Biltmore Estate Visit

In July, my youngest sister, (Michele), from the UK visited the US - she flew to Charlotte NC since that’s where our parents and other sister live. Of course, I flew from Illinois to NC to join in all the fun. It’s been 2 years since the nuclear Chang family last gathered and to make the visit extra special, the Chang women took a short overnight trip to Asheville NC.

 

 
Asheville is a short 2 hour drive from my sister’s house, nestled on the western edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Along with proximity to the mountains, another major attraction is the Biltmore Estate, built by George Vanderbilt in the 1890’s. Situated in a secluded parcel of land, one can explore the vast 8000 acres by hiking, horseback riding and guided tour. The main attraction is the estate house, its grounds and gardens, which is where we focused our day.

 

 
Note - We decided to visit Biltmore last minute while we were driving towards Asheville, so I secured tickets online but could only purchase tickets to access the grounds and garden since access to the 250-Room Estate was sold out. But after we arrived, Teresa checked at the on-site ticket office and we got a timed entry around noon. Travel tip - it always pays to double check availability onsite!

 

 
After you park, the trail leads you to the estate via this observation area where you get your first glimpse of all the grandeur that awaits….

 

 

 
Which requires a group selfie!

 
Scenes from around the grounds:

 

 
En route to the Conservatory, we took time under the grape arbor to cool off.

 
Sisters Teresa and Michele:

 
Mom taking in all the beautiful vines and flowers:

 

 
The approach to the Conservatory:

 

 

 
Inside the Conservatory we saw trains winding through the plantings along with miniature replicas of Biltmore buildings. Closer inspection of these models revealed they were built using plant based materials - for example, the filigree detail of an iron fence was fashioned out of the cross section of walnut shells. Roof shingles were made out of pine cone scales. The railroad trestles were formed by twigs, leaves and acorns!

 

 

 

 

 
The house tour included an audio accompaniment that provided much insight to the history, culture and details of living in such a house at the turn of the century and beyond. The tour also brought us “downstairs” to the kitchen / service quarters and described the inner workings of such an operation, ala Downton Abbey. Teresa had visited the house prior and remarked the tour had been expanded to include the “Back stairs Elements” of the estate.

 

 
The view from the Estate’s balcony. Yes, this is a real photo! Such a beautiful day.

 

 
Grand stair case:

 

 

 
After our tour, we enjoyed wine tasting at onsite Antelope Village. A wonderful way to finish off our day.

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Finding Calm

I'm at a loss for words given current events. My heart aches, so I retreat to that which brings me solace: Flowers, nature, the outdoors, ambient sounds of gurgling water, the birds and even the buzzing insects.

I met with running friends last weekend at Allerton Park to take photos of the peonies in their full glory. Through our running connection, I learned a few of us also shared a passion for photography. This was the first time we gathered for a photo-centric outing and I suspect we will do this again in the future.

Choosing to hold our outing on Sunday evening meant less crowds, nice evening light, and by chance, no wind...

This is Yahsin - she shoots with film and develops her own photos. This is something I plan to take up once I retire. You can see the expanse of the Peony garden - we are lucky to have this gem a short drive away from town. This was my first visit with the flowers in bloom. I made a visit several years ago, during the summer.

We found calm in the presence of beauty, nature and the singing mosquitos.

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Oasis in the City - Yuyuan Gardens Shanghai

The famous classical Chinese garden, Yu or Yuyuan Gardens, provides an oasis in the middle of old Shanghai and worth a visit. Its relatively small scale (5 acres) means a visitor can leisurely take in the property in a couple of hours.

I visited early Sunday morning - with my flight back to the USA scheduled to depart around 3pm, I arrived just as the visitor gates opened. This allowed me to spend a few hours exploring the grounds. In the early hours, the gardens are less crowded which I prefer. The grounds provide a calm respite from the bustling streets and the outdoor shopping mall (Yuyuan Tourist Mart) that surrounds this tourist attraction. Yes, the gardens rate highly on the list of top things to do in Shanghai, second only to a visit to The Bund, so it will be crowded.

Some of the photos I took while taking in the various rooms, structures and areas.


I didn't find much in terms of actively blooming plants - the blue hydrangea being the exception.


Where one can enjoy the serenity of the garden while being sheltered from the bright sun.


The Dragon Protects the garden entrance


The long bridge to the pavilion


The turtle sunbathing by the koi pond

This last photo shows the same bridge to the pavilion, but from a different perspective where you can see more visitors in the garden. As the day progresses, the crowds grow.


I have seen night photos of the illuminated pavilions and that would be a nice time to visit too.

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Gated

A collection of gates



Sharing with Mosaic Monday

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London Times | Chiswick House and Gardens

My sister has Friday's off from work, so we set out that morning for a nice walk along the Thames via the Chiswick Mall. It was a perfect morning - a little cloudy with an occasional glimpse of the sun.



The walkway, or Mall along the river was dotted with pubs, restaurants and private houses with beautiful gardens.




Most of the gardens were in a strip of land between the river's retaining wall and the walkway. The house would then be located across the street - you had to cross the street and the walkway to get to your garden. Because of this arrangement, most of the gardens were tucked behind gates and privacy hedges.





There are a couple of river access points along the walk - the girls took their cousins down to the muddy banks by mistake (the adults were lagging behind) and subsequently turned back when they realized how muddy it was, but there was an adventurous group of students exploring down along the banks.


We caught a sculling team practicing:


We headed away from the river to the Chiswick House Gardens where we enjoyed lunch outside and the kids played in the playground.


The Chiswick House itself was closed, but the gardens are so nice it didn't matter. The gardens were created in the 18th century and served as inspiration for other grand gardens such as New York's Central Park.
Water flows through the center of the gardens, home to several new families:

Egyptian Ducks:


Then there was the amazing conservatory and formal Italian Gardens in front:


In a large city, Chiswick House and Gardens is a perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of the crowds. We really enjoyed our visit.

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London Times | Kew Gardens

We're back from our trip to the UK, and I'm going through all the photos I took. I'm pretty much a chronological person and I hope to relive our experiences one day at a time here on the blog. While I won't feature all the photos on the blog, I'll include a link to each day's flickr photoset.

I took my daughter and one of her high school friends to visit London and the UK. We are fortunate that my sister and her family live in London and so generously put us up in their west suburb home. They also acted as our day trip planner, transforming our vague ideas of what we wanted to do into concrete plans. By the end of our visit, the girls were comfortable maneuvering the London Underground by themselves (yes, I let them and yes, it was scary for me to let them go out on their own).

We took a daytime flight direct from Chicago to Heathrow - this was a change as normally I would book an overnight flight - but the adjustment over to the new time zone was so much easier with the day flight. The flight left Chicago at 10am and arrived into Heathrow around 11pm. By the time we got through customs, retrieved our luggage and arrived at my sister's home it was past midnight - just in time to get a good night's sleep and awake the next morning half decently refreshed.

We decided to visit Kew Gardens on our first day.
The girls were excited to step out in the sun:


En route, we encountered fresh air markets:



And my daughter bonded with her cousins:


The grounds were spectacular:



Yeah, there are flowers, too:


Water Lilies:


A huge picnic table, set with edible plants:


The rains came after lunch and we cut our visit a little shorter than expected, but what we saw was just beautiful. I have an old Tube Station poster I bought when I first visited London in 1989. The featured Tube Station was Kew Gardens and I felt I had to finally visit - it was truly worthwhile and a great start to our vacation.

Here's the link to the entire Set. More photos to be added as I get them uploaded:
Click to view slide show

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Diversion | A Quiet Winter's Day

Before I awoke Saturday morning, I had definitive plans - get up, run 8 to 9 miles, drop off photos, pick up daughter from the stable, do laundry, etc, etc.

I awoke to this in the backyard:


Not a lot of snow, but enough divert my plans for the day.

With the snow, lack of street clearing, and slippery sidewalks, I decided not to run at all. I still ran a little on the treadmill and did a yoga class, but these activities did not wear me out like a long run would. With residual energy to burn, I took a long photo walk on campus, around The Japan House grounds.





Yes, it was cold, and I had the place all to myself, but stillness in the air was so calming and peaceful. At the end of my walk, I felt rejuvenated.



Sometimes a diversion ends up being what you really needed.



Shared with Simple Things Sunday and Mosaic Monday. Hope you have a wonderful Super Bowl Sunday Evening!

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In the Garden

I spent Thanksgiving afternoon cleaning up the yard - when the temperatures are above 50 degF, and you've stuffed yourself with turkey, it's good to get out and moving around.

I also found some nice things to photograph in the garden:

The thyme that has survived the recent frosts. I used some in today's meal. There's nothing better than fresh herbs.


Sam, the Siamese, on the prowl.



He looks all intense, but he was chasing a leaf. Then he went inside and took a nap. Oh, to be a cat!
I hope you have a relaxing Saturday!

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