The Other Side of Washington, DC

Rene, Richie and I went to hear mass at "Our Lady of Hope" for the first time. It's a beautiful church indeed. The stained glass windows are very intricately designed. The stations of the cross images (normally presented in posters) are sculpted in wood. There's a big cross hanging by the altar. We also noticed that peeps are wearing their best suits. We came in jeans. We felt under dressed. The church service was quite nice. There were verses sung in Latin too.
After mass, we went to Giant Mart for a quick grocery stop.

At 1 pm, I went back to the apartment. Boy told me that JP called. We plan to visit Pentagon and some churches this afternoon. Boy also cooked lunch today--corned beef with potatoes. I had lunch before meeting JP.
En route to DC, JP explained to me the concept of HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle). During rush hour, vehicles with at least one passenger can use lanes with diamond symbols painted on them. Think of express lanes in grocery stores. Sometimes, if you drive alone, you can find someone to go with you so you can use these lanes.
First stop was Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The church has two levels. We visited the crypt level first. JP directed me first to "Our Lady of Antipolo". I remember when I was a child we have one in the room of my late aunt, Ate Feling. I used to pray to her when I have exams.
The place is huge. Everything is beautifully designed. You really have to see the church and be amazed. I told JP that Alwyn would definitely love this place.

Next stop was the Franciscan Monastery. I noticed right away the nice garden and the peaceful atmosphere inside the compound. According to JP, during summer, the garden is filled with roses instead of tulips. That would be very nice to see ;oP
We checked out first the replica of grotto in Lourdes. This one doesn't have the spring though. There's a water fountain but it doesn't work anymore.
Afterwards, we went inside and checked out the beautiful artwork. Unforch, the Catacombs section was closed because the tour guide wasn't available. My favorite section was the crucifixion diorama.
It's time to check out the outdoors. I found a locked-up church where they used to hold mass back in the ole days. I joked that it could only fit 5 churchgoers. I quickly sang, "Kunin mo, o Diyos..." The acoustic is still great ;oP
I'm really happy that JP showed me these places.

We drove by the Pentagon. I've been wanting to see this too. We visited the Pentagon City mall but it was closed. Easter Sunday in the US is like Christmas Day. Nobody's working. Almost all the shops are closed. Crap!

JP suggested that we eat at "Saigon Saigon" but it was closed too. We tried another Vietnamese resto but still no luck. Lastly, we found this pizza place called "Ledo Pizza " beside Trader Joe's.