Washington DC

28/9/14 -  Washington DC

Betty snapped this picture when we were passing through Baltimore, there were several planes towing banners over what I assume was a stadium

Tom - The famous Union Station which is a railway station for several railway companies, a bus terminus and also houses the Washington Metro, it is a huge building with many shops and restaurants and would rival many airports in its layout.

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Betty - Outside Union Station stands the Columbus Memorial Fountain. He is flanked on one side by an old man representing the Old World and a Native American on the other representing the New World.

A glimpse of Capitol Hill.

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The Smithsonian Castle -  home to the Smithsonian Information Center and Administrative Headquarters. James Smithson, an English chemist and mineralogist and illegitimate son of the 1st Duke of Northumberland was the founding member of the Smithsonian Institution even though he never visited the USA.  James Smithson died in Genoa, Italy, on June 27, 1829, at the age of 64. 75 years later, Smithsonian Regent Alexander Graham Bell brought Smithson's remains to Washington, where they were interred in a tomb in the Smithsonian Building. 
Smithson's will left the bulk of his estate to his nephew. But should his nephew die without children—legitimate or illegitimate—a contingency clause stated that the estate would go to "the United States of America, to found at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge…" A sum of $508,318 was bequeathed to the USA.

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The Thomas Jefferson Memorial - in honour of the 3rd US President, author of the Declaration of Independence and the  Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom. More info on: http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/thomas-jefferson-brief-biography

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On the walls of the Memorial are inscribed excerpts from the Declaration of Independence written in 1776 and A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom written in 1777.

The Reflection Pool with the Washington Monument in the background, and further still is Capital Hill. This is the  pool where Forest Gump and Jenny connected again in the well known movie.

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This magnificent memorial is dedicated to the 16th US President, Abraham Lincoln. The Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address are inscribed on the walls. This Memorial has also been the site of many other famous speeches, including Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech.

In life, President Abraham Lincoln was 6ft 4ins. tall - this Georgia white marble sculpture is 19 feet  from head to foot.  The Memorial was dedicated on May 30th, 1922

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The Albert Einstein Memorial in bronze sits on the south west corner of the grounds of the National Academy of Sciences at Constitution Avenue.

The White House...no, we could not gain entry to it.

The visit to the Museum of Natural History was worth its weight in...ahem..diamonds! The Hope Diamond, once weighing 112 carats is now a modest 45.52 carats.  More on the Hope diamond click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Diamond 

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This magnificent diadem once adorned the head of Marie Louise, Empress of France, second wife of Napoleon.  More info:  http://geogallery.si.edu/index.php/en/1002086/marie-louise-diadem

The  Hall & Bismarck  Sapphire necklaces....buys a whole lot of chicken breasts!! The Hall Sapphire necklace  was designed by Harry Winston - it has 435 diamonds  totalling 83.75 carats .Total weight including the sapphires - 195 carats...mind boggling!!

Designed by Cartier in 1935, the Bismarck necklace (on the right) is a whopping 98.6 carats of cornflower blue Sri Lankan sapphire owned by Countess Mona von Bismarck and donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 1967.

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The Napoleon diamond necklace, given to Marie Louise on the birth of Napoleon's son.   The man sure knew how to "smoooozzze" a girl. The necklace has a total weight of 263 carats of diamonds!! Drool some more at:  http://geogallery.si.edu/index.php/en/1002083/napoleon-diamond-necklace