Our totally awesome (and educational) trip to D.C.: Day One

May 12th was a fabulous day.  I took my last final for the Spring semester, then Hubs and I headed to Washington, D.C. for a few days of fun in our nation's capital. 

Day One:

We started our trip with a tour of the US Capitol.  To say I was overwhelmed to be standing in front of that building is an understatement.  The tour was fantastic, and we had a great guide who knew all kinds of fun little facts about the building and events that happened there. 

After our tour, we strolled through the underground tunnel that led us to the Library of Congress -another building that took my breath away.  It's stunning inside.  A wonderful exhibit in the library was Jefferson's book collection, which he sold to the government after most of the library's books were destroyed by fire during the War of 1812.  I stood in the middle of the collection, surrounded by many first print editions of books, and cried.  Hubs laughed at me for being so emotional over books, but he understood my appreciation for such a treasure. 

By the time we finished our Capitol tour and exploration of the Library of Congress it was afternoon.  We had lunch at a charming little deli half-hidden in an alleyway, then continued on to the National Archives and were thisclose to the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and US Constitution.  Unfortunately we couldn't take photographs inside.  I was bummed about that, but snuck a few with my iPhone despite Hubs insisting that I would be spending our vacation in prison if I didn't put the phone away.  Chicken. 


Super-secret Mission Impossible shot I got of the
Declaration of Independence with my iPhone.  Shh.

Next we wandered over to the Mall, where we checked out the Washington Monument and then the Air & Space Museum.  I didn't think I'd like it, but I was pleasantly surprised. 

Hubs having a wonderful time looking at a gazillion planes.

After all of that we were exhausted, so we caved and went back to the hotel around 7 to shower and go to bed. 

To be continued.....  (Check out Day Two tomorrow!)