END OF THE SUMMER, 2012 VACATION

Last weekend we returned home after vacationing in D.C. and Williamsburg.  It was a perfect trip....weather couldn't have been better and the company more enjoyable.  It all started back in February, when my husband and I purchased a 4-day golf package to Williamsburg, at a Golf Expo in Overland Park.  We were offered a free upgrade for an additional couple and the ability to lengthen the stay for a really good price.  Since my husband planned to play golf as much as he could, I wanted someone along to keep me company.....so we invited my friend Janice and her husband to join us.  

The first thing we decided was to extend our stay in Williamsburg to a whole week.  Then we decided we wanted to fly instead of driving and so decided to fly into DC.  Since we were going to be in D.C., we decided we should stay there a few days.  So before we knew it, our 4-day golf package turned into an 12-day/11-night vacation.

Early in the summer, Janice's husband, Leon, contacted the office of our representative to see if we could get a tour of the White House. (It isn't as easy to do as it used to be.)  Anyway, we returned the application with all the necessary information to do background checks on us and  surprise, surprise, we were selected.  That was one of the main highlights of our trip.  Couldn't take cameras so have no pictures except outside, but it was absolutely beautiful!

Since I can't invite most of you over to look at pictures from our "end of summer 2012" vacation, I will be sharing many of them with you here on my blog in several posts. Hope you enjoy them.  Let me know what you think. (Be kind.)

***DAY 1***

We couldn't take cameras on the tour and there wasn't any place to leave them, so I spent our first full day in D.C. without my camera.  We were allowed to have cell phones though (even ones with cameras) so I did get a few pictures after the tour.  

The White House is such an impressive place.  

 This was the entrance we exited from.

This is the East Wing which we toured.

This picture shows where the National Christmas Tree will be placed.

After we finished our tour, we walked over to the American History Museum and spent most of the rest of the day there and at the Air and Space Museum and then just walking around the Capital Mall.  We WALKED a lot on our trip.  

We stayed in Rosslyn, VA at the Holiday Inn.  The subway entrance was less than a block away.  When we had dinner at the restaurant on the 17th floor each night, we could look down on the bridge over the Potomac River to Georgetown and watch the planes fly by to land at Washington National Airport.

***DAY 2***

(Part 1)

    

                       

Our second full day in D.C. was spent mainly at the Capitol, but also at the Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court Building.  Janice's husband walked over to the offices of our representative and senator and got us gallery passes for both houses.  That was really interesting.  Our tour guide through the Capitol was fantastic.  He could speak 59 languages and knew "everything" about the Capitol.  He asked you where you were from and if you were from the U. S. he then preceded to tell you when the state came into the union.  If you were from another country, he would carry on a conversation with you in your native language. In the Capitol there are statues of two people representing each state and he knew the names of both of those two people.

My husband, Leon, and Janice in front of the Capitol

I actually got a picture with almost no one in it.  


The dome in the Rotunda.

Zoomed in....Can you see President George Washington?

This was the location of John Adams' desk.  It is pretty neat.  Standing in this spot, you can hear what people are saying from across the room....even when they are whispering.

The Old Supreme Court Chamber

 

They took your cameras before going into the galleries so I couldn't take any pictures in there.  Most of the building is just too massive to really catch it in pictures anyway.

While we were waiting for Leon to get back with passes to enter the galleries, my husband, Janice and I walked over to the Library of Congress through the underground passage.  I think, it has to be  the most gorgeous building inside (words fail me) and since I took LOTS of pictures, I will post them in another blog. 

Read the next post HERE