Mount Vernon

Today, at last, I made my first visit to Mount Vernon, George Washington's home outside Washington, overlooking the Potomac river.

Claire and I made the trip by public transport and from the metro platform in Alexandria we had a great view of the rather impressive George Washington Masonic National Monument at the top of King Street.

(On our way back the weather was not quite so good...)

Arriving at Mount Vernon we started our tour in the beautiful Upper Garden..

Even at this point in the year the garden is full of flowers and very colourful..

We then visited the house where photography was not allowed inside.  It was a lovely home of manageable size with very high ceilings and elegant plasterwork downstairs.  

Many of the key rooms were painted in their original deep colours - including one room in vibrant green, said to have been made using powdered malachite and hence rather expensive!

The exterior of the house is wooden but painted to resemble pale stone.  The characteristically red roof shingles are made of wood and painted.

There are beautiful views of the Potomac from the colonnaded terrace and, at the front of the house, covered walkways to connect the house with the 'dependencies'.

So many pictures.. I will blog some more tomorrow..