Day 2 - The American dream

And at the location where the adventure began for Professor Langdon in the evening, the day begins for me. With an excuse (giving a lecture) he was lured to the Capitol, say the parliament of the United States.

In 1793 George Washington laid the first stone of the Capitol according to the rite of Freemasonry. The building was completed in 1812. The architects, who were practically all freemasons, were inspired by Masonic symbols with attention for  celestial bodies, occult numerology and spiritual energy. So you could call the Capitol, in addition to the temple of democracy, a temple of Masonic mysteries.

I am not lured with an excuse, but by  the building itself for its grandeur and historical importance and so I booked a tour of the Capitol some weeks ago.

I do not wander around the corridors in the forced wake of CIA director Sato and head of security Anderson like Professor Langdon, but in the company of an eclectic selection of tourists and an official guide of the Capitol. Upon arrival at the Statutary Hall, I am as surprised as Professor Langdon. Not because I expect an audience here but arrive in an empty room, but because I seem to find myself suddenly in a Greek-Roman amphitheater. 

Also not surprising because on arrival at the Capitol I could not miss the façade. The façade that we usually see and which is directed towards the Mall is actually the back of the Capitol. But the front the Capitol looks more like a Greco-Roman temple, including pillars with chapter and above it a tympanum. Again somewhere logical, because the symbol of the American democracy with its neoclassical architecture, had to become an ode to the democratic principles of ancient Greece and Rome. 

What used to be the Statutary Hall was from 1807 to 1857 the meeting room of the House of Representatives.. They then moved to their current location. The room has the shape of a D with arched walls in sandstone and Italian plasterwork. The columns are finished with a  chapter in marble. On the black and white floor there are now dozens of statues, donated by the different states. When the room was vacated, the idea was suggested to make a statue gallery out of it. Each state was asked to donate two statues of persons important to the state in question. 

Not all 100 statues can be shown in this room, some are scattered throughout the Capitol. All statues are from Americans, except for one .... that of Father Damian donated by the State of Hawaii. Unfortunately for the Belgian visitor this statue is located in the House of Representatives, which is not accessible on Saturdays. Also exceptional is the statue that was not donated by a state but commissioned by the Congress itself: that of Rosa Parks, civil rights activist.

During our visit of Statutary Hall, I keep my ears open. I hear no screaming coming from the Rotunda, that means no severed hand of Peter Solomon. That severed hand is the beginning of Professor Langdon's real adventure in search of the Lost Word in Washington DC. The hand is tattooed as the Hand of Mysteries. According to the tradition of Freemasonry, this is a formal invitation to go through the mystical gateway and to collect ancient mystical knowledge, powerful knowledge known as the Ancient Mysteries or the lost wisdom of the ages. This is kept hidden from the common people because this is regarded as far too powerful and dangerous for the uninitiated. It would tap into powerful gifts that are present in the human mind. This wisdom was brought to the new world to keep it hidden from religious oppression and would be in Washington. Langdon's good friend Peter Solomon has been kidnapped and his kidnapper wants Professor Langdon to decipher the codes of the mysterious society through the so-called Masonic Pyramid, which would be the key to the ancient knowledge and transfer the legendary power that is thereby released. The Lost Word reveals the Ancient Mysteries. The pyramid is the map that points the way to where the word is buried. Professor Langdon needs to play along. He gets help from Peter's sister Katherine while they have to try to stay out of the grip of the CIA.

But first back to the Capitol. The Rotunda is a magnificent round hall in the middle of the Capitol, crowned by a huge dome. I can believe that Dan Brown certainly wanted to include it in his book. What is immediately noticeable is the enormous height. The room is no less than 55 m high. Not impressed? Well, the Statue of Liberty of New York (without the pedestal), can fit here easily. The cast-iron dome with a diameter of approximately 30 m is made up of two domes. Through an oculus in the inner dome, one can see the fresco in the outer dome, painted by the Italian artist Brumidi. The painting is 433.3 m² in size and is called 'the Apotheosis of Washington' and shows the elevation to god of former President George Washington. He sits among the goddesses Victoria and Liberta in a circle with thirteen young women, symbol for the then thirteen colonies. It is a beautiful finish to an equally beautiful room. The room is decorated with paintings of important events and statues and is primarily used as a ceremonial room. For example, this room is used for the lying in state of deceased presidents, senators and important citizens so that the general public can greet them one last time. 

On both sides of the Rotunda you will find Congress: on the one hand the House of Representatives and on the other side the Senate. Senators are elected for a period of six years. There are two senators per state. The representatives in the House are elected for a period of two years. On the basis of the number of inhabitants, it is determined how many representatives each state receives.

We descent into the catacombs of the Capitol to the famous space directly below the Rotunda. This space is called the Crypt, and supports the impressive Rotunda with 40 Doric columns. In the middle is a star-shaped compass that marks the heart of the city of Washington. This is point zero. From here, the city is divided into four quadrants: NE-SE-SW and NW.

The crypt also had to become the entrance to George Washington's tomb. He died in 1799 but his sarcophagus here is still empty. Although Congress had permission from Martha Washington, the former president's will was very clear. He wanted to be buried on his estate in Mount Vernon. And so it happened. After a few years of struggle, Congress gave up.

After the tour I go to the southeast corner of the visitor center and walk through a long underground corridor. In contrast to the adventurous escape of Professor Langdon with Building Master Bellamy through this tunnel that was still under construction at the time, the tunnel has now been completely finished and forms an underground connection with the Library of Congress, a physical connection to strenghten the age-old bond between the two. Congress set up a library in the Capitol in 1800, but when the British burned down the building, President Thomas Jefferson made his personal book collection available for replacement. In 1897 the Library of Congress moved to a building in Italian Renaissance style. The main building is the amazing Thomas Jefferson Building. The library became the symbol for America's drive to spread knowledge. It was one of the first buildings in Washington equipped with electricity. The library has the largest collection of books in the world with over 1,050 km of bookshelves that can accommodate up to 35 million titles. Upon entering the library my breath is taken away by the unimaginable beauty. I must agree with Dan Brown when he makes the comparison with the classic grandeur of the richest palaces in Europe. 

The Great Hall has arches and columns from Italian marble. The walls are covered with rare leaf aluminum, a metal that was once considered more precious than gold, beautiful murals and stained glass windows. Via the majestic marble stairs on which bronze female figures carry the torch of enlightenment, I go up towards the large reading room. But first I makea stop at the Gutenberg Bible, the first book that was printed with loose metal letters. There are only three of this version left. And I also stop at the librarian's office. My god, in that office I also want to spend my days. The last flight of stairs to the Visitor's Gallery is dominated by a beautiful marble mosaic of Minerva. From the Visitor's Gallery I look into what would be the most monumental reading room of any library in the world. The octagonal reading room of 49 m high is an architectural masterpiece and according to Dan Brown the most spectacular room in the whole world. In the middle is the enormous distribution desk with the wooden reading tables in concentric circles. Marble columns carry the gigantic dome construction. On these pillars there are three-meter-high women's statues that represent the various aspects of human ability. The space is illuminated from all angles so that there is no shadow anywhere. On the balustrade around the dome, there are 16 bronze statues that look down. The room is finished with a beautiful dome ...  OMG.

While Professor Langdon and Katherine Solomon, the latter who has finally surfaced, escape from their pursuers via the automatic transport system and reach Freedom Plaza through all sorts of adventures, I do so through a citywalk that I have mapped out. It is a walk of about 10 km around the Mall, only the distance between the monuments, not counting visits and that on half a day.

When I leave the library, I first stop at the neighbors. The US Supreme Cour is conceived as a gigantic Corinthian building. It is the symbol of the judiciary and is the highest authority for legal disputes and constitutional issues. Some of the most groundbreaking and famous judicial decisions were made here. The court must provide justice under the law, which is the motto engraved above the entrance. Until 1929 the Supreme Court held seat at the Capitol. 

From here I walk to the gigantic Union Station, at the time the largest railway station in the world. It is built in white granite and has three large arches based on the Arch of Constantine in Rome. 

Inside, the ceiling and vaults are covered with gold leaf. Due to the increase in airline travel, the station became too large for the number of travelers in the early 1950s. Meanwhile the station was restored and a large number of stores were opened. Events are also often held here. I continue my journey to the Ford's Theater, which should have been just a popular theater, but became world famous for the wrong reason on April 14, 1865 : Abraham Lincoln attended a performance that day and was shot by John Wilkes Booth. He died the next morning at the Petersen House, opposite the theater. 

The Old Post Office, built in 1899, was the first skyscraper of DC. Contrary to the rest of the city, it was built in an imaginative Romanesque style with turrets, a breathtaking hall with glass roof and galleries.The New York Times cracked the building and thought it looked like a cross between a cathedral and a cotton factory. The government planners were of the opinion that the architecture of the building collided with the neoclassical architecture of the rest of the city. It was used until 1914 as the main post office. When the post office moved in 1934, there was actually no reason to keep the building. But due to lack of money during the thirties (The Great Depression), it was not demolished. Because of the historic importance of the building, it was ultimately spared. First it was refurbished into a shopping complex with restaurants until Donald Trump bought it in 2013. It has been the Trump International Hotel Washington DC since 2016. From the moment Donald Trump became president, a major controversy has arisen as the president apparantly encourages foreign guests to stay at the hotel and so enriches himself. The old bell tower remained accessible. The bell tower is 96 m high and has a panoramic floor at 82 m from where you can enjoy the views over Washington DC. In the tower are the 'Bells of Congress' located, the official clocks of Congress that ring at special occasions. The bells themselves can not be seen.

Not far from the Trump hotel, I finally arrive at Freedom Plaza, the place where Professor Langdon and Katherine Solomon ingeniously flee from the CIA. The Freedom Plaza is located on Pennsylvania Avenue and shows the original DC map as outlined by Pierre L'Enfant. It even contains the ground plan of the Capitol and the White House. 

While the professor and Katherine put the CIA on the wrong foot and head for a place where Moses, Star Wars and the moon landing meet, I go to the most famous building in the city: the White House. In 1791 George Washington chose this spot as the place for the new official residence of the president, the then-named Executive House. Ironically, Uncle George is the only president who has never resided in the White House. He died in 1799. After completion in 1800, it was President Adams who first lived in the White House. The White House as we know it today, underwent a major adjustment with the addition of the west wing  in 1942 by Frankling D. Roosevelt. 

It was Theodore Roosevelt who changed the name to White House in 1901. The biggest change in the 23 years since I visited Washington the first time is the White House tours. At that time you could simply reserve your seat in one of the tour groups in the morning. And that's what I did. You got a time and a meeting point at The Ellipse and were then admitted in small groups. When it was our turn at the time to enter, we suddenly were stopped at the fence. A large motorcade arrived and we had to wait a while to let them through. But instead of driving along, the motorcade slowed down and the car with two flags in front stopped just in front of me. The blinded back window came down and suddenly I stood literally eye to eye with Bill Clinton, 42nd president of the United States, who said a dry 'hello'. I had nothing else to say but ‘hello’ too J. I was completely taken by surprise. You do not expect this at all. The chances of  meeting the president, even during a visit to the White House, are close to zero. Today there is nothing  to expect at all, not even a visit of the White House itself. This privilege has been reserved for several years now only to residents of the United States, who can request a visit through their Representative. Around the White House  the security measures are du jamais vu and there is an extra perimeter in which you no longer have access. Even to take a picture, you have to take this from a big distance. No indoor visit this time, but glad that I already did that. In my mind I quickly walk past the China Room, Red Room, Blue Room, … 

I walk around the corner (or a big corner this time) to have a look at the back of the White House and through The Ellipse I end up back at The Mall.

Next stop is the Vietnam Memorial, still impressive in its simplicity. Two triangular black walls each about 75 meters long that converge at a 125°  angle, one pointing to the Lincoln Memorial, the other to the Washington Monument. On the walls are the names engraved of the 58,000 American victims in chronological order: from the first victim in 1959 to the last in 1975.

At the end of the Mall and right across from the Capitol lies the Lincoln Memorial, the gigantic memorial to Abraham Lincoln, the man who saved the Union. It is a large-scale monument, a Greek temple with 36 Doric columns, one for each state at the time of Lincoln's death. The design is based on the Parthenon in Athens.

The seated statue of the president is almost six m high, not counting the pedestal. He stares at the Reflecting Pool. On the walls around it, are two famous speeches of Lincoln engraved: the 'Gettysburg Address' and the 'Second Inaugural Address'. But the monument is also famous for something else: the 'I have a dream' speech by Dr. Martin Luther King. He made this speech on the stairs of the monument on August 28, 1963. 250,000 people stood around the Reflecting Pool listening to one of the most famous speeches in history. One year later, citizen law was passed and Dr. King was  awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. On the stairs I take a break and I also reflect looking at the Reflecting Pool in which the Washington Monument reflects, and with the WWII monument and the Capitol completely in the background. The pedometer is working overtime 😉.

What a city. Even now here in this Greek temple, I feel like I am in ancient Europe and am travelling in Rome or in ancient Greece. Especially the government buildings are all built in that neoclassical style and with Freemason symbols.
Time to move on to one of the most captivating monuments, that for the Korean War. It consists of 19, two metre high stainles statues of American soldiers on patrol. They are depicted in full dress including the poncho that represents the terrible weather conditions during the war. The bushes represent the difficult grounds they had to go through, fighting for a country and people they did not know. Striking are the lifelike expressions on the face: fear, despair, or worse, no emotion, an empty expression. In the background, photos of 2400 veterans were sandblasted on a wall. There is also a special mention for Belgium that together with 21 other countries of the United Nations took part in this war and regretted 106 victims.

A little further, at the start of the Tidal Basin, built in 1897 to absorb the excess water of the Potomac, the river next to which Washington DC has been built, is the relatively recent Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. It was unveiled in 2011 and is the first monument for an African-American on the Mall. The monument is rather controversial because it was designed by a non-American and because Martin Luther King himself is rather severe looking. The 9.1 m high statue 'Stone of Hope' rises from a rock. It is the portrayal of one of the statements of the human rights activist he made during the famous 'I have a dream' speech: 'Out of a mountain or despair, a stone of hope'. This statue also includes a long wall with 14 fragments from the many speeches, sermons and writings of MLK.

A little further along the Tidal Basin is another Memorial for one of the most important US presidents, Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is located in a park and consists of four rooms, each for one of his terms. The statue of Roosevelt is also quite controversial because it represents the former president in a wheelchair to which he was bound due to polio. With the various waterfalls that represent the peace he was  so looking for, this is a subdued Memorial with benches and beautiful statues where it is pleasant to stay. I think this is the most beautiful Memorial of all and the perfect tribute to Roosevelt, even though he saw it a little bit smaller.

I finish the last meters around the Tidal Basin. In 1912, hundreds of cherry trees donated by Japan were planted around the Basin. From mid-March to mid-April (so I'm  too late), it provides for beautiful images when the trees are in bloom. 

Yet I also enjoy the park and the peace that it brings, away from the tourist attractions. My walk is coming to an end. The Jefferson Memorial is coming into view. Thomas Jefferson was also one of the Founding Fathers and was the third president of the United States and a versatile man. He was an architect, musician, scientist, book collector, diplomat and inventor to name just a few things. He played an important role in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin D. Roosevelt came up with the Memorial's idea because he believed Jefferson was as important as Lincoln. The statue of Jefferson is about 6 m high and looks at the White House. The dome was based on the Pantheon, the original home of the great Roman Gods in mythology.

On the walls is Jefferson's text  engraved of the Declaration of Independence. Another fact, during the construction of the monument, metal was scarce and the sculpture was cast in plaster. After the war it was re-cast in bronze and the plaster statue was removed.

This day was a dedication to the fathers of America, but not only the founding fathers but also to those other fathers, the fathers who watched over America during the darkest years. Each and every one of them pursued the American dream and watched over it to protect that American dream for everyone. Be it against outside powers, insurgents from within or against violations of the principles of democracy. That American dream was chased in the new world, which is very similar to that old world. With neoclassical buildings that seem to have run away from ancient Greece or Rome and  that our Founding Fathers embedded with Freemasonry symbolism. The question remains: is there such a thing as great wisdom and is that wisdom in Washington DC? Perhaps, because these Founding Fathers were among the greatest of the earth. Maybe they themselves are that enormous knowledge ...