Sunday, May 31, 2015

A Capitol Tour in Des Moines


After we got our new drivers licenses, Phil and I rejoined the WINs in Des Moines, IA. Of course, the first thing on the agenda was to go see the capitol.


We were unable to sign up for a tour ahead of time, but were pleasantly surprised that we had no trouble getting one when we got there.


On the staircase, six mosaics in arched panels sit above a mural painting, "Westward," an idealized representation of the coming of the people who made Iowa.


The mosaics were made in Venice from small pieces of colored stone.


If you look closely at the right side of the painting, "Westward," you can see images of the settlers among the foliage.


One of the most unique things about the capitol is that the interior features 29 different types of imported and domestic marble.


A straight-up view of the inside of the rotunda. Lots of 23-karat gold leaf both inside and out. Completed in 1886, the building has been under a major renovation for a LONG time.


Some of us climbed up to the rotunda. Here's the view from there of the 3 lower floors.


And a closer view of the flag at the top. It isn't painted on there, it hangs by strings.


After that, it was time for lunch. We went to B&B Grocery, highly recommended, and most of us ordered their special, a pork tenderloin. Remember, we're in the Midwest...


The owner was a very nice guy, and really funny. He was kind of intrigued with us, and took a picture to put on their Facebook page.

6 comments:

  1. Seems like you could have ordered one pork tenderloin for the whole group!

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  2. I guess they would have given me the raised eyebrows when I asked for a veggie burger..lol
    very cool seeing the settlers hidden in that mural!

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  3. Wow, look at that burger! That would have provided leftovers for sure! Nice tour. :)

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  4. Amazing capitol building! Thx for sharing the interesting details most of us would have missed.

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  5. Somebody somewhere is missing a herd of pigs. What a sandwich!!! :cO

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  6. That Capitol did have some fascinating features as well as being beautiful. I'm glad you got a tour. Did they show you how the mosaics follow you as you pass?

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