While we were staying in Gettysburg we made it to Harrisburg to see the State Capitol Building.

We went on a Sunday to try and avoid all of the end of the school year tours. I think there were seven other people in our group…it was great!

The Pennsylvania State Capitol Building is definitely the most opulent one we’ve seen so far. I mean…look at that dome. See all of that gold? It’s real. Impressive, right? The dome is 272 feet, weighs 52 million pounds, and was inspired by Michelangelo’s design for St.Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

At the entrance is a set of 17 foot bronze doors weighing in at a full ton each.

Several of the Rotunda’s features were borrowed from the Paris Opera House.

One of my favorite things about the Penn State Capitol Building is the first floor. There are close to 400 tile mosaics portraying different aspects of the state.

I love all of the rich colors.

We were told that the Capitol Building has been called a “Palace of Art.” It’s definitely filled with beauty.

There are 24 stained glass windows in the Senate and House Chambers. Each window represents a theme and are framed in 24-karat gold leaf embellishments.

The six crystal chandeliers in the House Chamber require over 1,000 light bulbs and weigh from two to over four tons each.  When our tour guide learned that this was our seventeenth Capitol Building, she kept asking us what we thought. I got the impression she was a little competitive. We were asked by more than one person at the Capitol Building what our favorite one is so far only to be told that the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building is rated number two in the country. I can safely say Pennsylvanians are very proud of their Capitol Building! And it is gorgeous!

While we were in the Harrisburg area, we took the opportunity to visit Hershey.

Yup. That Hershey.

There’s a free tour ride where they explain the whole process starting with where they get their beans and how they clean them

 to roasting them (it was warm on this part of the ride)

to the melting process (it smelled heavenly during this portion of the ride).

And, of course, you can buy candy there.

This was my favorite section.

They even had some baked goods available. It was kind of like dying and going to sugar heaven! I think I got a sugar rush just from the smell!

We had to buy it. But, it was fun and we got a free candy bar!

See y’all down the road!

#easternloop2016