....directly to the Washington Monument.Robert Kennedy is also buried in Arlington. His site is marked by a simple cross and gravestone, however, immediately adjacent is a small reflecting pond and a granite wall with quotations from some of his speeches. Apparently Robert Kennedy actually wished to be buried in Mass. but his family felt that as the brothers were so close in life, they should be close to each other in death. According to his wishes, however, his funeral was held in a very low key fashion, and he is the only person to have been buried in Arlington at night.
As I said before, there are many famous people buried here. Some of the ones that caught my attention were:
Audie Murphy
The most decorated American combat soldier of World War II. He received every decoration for valor that the US had to offer, plus 5 decorations presented to him by France and Belgium. Audie Murphy was born in Texas on June 10, 1924, to a family of poor sharecroppers. After the war, he moved to Hollywood to take up life as an actor. He was killed in an airplane accident when the private plane he was in crashed into the side of a mountain in Virginia during inclement weather. He was only 46 years old! There is an excellent website at http://www.audiemurphy.com/ which tells the full story of this incredible man.
"Pappy" Boyington
Mostly known because of the 1970's TV seried called "Baa Baa Black Sheep", starring Robert Conrad, Pappy Boyington was a World War II hero of quite a different stripe than Audi Murphy. It was interesting to google his name and read about this WWII flying ace. http://www.acepilots.com/usmc_boyington.html is a website with a very interesting account of his life.
Honoring the lives of 8 brave members of the US Armed Forces who died April 25th, 1980, during an attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran. Again, an interesting story can be read at http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/iran-mission.htm

Two Space Shuttle disasters - The Challenger, January 28th, 1986, and the Columbia, February 1, 2003. These tombstones are erected in honor of the crew members who lost their lives in the Space Shuttle accidents.
There are only two Presidents buried in Arlington. John F. Kennedy and William Howard Taft, the twenty-seventh President.
The Arlington Memorial Amphitheater
The Tomb of the Unknowns is part of the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater. The structure is built mostly of Imperial Danby marble from Vermont. Construction of the Amphitheater was approved on March 4th, 1913, and the cornerstone was laid on October 15th, 1915. It was completed in 1921.

At the rear of the structure, sits the Tomb of the Unknowns (also known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier). Originally, the tomb held the remains of an Unknown Soldier of WWI (interred November 11, 1921). Subsequently, the remains of the Unknown Soldier of WWII and the Unknown Soldier of the Korean War (both interred on May 30, 1958) and the Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War (interred May 28, 1984) were added. In 1988, the remains of the Vietnam Unknown Soldier were disinterred and identified by use of DNA. The family claimed the remains and had him reinterred near their home in St. Louis, Missouri. As such, it has been determined that the crypt at the Tomb of the Unknowns that contained the remains of the Vietnam Unknown will remain empty. The Tomb of the Unknowns is perpetually guarded by the US Army, with the Changing of the Guard ceremony occurring every hour (or more frequently during the summer months when there are more tourists, and I would imagine hotter temperatures!!)
The Changing of the Guard Ceremony is filled with "Pomp and Circumstance", but is still very moving as you realize that it is not just those buried here that are being honored, but every soldier who will be buried here in the future. These young men take their job VERY seriously.
We spent several hours in the Cemetary. It is a very moving experience being here. The place has such a calm and dignity about it. But it is staggering to realize that there are somewhere around 300,000 men and women buried or honored in Arlington Cemetary, and many of them didn't even make it to 30 years old!