Washington National Cathedral

We were quite surprised when we learned it would cost twenty dollars to visit the Washington national cathedral. We have been there at least twice - once for a flower mart and the other when we had visitors from out of town and this was on their wish list. We passed by it many times on the way to one of our favorite restaurants on Wisconsin Avenue. We don’t go that way as much since we moved to northern Virginia from Capitol Hill four years ago. We thought this might be a nice setting to get pictures for my weekly photo challenge and also to get in a morning walk. We started out walking around the grounds that included the beautiful Bishop’s garden. There were many visiting tourists and large groups passing through the front doors. I really didn’t want to go inside but we did anyway. It reminded me of Winchester cathedral in Winchester England where Jane Austen is buried. It is the second largest cathedral in the US and sits on the highest point in the city. It is quite a marvel - I still don’t know how anything like this is built. We meandered through most of it passing by one corner to the next. We took the elevator down to the crypt - which was sort of uncomfortable. I was happy to get out of the underground. Then we took another elevator to the seventh floor observatory and could see the city in all directions. It was a different way to spend the morning. It will be a while before we return. 

52Frames Religion Weekly Photo Challenge

We started the week at the Washington National Cathedral thinking it would be a good place to find a photo for the weekly challenge. The subject was “religion.” We were inside and outside of the cathedral - and walked through the beautiful Bishop’s Garden. We even went up to the observatory to see interesting views of DC. But the photo that got our attention and ended up being the submission was the image of the figures on the front gate of the main doors. The look on their faces was priceless and totally unexpected. Later in the week we went to the Library of Congress for a lecture on economics in the beautiful Jefferson building. Before we went to the meeting room we first stopped to see the Gutenberg Bible. I took a few photos and really liked the image of the people reflected in the glass where the Bible was almost floating in air. After the lecture the library was closed and there was a great shot of the Bible and the backdrop that looked like a church - and not a soul was in sight. Then I made a few attempts to capture my mom’s first communion Polish prayer book and my husband’s Iranian medal that he used to wear all of the time. I can’t say I was really enthralled with any of the photos this week. Sometimes there is a clear winner. But after two years I’ve decided that I’ll upload the photo I really like rather than try to figure out what the judges might like. It’s fun to read the comments from people from all over the world and continue to learn new words and techniques that I never knew before. That’s probably the point of it all. 

Washington National Cathedral Bishop’s Garden

I needed to get photos for the subject “religion” for the 52Frames weekly photo challenge. So the first thing that came to mind was the Washington National Cathedral. We haven’t been there for a while but have passed by it many times in the last seventeen years. We once went to a flower market there and then took some guests from the Midwest to actually go inside. The gardens around the cathedral are really lovely. And the area is called Bishop’s Garden. We also had a chance to see the gardens from the seventh floor observatory after we decided we should probably take a walk inside too. What we liked most was the English garden feel of some of the flower beds but also the paths. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. There were obvious religious statues and representations all about along with grottos and shelters. There were plenty of places to sit and contemplate the surroundings. The fish pond captured our attention. It was just so pretty. There were a few other people meandering about. It was the perfect time to visit as it was just the perfect weather and the flowers were still sitting pretty before the summer heat kicks in. It’s nice to revisit places in the city. The photo challenge forced excursions we may not take otherwise.