Shhhhhh! This Is A Library

It annoys me that I live in the DC metro area and haven't visited many of the sights in the city. All of those monuments and museums to enjoy, many of which are free. Well, I'm trying to turn over a new leaf and take advantage of the sights, which leads me to my outing this past Friday.

Andi and I visited the Library Of Congress and took the tour of the Thomas Jefferson Building, which is the building that houses the Main Reading Room. Haven Dwella's, this building is gorgeous. Every inch of the place is filled with artwork. And every piece has a meaning.
Here's an example. This pic includes a statue, carvings, seals, literary quotes, and paintings, and each one means something different. Those cherubs on the stairwell each represent something different all their own.

Here is a pic I took of the magnificent ceiling.

I took this shot of Elihu Vedder's Minerva of Peace for Mary Sog. It's a beautiful marble mosaic that's done in way that, no matter which way you look at it, the feet always face you. Hopefully, you can see the mosaic OK. It was hard to get good light because the room is so vast. And the closer you got to it, the less light there was.

You know, when we entered the building, a security guard told us that we wouldn't actually see any books on the tour. I thought he was kidding. Well, he was right. You get to see the reading room from an observation deck way above the floor, but without a reading pass, the only books you get to see are the ones for sale in the gift shop. Oh well. . .