Washington DC - The Capitol

When we were last in Baltimore, we decided to take a side trip to Washington DC by the train, and then pick up a rental car in Washington to drive back to New York.

Remarkably, it turned out to be a fine day, clear blue skies, but very cold.

We walked from the railway station to the Capitol and then spent most of the day exploring the buildings and monuments.



The Capitol building is the home of the United States Congress and is the seat of the legislative branch of the US Federal Government.  It is located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall.



The original building was built in 1800 and the dome was added in a later expansion.  The house of representatives is in the south wing, and the Senate is in the north wing.





Not far from the Capitol was the Library of Congress,