Thursday, May 10, 2012

A trip to the Capitol of Alabama

While it wasn’t the adventure I thought I might be going on today, it was truly a beautiful day to visit Montgomery, the Capitol of Alabama.

67 On the way to NC 20121

The rain had blown away, the humidity had dropped, and I snagged a parking spot right in front of the Capitol Building.  What a good start to the day.  I toured more than this building, but that’s all I’ll cover with this post.  Since my hip is still bothering me, I fairly hobbled up all those stairs to the entrance door.  I’m guessing that about half of Alabama’s fourth grade classes were visiting this morning as well.  There were hundreds of young people swarming around everywhere like a disturbed ant nest!  It is May, after all, and field trips are certainly in order as the school year ends.  State history is studied in the fourth grade in Alabama, and what better way to experience it than a trip to the Capitol.

67 On the way to NC 2012

I was able to squeeze in between school groups as I wandered around this historic building.  Gazing upwards in the rotunda, you can appreciate the plasterwork and stained glass skylight from 1906.  The murals depicting moments in Alabama history were painted during the late 1920’s.

67 On the way to NC 20122

I took my time drinking everything in, and I can hardly believe my luck in avoiding the huge crowds.  It was as if I had the whole place to myself.  It’s pretty obvious that Montgomery is very proud of its connection to the Confederacy.  After all, this building is the birthplace of The Confederate States of America.

_MG_7953

                    In the former Supreme Court Chamber, there is a tribute to Alabama’s Fallen Heroes. 

_MG_7956 IMG_7958
A bronze statue of that famous moment when a young Helen Keller made a connection with words is also depicted in a special room in the building.  What a wonderful sculpture this is.  The awe and wonder of that discovery is so evident on her face.

Now I’ll see if I can get this post to publish tonight.  I sure hope so.  If not, I’ll save it for when I have a better signal.  I discovered another very interesting place to visit this afternoon, and plan to go there tomorrow morning.  It’s only a few miles from the campground, and administered by the National Park Service.  I’m looking forward to that.

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy