One of our neighbors in Woodley Park

I took some time this weekend to go on a walk for personal reflection and to explore our neighborhood some more. At first I thought about going to the zoo only 3 or so blocks away to hang out with the pandas but I took a turn in the opposite direction instead. I hiked about a mile and half through residential streets, past the Swiss embassy and up a hill to find the National Cathedral, the nation's 2nd largest church. It's towers, the highest points of the city, reaching up into the blue sky.

Unfortunately the Cathedral is still closed to visitors as engineers assess the damage from the earthquake a few weeks ago. However, the lawns and paths around the Cathedral remain partially open so it's still very much worth the walk as you still get wonderful views of the outside of the building. The pictures don't do justice to how minuscule one feels standing next to such a massive structure.

Hopefully the Cathedral opens again before the end of the semester and some of us can take the tour. I am especially anxious to see the stained glass from the inside. We're lucky to be living so close!