Washington, D. C.

We just got back from Elderhostel's Discover Washington, D. C. program and enjoyed it ... even with the rain or grey skies. We haven't been there since 1966, so it was time. Our guides were informative and the activities were smoothly run. There were several lectures in the mornings ... I think to get the morning traffic out of the way. We went in early on Wed. and even though we were close to D. C, it did take us longer to get in.

Jefferson was our first monument and one we missed on our last trip. The George Washington was one we did not go to, but saw it from every vantage point. Here it is on our last day with blue sky.

The next was the Kennedy Center. What a magnificent facility that is! There are 6 theaters in it and the art is donated from various countries or organizations. We went back again on our last night and saw "Ragtime" as that was included. I saw it in Toronto 12 years ago and enjoyed it just as much this time. There are no artificial flowers and we saw many floral arrangements throughout our tour. This was our entrance, The Hall of Nations. We didn't see the concert hall, but could catch sounds of the Pittsburgh Symphony as they were practicing. We did get to watch on opera practice ... couldn't take a picture of the staging as that's copywrited, but got the chandelier. This one can't be lowered to clean.
Next was the White House ... not inside. We got to see that on our previous visit, but with today's tight security it's not easy to get in.