D.C. - Day 7 - National Cathedral & Luray Caverns

This morning we attended Sunday services at the National Cathedral. What a gorgeous place! And the sounds of the choir and the congregation are wonderful as they reverberate throughout the nave. It's huge, includes 4 chapels, a school, a bookstore, a crypt, and more. Traditional gothic style with stained glass of various religious and non-religious themes (including various events local to Washington) throughout.

After services, we went to the bookstore and I bought a small prayer book and Dean got a book about the stained glass. We tried to get to the high altar, but the next service was already about to start, so there was just no chance.

After services, we drove to Luray Caverns, a 2-hour drive in the western part of Virginia. Virginia actually has 3 caverns in the state, with Luray being the best. Dean and I both agree that these caverns were the best ones we've ever been to. It had, by far, the most formations of any cave system. In addition to stalagmites that look like totem poles, stalactites that look like fangs, columns that look like conch shells and princesses, there was also a "Dream Lake", a shallow lake that perfectly mirrors the stalactites above it. Also, there was a working organ installed, with stalactites used as the pipes! As one presses a key on the organ, a signal is sent to a rubber mallet that strikes the stalactite and causes a bell-like sound at the right pitch. Finding stalactites that respond to the right pitch was difficult of course, so the musical instrument covers a distance of 3.5 acres, the largest instrument in the world.

After the tour, we had lunch, visited the gift shop, and then drove home, arriving back at about 6:30pm. We had a late dinner at the chinese restaurant we ate at before. Dean had lemon chicken and I had mishi pork, which I had never had before. Delicious!