I had mixed feelings about visiting the Capitol, as one of the citizens of this country who gives it a dismal approval rating.  But, putting emotions aside, we took advantage of the opportunity and made the best of it.

No regrets!  The Capitol tour, complete with guide and headphones so we could better hear Ellen talk, was fabulous!  We were scheduled for an afternoon tour, but decided to stop by in the morning, after we rode the Metro in to Union Station.  The Capitol was on our way to our other planned destinations, so stopped by the visitor entrance to inquire about their policy.  Would cameras and personal belongings be allowed or was the policy as strict as the White House?  The guard, after hearing we had a scheduled afternoon tour, asked, “That’s several hours from now.  You could go right in now; there is no wait.”  Music to our ears; we were allowed to go in early and give up our afternoon tour reservations for somebody else to take advantage of, later in the day.  What luck!  And, cameras were allowed, too.

After our tour, we walked through the tunnel to see the Library of Congress.  This is a must-see, when you visit D.C.  Just look at this gorgeous architecture and artwork!  Even the tile mosaic floors were stunning.

Visiting the Library Congress wasn’t on our priority list, but it was so convenient, being connected to the Capitol by a pedestrian tunnel. We were so glad we saw it; it is fabulous!

As we made our way to the Washington Mall, we passed by the back side of the Capitol and enjoyed the various views of this massive building.

Our intention was to make our way back to the American History Museum, to explore what we had previously missed, but we were sidetracked by the Botanic Gardens.  Please visit back shortly, when I post some photos of their gorgeous orchids!