Abracadabra, We’re Back in Virginia Again

April 16-20, 2016                                                                             Most Recent Posts
Saturday-Wednesday                                                                        What a Surprise      
Charlottesville Virginia                                                                       Difficult Issues – Escaping in Disney
                                   

 

 

ONE, Two Three.  We leave Disney World on Saturday morning and stop in Georgia for the night and then South Carolina and North Carolina and on Tuesday around noon we pull into Charlottesville.

On the drive at one point we are following Winnona’s Twin.  Sure wish we had a 4 wheel down toad.  I’m tiring of the dolly which is definitely a much less expensive way to tow but pretty difficult for one person to do alone.

 

 

This is the best stretch of our mountain farm drive.  The previous half mile needs some serious work on potholes created over the rough winter and never ending rain.

 

 

 

Dogwoods and redbuds are definitely in bloom. 

 

We arrive Tuesday afternoon and on  Wednesday, David heads to the Medical Center at UVA.  I head to the University of Virginia Pavillion Gardens which are being spiffed up for the University’s upcoming graduation. 

I’ve posted about walks to and around them before so I’ll not go in to great details about their history and Jefferson’s serpantine walls.  They are lovely private spots beautiful at every time of the year.  If you are interested in the history and more pictures of the beauty, you can find it all here.  This link goes to part II of a two part post on the gardens from 2014.  From part II there is a link to Part I.

 

 

 

On the way there, I walk by this house for sale on Rugby Road which is the road runs right up to the front of Jefferson’s Rotunda.  The rotunda is the focal point of the University Grounds and the gardens run down the back of the pavilions which line the Rotunda lawn on both sides.

 

 

There is a brochure for the house so for fun I take a look.  Nice description.  No pictures of the inside.

 

Clearly it must be pretty fabulous inside to justify such a price.  I think I could live on the ocean front for this amount.  I put the brochure back and continue on.

 

 

Flowers are in bloom along my way.  Charlottesville really is a fantastic place to be in the spring time.  Trees, flowers, bushes all in gorgeous color.

 

 

 

I can smell the wonderful lilacs before I even see them.  They are one of my most favorite smells. 

 

 

I cross the street in front of the Rotunda and turn to the right.  I’ll do the gardens in descending order.  Down the right side and up the left.

 

Each Pavillion gate opens into a different world.

 

 

 

 

 

Lucky the professors who get to live in these homes, known as pavillions,  which face the lawn behind the rotunda.  But their pavillion back yards are open to the public.

 

 

Each gate beckons.

 

 

 

 

Many gardens have benches in both open and more secluded areas.  Wonderful places for lunch, reading or just a quiet time.

 

 

 

 

 

You’ve probably noticed that the gates are all different.  Some gardens have two gates or three or four.   Although I spent many hours and did all 10 gardens today, I’m not posting pictures from them all.  There are more pictures in the posts I mentioned above.

 

 

 

 

It seems every time I come to the gardens there are robins in the grass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More delight for the nose in this wisteria.

 

I take many many pictures of the infinite variety of tulips here.  They and pansies are my favorite spring flowers or at least at the head of the list.

 

 

 

 

Some of the gardens have serpentine walls for which Mr. Jefferson, the University’s founder and architect, was known.

 

This tulip is so fantastic it makes me laugh out loud.

 

I exit from the last garden on the right side and head for the others.

 

To get to the other 5 gardens, I cross over the Rotunda Lawn where students are gathered and you can see the southwest mountains between the buildings on the far left.  

The Rotunda was the main building of the original university.  It is now behind me as I stand.
The Pavilions were classrooms with the Master’s quarters on the second floor and student single rooms connecting the pavilions down the lawn.  At that time there were none of these buildings at the foot and the view of the mountains must have been breathtaking.  I’m sorry they chose to change Jefferson’s desire for this view.

 

Serpentine walls from the outside.

 

Here are some Pavilion houses from the other side of gardens.  These are the backs of them of course.

 

 

Serpentine Walls from the inside.  What a lovely spot.

 

Virginia’s state tree, the dogwood.  I do love the pink variety though I think it must be a hybrid.

 

 

More beautiful blooms!

 

 

 

 

I close out my time in the gardens by walking up to one of the last pavilions and finding a surprise on my right as I approach the exit gate.

 

 

Pretty sweet spot to study for finals relaxing in the shade of a strong southern magnolia.  BYOH!

 

When in Charlottesville the UVA Pavilion Gardens are not to be missed.