晨曦下的林肯紀念館:
WORLD War II Memorial:
今年三月一號到六號，霹靂貓去華盛頓DC參加公司的培訓。然後踏上了以西伯利亞快車橫穿歐亞大陸為主題的環球旅行，四月中旬才回來，按時間順序，先補交華府的作業吧。
在過去的四年裏，每年三月前後，霹靂貓都會去華盛頓DC參加公司培訓，可總是行色匆匆。今年，霹靂貓決定在公差結束後和朋友在華府過周末： 參加教會組織的為華府禱告的活動，參觀白宮，還有去國會圖書館。
（一）為華府禱告：萬國逐家佈道團和在華盛頓特區行進禱告的機構和教會 團體一起主辦了為華府禱告的活動。有興趣的朋友可以參考下麵的網站：http://www.acpr.org/dc-circle-makers
下麵是霹靂貓在禱告路線上的隨拍。
（1）傑佛遜紀念館：“we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”－獨立宣言
（2）羅斯福紀念館：“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”－FDR's First Inaugural Address。
（3）馬丁路德金紀念碑："Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
（4）林肯紀念館： "Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.”
每次到DC，霹靂貓清晨都會從酒店跑到林肯紀念館，風雨無阻。這兩張是清晨跑步時拍的照片：
（5）華盛頓紀念碑：
（二）參觀白宮: 霹靂貓和朋友三個月前在網上向本州的國會議員提交了參觀白宮的申請。行程前一周得到了回複。
Dear Mrs. 霹靂貓:
This letter confirms a reserved self-guided tour of the White House for x from the "last name" group ID# C-xHVLxQxx on 3/5/2016 at 09:00 AM.
Please arrive for the tour at least 15 minutes before the scheduled tour time. You should enter the White House grounds at the Visitor's Entrance, located at the corner of 15th Street and Alexander Hamilton Place. Uniformed National Park Service Rangers are posted to assist groups as they arrive. All guests 18 years of age or older will be required to present photo identification which must match exactly the name previously submitted for clearance. While the tour is self-guided, United States Secret Service officers are posted in every room to provide historical information to visitors. Please feel free to ask them questions.
Please take a moment to inform your party that certain items are not permitted inside the White House. Prohibited items include, but are not limited to: handbags, purses, backpacks of any kind, strollers, cameras (or any other recording devices), weapons, and personal grooming items. Umbrellas, wallets, cell phones and car keys are permitted. Keep in mind that neither the White House nor the United States Secret Service will provide a place to check these items.
Tour hours are occasionally affected at the last minute by unforeseen White House events. Please call the Visitor Office 24-hour information line recording at 202-456-7041 for a list of prohibited items and to confirm that your tour has not been cancelled.
Please do not hesitate to contact our office if you have any specific questions or cancellations by emailing Tour_Requests@boxer.senate.gov or by calling (202) 224-3553. I hope that you have a safe and enjoyable trip to Washington D.C.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
Please do not respond to this message. If you would like to comment on legislation, please visit my website and use the correspondence form athttps://www.boxer.senate.gov/contact/shareyourviews.html.
霹靂貓和朋友提前半小時到入口排隊，經過三道安檢後，偶們就和奧巴馬總統在同一個屋簷下了。白宮沒有想象中的高大上，房間比想象中的小，但很雅致，溫馨。去參觀之前，要做功課：這裏沒有導遊講解，如果想得到更多的信息，遊客要主動提問。工作人員和便衣會耐心分享每間房子的典故和趣聞軼事。
排隊安檢:
走廊內的藝術品：
China Room:曆代總統的瓷器收藏。
Library: 最初是洗衣房，也曾經被用做等待室，1935年改為白宮圖書館。
State Dinning Room: 曾經是傑佛遜總統的內閣辦公室；1802年，路易斯和克拉克探險就是在這裏計劃通過的。1902年，老羅斯福總統把這個房間改建為國宴廳。
East Room:白宮內最大的房間。很多的新聞發布會，國宴後的舞會等大型儀式都在這裏舉行。五個總統的女兒曾經在這裏舉辦婚禮。
Green Room:房間很小但很多的藝術品；據工作人員介紹，這裏是宴會前後的聊天室。肯尼迪夫人六十年代重新裝修了這個房間。
Red Room:總統夫人會見訪客的地方。老羅斯福總統曾經用這個房間作為他的吸煙室。
Blue Room:白宮內的三個橢圓辦公室之一。1837年被命名為Blue Room。是白宮的貴賓接待室。自1961年以來，白宮內的聖誕樹每年都擺放在這個房間。
眺望窗外的景色：
走廊：
參觀完畢。
（三）國會圖書館
國會圖書館是美國國立圖書館。圖書館的三個主要建築都是以總統名字命名的：托馬斯·傑斐遜大樓 ，圖書館的主樓，1897年開放，在1983年改名為托馬斯·傑斐遜大樓。約翰·亞當斯大樓是1939年開放的 、和詹姆斯·麥迪遜大樓，1983年開放。國會圖書館是全球第二大圖書館， 收藏件數超過1.47億，書籍收藏量有3200萬種，涵蓋了460種語言，是美國最大的稀有書籍珍藏地點。霹靂貓的舊金山同事要在周五返程前辦一張國會圖書館的圖書證，霹靂貓公事結束後陪同事趕到位於國會山東側的國會圖書館。
穹頂：
鎮館之寶，《聖經》：在國會圖書館的大廳裏擺放著兩本有曆史意義的聖經：精美的Giant Bible of Mainz, 最後一批手抄本聖經之一（1452－1453），和一本第一批的古藤堡聖經 （1454－1455）標誌著聖經批量印刷的開始。
