May 1, 2026
The 97th Annual Flower Mart is taking place this weekend at the National Cathedral. We went for a visit with our neighbor and good friend Charlet. Along with the plant and flower market, there were stalls selling crafts and gifts, food stands, and lots of activities for kids.
The Cathedral may look like a medieval European cathedral but it was, in fact, built during the twentieth century and wasn’t completed until 1990. The craftsmanship is such that it is difficult to distinguish it from an original medieval cathedral, although the Darth Vader gargoyle and the stained glass window that includes an actual piece of moon rock brought back on Apollo 11 may be a giveaway. That and the fact that apart from the odd Viking, no Europeans actually lived on the continent until after Medieval times.
We started out by walking the grounds and checking out the stalls.
Then we went for a look inside the Cathedral where various embassies had provided flower arrangements which looked particularly beautiful backed up by the stained glass windows. This is from The Ukraine.
And this is from Hong Kong.
The light from the nearby stained glass window gave an idea of what George Washington would have looked like if he’d gone clubbing.
Abraham Lincoln, on the other hand, was much more subdued.
Like much in the Cathedral, the tapestries looked original but were, in fact, beautiful replicas made using medieval techniques.
Located on the Cathedral grounds is one of Washington’s most beautiful gardens. The Bishop’s Garden was designed by George Burnap in the early twentieth century to reflect the medieval cathedral gardens of Europe. Like the Cathedral itself most of the stonework pieces in the garden are replicas of original medieval works. It is a peaceful place to sit and contemplate.
Mal and Lauren 