Washington DC Day 5

It was another early morning today, but a shorter day overall. More on that later. There aren't too many pictures today as we encountered and saw things that just didn't allow photography. We started off our day with a tour of the Capitol. That was a great tour as it was just the two of us getting a tour from an intern from the office of our Congressman. These small tours are great! The tour actually started outside and at the top of the Captiol where we were able to get this great shot of the National Mall.

From there we went inside and straight to the Rotunda where we saw a bunch of art, some so old that they were comissioned and seen with the eyes of our Founding Fathers. They all had a unique history along with the many statues in the area as well. Looking up, he told us that the Rotunda was tall enough to actually comfortably fit the Statue of Liberty.

From there, he took us to some others areas of the Capitol, all with very interesting histories, but none that would look that exciting in a photograph. Down below, he showed us the spot that is considered the absolute center of Washington DC. Jess of course had to step on it and take a picture. Down below this point is actually the crypt of George Washington, although his actual body is not buried there.

After this, he took us into the House of Representatives Chamber, but unfortunately, the House is not in session and it was just an empty room. Still, it was fun to sit in the same room where laws of our conutry are decided and he gave us a lot of history there. Pictures however, were NOT allowed here. Sorry. That concluded our tour, but overall, it was a great tour where we learned a lot. Sorry we weren't able to get more pictures.

From there, we were off to the Spy Museum. This place was awesome, but absolutely no pictures were allowed. We started off by paying for an extra part of the Museum called Operation Spy. This was a totally interactive spy adventure. The two of us along with 5 other people formed a team and we were basically given a case we had to solve. We were responsible for finding a bomb trigger and we had to do things such as wire tapping, decoding cell phone messages, surveillance, sneaking into an office and disarming an alarm, searching an office for items and cracking a safe, and doing a lie detector test on a suspect. We had to work together, brain storm questions and the next course of action, and basically be a team. This was a ton of fun and they really went all out with the sets, scenarios, and the life like adventure. We throughly enjoyed this. After that we did the actual museum and that was pretty informative as well. We got to see a lot of spy equipment throughout history, learn some history, do some interactive quizzes, etc. Overall, this place was very fun and well worth it for anyone who comes to DC.

After that, we decided to walk to the White House and take pictures from outside since we will not be allowed to take our camera to the White House tomorrow. Along the way, we walked by Ford's Theater, where Lincoln was shot as well as the house where he later died the next morning.

As we continued our walk, we came upon an ESPN Zone and decided to stop in for a drink. You can't see the totally manly drink I had there. I "forgot" to hold it up.

From there, we continued our walk and we were able to turn around and get another good picture of the Capitol.

Finally, we reached the outside gate of the White House and it was full of people taking pictures - from far away and behind a tall iron fence, of course!

With all the walking we have done today, it is amazing how many people keep stopping us and asking US for directions. What is even more surprising is we seem to have an answer to almost every question. When Jess and I need to ask someone a question, we look for someone who looks local, usually someone who is dressed up as if they work there and know the locale. We must look like locals?

The other funny this we have encountered on this trip is when people ask us where we are from and we reply Sacramento. 3 out of every 4 times we answer, what question do people come back with? "Oh, do you know Arnold Schwarzenegger?" Yes, everyone in Sacramento knows him and has him over for dinner. He's a good friend. Silly people. I guess this question has replaced the old question of, "You're from California? Do you surf?" Yes, the waves in the Central Valley are killer dude!