Having returned to the city following Mt. Vernon – we grabbed a quick lunch, then headed to the Capitol where Ellie had booked us in to the tour.
Needless to say, security was impressive. Entering at the Visitor’s Centre, standard airport-like check-in, wall-to-wall Capitol Police, we watched the regulation introductory video that described the history of the Capitol – very interesting.
When we were here last time (during our Canadian stay), for some reason we never made it to the Capitol so this was a must-see. Unfortunately, the dome is undergoing maintenance so it’s shrouded in scaffolding. Our timing is crap – it’s something they only do every 50 years or so! It needs regular maintenance as it’s made of nearly 9,000,000 lbs of cast-iron:
Under the dome (the doughnut looking cover is to protect people from falling debris):
The original painting of the signing of the declaration of independence:
The British surrender:
Congress was actually sitting at the time of our visit, so it was quite busy. It also meant we weren’t going into the the Senate or the House. However, they did show us the older versions used in the 1800s. In the Senate Hall they have 2 statues provided by every state.
The old House:
The old Supreme Court (now in a separate building):
Right at the end of the day, we managed to spend 10 minutes in the House gallery – after passing even more security (of course) – where we watched their democracy live. Not quite how I imagined it, the respect they show for those speaking in the chamber is somewhat similar to ours in Aus – basically non-existent. Only about a third were actually seated, and probably 80% were talking amongst themselves.
A very good day – highly recommended for anyone visiting.