We started today’s touring at the Folger Shakespeare Library, an amazing place to see. They have 17 copies of the first folio in their collection. This site was particularly interesting to Pam, Mica, and me, since we’ve put so much time and effort into two years of teaching Shakespeare at the commonwealth school.
Our time there was too short (sound familiar?) but then we moved onto the Library of Congress. I had no idea the building was so ornate! We got to see copies of the Guttenberg Bible, and also the Bible of Mainz, which Gustavus Adolphus claimed as a trophy after the battle of Mainz in 1631. The octagonal reading room was stunning, and full of art to depict all areas of human learning. It was a beautiful place to see. This period of European history is much more familiar to me now, after getting caught up in Eric Flint's 1632 series.
After that, we headed over to the U. S. Capitol Building for a guided tour. We had been told to expect a one hour tour, and after three hours we opted not to go see the Senate floor from the observation balcony. We did get to see most everything worth seeing, though. I was glad to have seen the Apotheosis of Washington, as well as the LoC reading room, after they played such prominent roles in The Lost Symbol, which I read earlier this year.
We had to get moving, though, because this evening was our one and only chance to see Brian. We hadn’t seen him for a week before we left because he had gone to scout camp all week and arrived home Saturday afternoon, when we had left that morning. We did have time to grab a quick dinner in between the Metro station and the Lincoln Memorial, where we wound up crossing paths with Brian’s troop. They had just flown in that afternoon, and the memorials were the first things they went to see. We have to leave Washington tomorrow, so I am glad that we were able to catch him.
We also visited the Korean and Vietnam War Memorials. I found that there are four men named Cheney who appear on the roles of the Vietnam Memorial stone. This was another place that was very special for Pam’s dad, and we spent a long time there. Mica and Delia were very tired and overheated by the time we got back to our hotel, where they showered and then collapsed into bed.
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