washington post Feb.14

1441 Kennedy St.

There was little fanfare as the Block's drove into Washington on January 28 
The guest house, however, received them happily to join the team of volunteers! 
The Mennonite International Guest House serves a diverse population: political, student researchers,visitors to the Capital etc.  Our first week we hosted the body guard for the President of Liberia and a young woman from Albania, having lived in New York, and doing an internship with Interpol. 

                   
                                                                     

Rene (host), Marlene DeFehr (&Bill, Toronto), Patricia, Erica
& Dan, Janae (volunteer from Boston)

                                                                          
The Blocks have capably adapted to a lifestyle of hosting, cleaning, cooking...and touring         


We have also adapted admirably to busing, metro and much walking. Washington is a beautiful city of historic buildings, museums and monuments.  

Our first stop...the White House, of course, where we found workers still taking down the scaffolding from the Inauguration.  Our cohorts, Bill and Marlene DeFehr, told us gleefully how they had wangled their way into the Canadian Embassy to view the inauguration from the height of the outdoor patio, along with 200 other esteemed guests.

                                                                                                    
Blocks visit the Canadian Embassy...

new Canadian embassy on Pennsylvania Ave.

Dan also has his wiles...and of course we were neighbours of Gary Doer on Glenwood Cres before he became Premier of Manitoba! Well, we received a tour of the new embassy (built about 7 years ago with land donated by the US govt), which is much appreciated by staff.  Note Dan's inaugural speech in the auditorium!                                                   

Washington Monument and Capital Hill in the distance

There are two miles of grass that stretch between Capital Hill and the Lincoln Memorial, called The Mall. The Washington Monument sits on this mall and is still under repair since the earthquake of 2011.  Along both sides of the mall are most of the Smithsonian Museums.   

American flags wave around the monument

Blocks visit Smithsonian Museums

                                                                

American Indian Museum with Capital Building in the distance

Dan and I have visited four of the museums to date, choosing to begin with the National Museum of the American Indian.  This museum was built specifically for this purpose and was curated entirely by American Indians. The building is unique and the exhibits portraying a difficult history are very well done. "Survivance" is the theme and speaks to the ways the Aboriginal peoples have survived and are learning to thrive.  

The Air and Space Museum was both amazing and sobering....the exhibits of space technology alongside exhibits and history of war technology.  When you see missiles capable of holding three atomic bombs you can't help but shudder and pray.

space capsule

                                 

Leonardo da Vinci's Ginerva de Benc

Michelangelo's David visiting Washington 
Our next free museum was the National Gallery of Art, where we viewed David, an unfinished sculpture on loan from Florence. We learned that Michelangelo had a habit of leaving his sculptures incomplete, which may have been his was of saying "a finished work could never live up to his idea".

 The National Gallery of Art was created in 1937 by  a wealthy financier and art collector,  Andrew Mellon, and gifted to Congress.  It is purported to be one of the finest repositories of painting, sculpture and graphic art in the world. 

Blocks walk the halls of Congress

A group tour took us through the halls...the Rotunda with its beautiful cast iron dome

and crypt beneath it and the Statuary Hall. We're pleased to have been "invited" to sit in on debates in both the Senate and the House of Representatives...free tickets, again!

"In God We Trust"

dome of rotunda

Statuary Hall

Blocks love the free concerts at The Kennedy Centre of The Arts
The favorite concert so far, of four, was hearing Afghanistan's only school of  music from Kabul join with the Maryland Youth Orchestra for a wonderful evening of Afghani folk music and a very unusual rendition of Vivaldi's Four Seasons that incorporated 9 traditional Afghani instruments. It was a full house, with many Afghanis present.  The Minister of Education from Afghanistan introduced the evening and announced the positive changes and growth that have happened in Afghanistan in the last years.  The audience was wildly enthusiastic throughout, with much clapping and waving.  We saw that CBC had picked up this concert.

And on Sunday the Blocks can be seen at the Washington National Cathedral

The sixth largest cathedral in the world, Washington National Cathedral is adorned by 200 stained glass windows. This Gothic-style cathedral was planned for 200 years and finally completed in 1990. Episcopalian, the church sees its mission as embodying God's love and welcoming all faiths and perspectives. And as catalyst for reconciliation and interfaith dialogue.  We are impressed with its wide ranging programs and outreach and its wonderful worship

Space Window with a piece of space rock set in centre of the dark red circle

So in that glow, let me say that further editions of Washington Post will depend on whether the editor can become more efficient!  Needless to say, we are having a great time!