A beautiful sunny morning promises a very nice day. We decided to try and get an earlier start so we were out of the house by 9:30 AM headed for the subway station in College Park. After catching the train it was a half hour into DC and our stop at L' Enfant Plazza station where we transfered to the Orange Line and rode two more stops before getting out at the Capitol station.Coming up from the subway we are only a couple of blocks from the Thomas Jefferson Building which is also houses the "Library Of Congress". Walking up 1st Street we passed the James Madison Memorial Building which is now part of the Library of Congress. The Madison Building serves both as the Library's third major structure and as this nation's official memorial to James Madison, the "father" of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the fourth president of the United States.
The next building is the Thomas Jefferson Building which is right across the street from the Capitol. The Library of Congress was established in 1800 when the American government moved from Philadelphia to the new capital of Washington on the Potomac River. For 97 years the Library was housed in various locations within the Capitol Building. The first separate Library of Congress Building, known today as the Thomas Jefferson Building, was suggested by Librarian of Congress Ainsworth Rand Spofford in 1871, authorized in 1886, and finally completed in 1897. This is simply a most magnificent building. The architecture and decorations are stunning. 
When we passed through security we had no idea how beautiful a structure we were entering. I'm only including one photo here. To really get a sense of how spectacular the building is, go to our photo site or check out the web site http://www.loc.gov/loc/walls/jeff1.html. Since this is the main building for the Library Of Congress we decided to do a tour. About forty people were seated at the tour center for a brief orientation then we were divided up into three different groups and assigned docents. Each docent led their group to a different starting point before beginning the tour. We were very pleased to have a lady with a veritable passion for the Library and also for the principle Librarian who oversaw the design and construction of the building, Ainsworth Rand Spofford.
In a little over an hour we visited most of the major areas of the Library, though we weren't aloowed on the floor of the main reading room so as not to disturb the researchers. Though originally designated as a law library for Congress, over the years the purpose has expanded to become a repository for copies of almost all written documents plus maps of all kinds. Today the Library is available to everyone and is completing a major conversion to digital format accessable over the web at http://www.loc.gov/. From the Jefferson Building we chose to walk outside to the Capitol Building rather than through the tunnel between the two buildings. We walked across 1st Street and over to the security entry to the visitor center.
The Capitol Visitor Center opened to the public on December 2, 2008. From its inception, it was conceived as an extension of the Capitol that welcomes visitors to the seat of American government. At nearly 580,000 square feet, the CVC is the largest project in the Capitol’s 215-year history and is approximately three quarters the size of the Capitol itself. The entire facility is located underground on the east side of the Capitol so as not to detract from the appearance of the Capitol and of the grounds designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1874. The planting of 85 new trees, the restoration of historic fountains, lanterns and seat walls, and the addition of skylights, water features and granite pavers across the East Front Plaza will all serve to revitalize the historic landscape. 
Once inside the Visitor Center we were fortunate to get on a tour of the Capitol Building. The Capitol is another simply stunning structure. The wikipeaedia web site for the capitol is probably one of the best for all around information (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Capitol). Our tour guide took us to the central rotundra and described the importance of the various paintings, frescos and statuary. From there we went up to the Senate Gallery (not in session since it's Saturday), then down to what is called the crypt where there is another collection of busts and sculptures. After the tour we were free to walk around on our own and take pictures.
After visiting the Capitol building we walked down the hill to the East lawn and on to the reflecting pool and Mall. This is a very nice walk with all the trees in bloom, lawns freshly mowed, and the sun out. We passed numerous sculptures and monuments as we walked along the refecting pool and crossed Maryland Avenue to the US Botanical Gardens and Conservatory (http://www.usbg.gov/). 
The gardens are very nicely laid out but not as stunning as some we've seen, however the purpose of the gardens is to collect, grow, and distribute plants of this and other countries that might contribute to the welfare of the American people. We were able to get inside and wander around from each of the separate areas, mountain, desert, jungle, etc., and even up into the canopy of the tropic section. After taking a short break we wandered around the outside gardens before heading over to the closest subway station and hading for home. Even though we don't cover a lot of buildings in one day, we have found that some of the tours are so intense and fill your brain up that a five to six hour day is about the max we can enjoy. To see all of todays photos click on the following link:
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