Saturday, November 26, 2011

Monticello

I have always wanted to go to Monticello since moving to DC. However, it's about a 2.5 hour drive, so doing it on a Saturday when I am also trying to run errands, etc., just never sounds ideal.

Well, I had some time this week and wanted to stay as far away from the stores on Friday as possible! The weather was ideal! So, off I went. 

I actually got there in 2 hours :) It was busy, but I was able to get a ticket for the house tour about 45 minutes after I arrived. I didn't realize Monticello is located at the top of a "mountain" (large hill, really) and the views were incredible! Especially since the leaves on the trees were mostly gone. And, again, it was BEAUTIFUL out. I wished I had brought a book to read and a blanket!

But, back to the tour. It was very informative and well-done. I didn't know that Thomas Jefferson is considered one of the father's of modern architecture! He was very inventive with a lot of the things he did because he hated to waste time and space. The house was beautiful and I admire the way he ran it. He loved having all of his kids and grandkids there. He had a large garden. He loved books and emphasized education in his family. He also succeeded in doing a lot for our country as well. He must have been one busy man, but he was efficient!

The front of the house
A picture of some of his gardens
The back of the house
A compass he built... or something, 
but the views were awesome!
I could have spent the whole day there. But, I also wanted to just drive around the countryside a bit and go for a walk along some of the trails. I also visited James Madison's house, but didn't get an official tour. And, then drove through the University of Virginia's campus! It's beautiful as well... and I found out on my tour that it was started by Thomas Jefferson! It's got quite a history!

I am so glad I went. One more item checked off of my DC bucket list!

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