As promised, the obelisk honouring George Washington, the first President of the Untied States, gets a separate post from my quick day trip to Washington D.C.

With 555 feet / 169 meters it was the world’s tallest man made structure for a few years before the Eiffel Tower in Paris claimed that accolade. And it’s held together by just gravity and friction, no mortar was used in the process.

Construction came to a halt when funds ran out, about one third into the process. This led to a change of the marble stones and another one when delivery couldn’t keep pace. The three different marbles used can be distinguished by their color differences. If you look closely, you can spot it in the picture 🔍

There are a lot of fun facts about the construction and the time when it was considered a national embarrassment, but after nearly 40 years, it was finally completed!