Five Questions For Washington DC

Here are five questions I have for Washington DC after being here for a few weeks.

What is behind his gate at the National Cathedral?

What's in this door-size safe at Woodrow Wilson's house? 

What goes on in the back of this truck?

How is this still a thing that is made?

 What's at the top of the Supreme Court's spiral staircase?

The View From the Top of the National Cathedral

People say that the view from Washington Monument is the best in Washington DC, followed by the view from the National Cathedral. While I haven't been up to the top of the Washington Monument, I did take the elevator to the top of the Cathedral. It is a 360 degree view of the city and here is the view of the Capitol, the Monument, and Federal Triangle.

At about 90 degrees from the Capitol view you can see the flying buttresses and the portion of the Cathedral that was damaged in an earthquake in 2011. The building was severely damaged and the church did not have earthquake insurance which has led to a state of continual reconstruction as they attempt to raise the nearly $25 million dollars they need to fix the structure. 

A view slightly to the right of the view of the Washington Monument shows the Russian embassy which we live on the opposite side of. We are roughly behind the buildings that the red arrow is pointing to on the right hand side.

The Space Window at the National Cathedral

If there has been one place we have visited in our time here in Washington that has totally blown me away it would be the National Cathedral. It's the closest thing America has to Notre Dame in its size and grandeur. Although, Notre Dame has been completed since 1345, our National Cathedral was under construction until 1990. This was because although it has a designation by Congress as our "national" cathedral, no government money has gone to support its construction. That's the separation of church and state in action! 

Inside, I couldn't quite believe the size of the structure. I've seen the memorial services that have been held there but it doesn't give you the feeling of how immense the cathedral is. 

One of the most famous stained glass windows in the Cathedral is the Space Window which tells the tale of the Apollo 11 trip to the Moon.

Here is a closer look. The tiny white circle in the red figure is a piece of moon rock brought back and presented to the Cathedral by the three Apollo astronauts on the fifth anniversary of the lunar landing. When Neil Armstrong passed away in 2012, he was given a memorial service held in the Cathedral which was attended by the other Apollo 11 astronauts, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.