Washington D.C. – Valerie's Voice

Cathedral in Bloom

I have never been to the National Cathedral, but have always wanted to see it. Since we were going to be in the Washington D.C. area during holy week, I checked out the cathedral’s schedule. There was a lot going on. I settled on buying tickets to see the Cathedral in Bloom.

The magnificent cathedral is lavishly decorated with flowers for Easter and they keep the bouquets fresh throughout the following week for people to enjoy, adding more beauty to the already impressive architecture.

So once again, we took off with the grandchildren to go exploring.

The Episcopal cathedral was chartered by congress in 1893 and established on Mount St. Alban (the highest point in the city). In 1907 the cornerstone was laid by President Theodore Roosevelt. The construction slowed during periods of economic hardship, so the building wasn’t completed until 1990.

“Our” National Cathedral is for all people. “This Cathedral holds a unique place at the intersection of sacred and civic life. …we strive to serve God and our neighbors as agents of reconciliation; as a trusted voice of moral leadership; and as a sacred space where the country gathers during moments of national significance.”*

Looking up to the rose window on the outside.

Looking out the rose window from the inside.

“In a city of monuments and memorials, this Cathedral stands apart as a vibrant community of people called together to serve and renew the world around us. Our founders envisioned this Cathedral as a sacred space where the nation could gather in good times and in bad.”*

This amazing Easter Lily bouquet had a matching bouquet flanked on the other side of this entryway.

We used a self-guided tour brochure to find our way around the massive building.

I enjoyed this space stained-glass window so I took a photo. I learned later that the small eye in the large red circle is a piece of moon rock brought back by the astronauts of Apollo 11 and given to the Cathedral by NASA

I enjoyed the gothic architecture, stained-glass windows and myriads of flowers.

The Pilgrim Observation Gallery on the 7th floor.

There was a striking observation gallery on the 7^th floor, offering great views of the city.

There were several smaller chapels throughout the cathedral.

Resurrection Chapel: the walls were floor to ceiling Mosaics depicting stories of Jesus.

I have noticed the choir section on television, when I’ve watched special events at the cathedral. Although there were no flowers on the choir seats, the dark, rich, carved wooden benches were stunning.

This Cathedral took on much more meaning after seeing it and touring it. I want to think of it as our National Cathedral from now on.

My enjoyment of flowers along with my enjoyment of exploring churches made this a special outing for me.

The Canterbury Pulpit is made from stone from Canterbury and was carved in England in 1929.

I had a hard time choosing which photos to include on this blog post.

Beauty invites you to enter under the arch.

Enjoy.

This lovely arrangement was tucked in the corner of a stairwell!

*Both quotes taken from the Washington National Cathedral brochure.

The National Mall, Day 2

We took a second trip down to the Mall a few days later to complete the circle…to see the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

All were impressive. The last time Gary and I were in Washington D.C., in 2019, we saw the Martin Luther King, Jr. and Jefferson memorials.

Side view of Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, April 2025.

I was happy to see them again. And, we were glad we could see the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial this time. We decided it was our favorite.

Among many wise, sensible, and profound FDR quotes etched into the granite (that I wish our current administration would read, believe, and act on) the monument itself was well designed with four series of waterfalls representing different periods of FDR’s life and presidency.

One of the falls created for the FDR Memorial, April 2025.

Apparently, water was a major part of FDR’s life…from his childhood upbringing on the Hudson River to using water as a therapy during his illnesses (polio). Franklin Delano Roosevelt was 32^nd president of the US and served from 1933 to 1945. In 1921 he was paralyzed at 39 years old.

The bronze statues of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (in a wheelchair) and his dog, Fala. April 2025.

The first waterfall is a simple waterfall symbolizing the fresh energy FDR brought to the presidency. The second falls are a series of steps to represent the Tennessee Valley Authority project FDR founded. The TVA Act was part of Roosevelt’s broader “new Deal” initiative to address the Great Depression. The third falls has chaotic falls to represent the destruction from World War II. The fourth falls includes a still pool that symbolizes his death.

The bronze statue of Eleanor Roosevelt, April 2025.

The FDR memorial is the largest memorial on the Mall. A couple more unique features include it’s the only memorial that includes a sculpture of a First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the only one to include a sculpture of a dog, FDR’s dog named Fala. Because of FDR’s disabilities, the memorial was intentionally designed to be accessible to people of all abilities.

Once again we walked back to the Metro station and past the Washington Monument, which I remember climbing steps to the top, as a kid, when I was in Washington D.C. with my parents.

This was another fun day with the grandkids, walking several miles everyday, for each of our adventures.

The National Mall, Day 1

We visited the exciting city of Washington, D.C. where there is an unlimited number of interesting things to see. We saw a fraction of them, yet we saw a lot.

First, we were visiting our son and his wife and their two children. That was the best part, and the reason for our visit to the area. They moved in January for our son’s training to become a Foreign Service Officer. It was great to see all of them. The kids were on spring break from school so, while the parents went to work during the week, we took the kids exploring.

We took two days to walk around the National Mall; the area with the reflecting pool surrounded by the domed U.S. Capital, the Whitehouse and many monuments and Smithsonian museums. We missed the peak of the famous cherry blossoms which were in full bloom one week prior to our visit. However, there were a few lingering trees in bloom near our son’s apartment.

Our first day on the Mall we began our walk past the Whitehouse.

The reflecting pool and the Washington Monument, April 2025.

Next, we walked towards the reflecting pool and the World War II Memorial, and on to the Vietnam War memorial.

Walking towards the long black marble Vietnam War Memorial, April 2025.

The Vietnam War memorial is an impressive, black marble wall with the names carved into it of all who died in the war, or from causes directly related to the war.

The Vietnam Women’s Memorial, April 2025.

Next to this memorial was the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, created to commemorate the 265,000 women that served in the Vietnam War, many of whom worked as nurses. It was significant to see because I had just finished reading Kristin Hannah’s book, The Women, a story about three nurses who served in Vietnam (a recommended read).

After a snack lunch, we walked up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial. This is a very impressive monument that brought tears to my eyes. We stood in awe at the looming sculpture of Abraham Lincoln, with some of his quotes carved in the marble walls that surrounded his figure. And though there were many people crowding the area, it was a very poignant moment.

We made a quick stop at the Korean War Memorial, but by now, we were tired and started our walk back to the metro station. We passed the Washington monument on our way, which we could see throughout the day, towering above us from every angle on the Mall.

These monuments and memorials are a tribute to great men and women who served in leadership positions and the United States military service. It was good to see them.

Memorable Hikes – Washington D.C. 2018

Continuing my series on memorable hikes…

After a beautiful Easter morning service that included the singing of Christ the Lord is Risen Today and hearing the Hallelujah Chorus at a church we were visiting in the D.C. area, we decided to take the train to the National Mall and walk around.

The metro system in Washington D.C. is user friendly and we hopped on the train, along with our host for the weekend, and “people watched” for thirty minutes while we enjoyed the train ride to the National Mall.

As soon as we stepped out of the metro station we saw the Washington monument standing tall. There were lots of people everywhere…and this was April…I can’t imagine the crowds during summer. We turned and looked behind us, to the East, and saw the U.S. Capitol from a distance, and then started our hike walking west toward the Washington Monument.

It was wonderful to see the cherry trees in bloom.

The day was cool but the cherry trees were in bloom and it was beautiful. We walked from memorial to memorial, beginning at the Washington Monument (built in 1848). I have been up in the Washington Monument on a prior visit, but it is currently closed for renovation until 2019. We glanced at the White House to the north as we passed it, then walked through the WW II Memorial (dedicated in 2004) on our way to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (dedicated in 1982), and a Vietnam Women’s Memorial, a sculpture dedicated in 1993 for the women who served in the Vietnam war.

Next we stopped at the Lincoln Memorial (dedicated in 1922) which is a favorite of mine, and for many I believe.

A classic view of the Lincoln Memorial from one end of the Reflecting Pool.

Next we walked to the Korean War Veterans Memorial (dedicated in 1995) and then to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is a fairly new memorial dedicated in 2011, and this was the first time I saw it and it immediately became a favorite for me. The Stone of Hope is a granite sculpture out of which the carving of Dr. King emerges. The memorial covers four acres and is located on the Tidal Basin. The walls surrounding the statue are etched with several different quotes from Dr. King Jr. such as:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

At this point we were on a trajectory to see the Jefferson Memorial (dedicated in 1943) which took us past the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial (dedicated in 1997), also new to me.

A view of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin.

The King, Roosevelt and Jefferson memorials are all on the Tidal Basin, off the Potomac River, surrounded by blooming cherry trees.

The cherry trees along the Tidal Basin were given as a gift of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan in 1912.

When we started out we had no idea we would hike a total of six miles that afternoon, but it was fun to see these truly amazing memorials. There are interesting stories behind each one.

They are continually adding new memorials and museums in this area. For instance, they are planning a Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, under construction at this time, and we visited the newly opened Museum of the Bible which was very interesting.

Washington D.C. is a very unique place to visit and a fun place to hike around, and I am grateful we had the opportunity to do so in the cherry tree blooming season.

Click here to view a good map of the National Mall.