Eating, reading, flying...

Day 3 of DC: 

We started out at the Eastern Market, which decidedly must be better on the weekends. I'll have to go back and see! As it was, it's basically a hall filled with fruit, meat, nuts, vegetables, and maybe a few pastries. A market, just as the name states. Who knew.

 Is it just me, or is there something wrong with that little piggy? 

 Inside the market:

 So that was kind of a bust, as we were expecting vendors of different kinds, and we decided to walk a few blocks over to Library of Congress, which is right across the street from the capitol building. 

 With the Washington Monument in the background...

 In front of the Library of Congress. I think it's been one of my favorite places so far, but we didn't have very much time to explore, so I'm going to have to go back to check it out further.

 My camera, sadly, hardly did the ceiling justice! You really just have to see it for yourself.

 Every detail of that building is just exquisite! (Have I been around Elder Mautz too long, do you think?  He uses that word more than anyone I've ever met.) The ceilings are made up of all these tiny little tiles, and it was all just beautiful.

And yes, I have officially become my father: every time I hear someone speaking French, I have to talk to them. It's a sickness--I can't help it! As we were walking out of the Library, I heard a couple speaking in French, and before I knew it, I was talking with them about my going to Toulon this summer. 

SIDE NOTE: so I was supposed to be spending 7 weeks in Paris this summer, but the organization I'm doing the internship with apparently had trouble finding housing in Paris, so I got bumped to Toulon. Bleh. I'm having a hard time adjusting to this because I really had my heart set on Paris. I realize the ridiculousness of complaining about spending 7 weeks here:

but I just have to change all my plans now. To what, you say? Oh, I don't know. Italy, Spain. Tanning in that Mediterranean sun. Anyway. That's that. At least my internship didn't get canceled, like so many did last summer! 

Anyway, so we were talking to this couple about Toulon, where their daughter-in-law is from, and the guy said that it was "la plus belle ville du monde..." (or was he talking about Paris?) and I had some serious deja-vu as he was saying it. I'm taking that as a good sign.

 Sister Mautz and I hanging out on the metro!

 And with her cool sunglasses :)

We picked up some of the Mautzes' friends, the Brimhalls, and we all went to the Air & Space museum, which was awesome! I'm sure it would have been cooler for me had I known a thing about planes or space, but alas, I don't. Oh well. It was still cool. 

 Don't you love this quote from one of the Wright brothers? So great. 

 These looks like toys in the picture, but I promise they're real planes!

 And they had an actual real life space ship. That's been to space. Cool, huh?

 And lo and behold, I heard some more French. Two men from Belgium. I took a picture for them and we chatted for a bit. I'm sorry Megan, but I am dad. There's no helping it. 

 I think this was my favorite picture. I don't know how it worked that my face was the only thing in focus, but it's kind of cool.