Biltmore Trip!
I love going to the Biltmore Estate, (Asheville, NC)! and Toby was the greatest when he got us tickets to go for me for Valentines Day! It was a surprise up until the Sat before we went and I was so happy when I found out! I couldn't wait to go and this would be the 3rd time I had been.
We left early Monday morning and got there about ten or so. I immediately started taking tons of pics. I love the old gothic look of the outside of the house and love the Victorian look of the rooms inside. I took as many pics as the cold would let me before we finally went in. We got to looking at the other tours they were offering just to see what was new. Toby noticed a new RoofTop Tour that they had that we had not been on. It sounded really fun and it had areas that I had never been listed. So we paid the extra money and went on it first. Luckily it was meeting right after we paid so we were set to go almost immediately.
They told us up front that you will be going up like 250 stairs in this and you will be outside on the Roof at times and outside for up to 45 mins of the tour. which was fine by us b/c we loved the idea of being on top of the house. We started by going up a bunch of stair cases and through some old rooms that weren't in use at the moment. One was just for storage and had all these old mirrors in it and it was kinda creepy in a way with only all these 100yr old mirrors staring at you. but Toby finally got to go up the tiny staircase I had told him about, it was a servent's stair so it was smaller and he had to turn sideways to walk up it, his shoulders were too broad. We had to go out these little doors that still used the old skeleton keys to get out on the dome part of the roof and it was amazing! The views were gorgous and you could see parts of the house that weren't normally visable. The wind was very cold and would cut you in two, but we still stayed out as long as we could to take pics. Then when we were leaving that area this couple in our group got engaged! It was so sweet! He proposed to her on TOP of the Biltmore house! We went on to the next balcony which was the one of the very front of the house at the top of the main tower on the house. It was neat b/c you could actually touch the gargoyles here. plus the views were even more amazing from that side of the house. We then went through more small doors and other off limit rooms to get to the Huge Western balcony. This one had the greatest views and had the most little faces and creatures carved on the walls and windows... I got tons of pics just on this balcony. Plus the trees even in the winter had a whole new character, I really liked the looks of them even in the cold. The Western balcony ended our RoofTop Tour and we started back into the normal house to dethaw and to start our normal tour.
We walked through the rooms of the house that were open to the basic tour and they had like 10 more rooms redone since I had been there last and plan to open 4 more come this April. My favorite room will always be the Library in that house, the huge fireplace, floor to ceiling bookcases, a balcony around the whole room, a beautiful spiral staircase leading to it, all the red wood and iron rails, even the ceiling is beautifully painted! I just stood and stared for the longest time. They won't let you take pics inside the house, so for once in my life I truely wished I could sketch... that way I would have some kind of likenesses of the beauty I saw. It wasn't just there, there were faces carved everywhere, beautiful antique furniture, paintings, books, they had these drawings of castles from all over the world everywhere that wasn't there before, that I loved! I just couldn't seem to take it all in. I am doing a whole little journal book to just that trip (thanks Hill!), trying to fill it up with as much detail as I can of the place, it will also have a few pics too, but it is mostly writings of what I thought of the place. We went through all the rooms and had a great time. It wasn't too packed and we could take our time when we wanted to and I got to see things I hadn't noticed before. I was trying to notice everything I could. But there is so much there, that there is no way possible to get it all!
After our tour there we went out on to the grounds to take pics before we went off elsewhere. we got pics in the beautiful greenhouses. I have to admit the gardens are not the beauty that they usually are in the winter b/c none of the flowers are blooming. but the greenhouses were just as pretty and colorful as ever and I loved them.
After our walk there we went to the little gift shop where Toby bought me pair of earrings to match this ring I have, then we went on to the Winery to explore there. We went behind the scenes at the winery to see how the wine was made and went through the Cellars where they keep and age thier wine. It was very interesting and the place where they kept all of it was the closest thing that they had to a dungeon there! lol it was all these doors lining a long dark stone tunnell! very medeval and neat. It was definately interesting.
We then went on to the old barn and looked around at the old equipment and everything that used to be used on a farm in the days when the house was run. It was neat but we rushed through it b/c it was getting later in the day by this time and we were getting tired. We went on to the real barn where they had the animals and they have a little petting area there. I petted the sheep and the calf and some of the chickens, Oh and a rabbit too. but the one thing I wanted to pet was the big clydesdale horses, but none would come to the fence... so oh well. we left after that for home.
We were so tired and I walked so much my legs cramped up on the way home. We ate at Logans on the way and when we got home we were so tired we couldn't sleep at first! LOL But it was a great great trip! there were times my face and hands were numb from the cold, but it was worth it. It was a beautiful day and I got some beautiful pics! which I have posted on Myspace and Facebook if you want to look at them. This was a really long entry so I am gonna go now!! Later!