Oh Edith ... where art thou?

I thought I may had a glimpse of her.  A fleeting moment, out the corner of my eye, as I entered her bedroom.  The bristled hair on my arms alerted me to something odd before I entered, but I quickly brushed off the notion for fear of ridicule.  But there I was ... standing next to her bed, looking around at the lace and opulence.  It was so quite.  Only the gusting wind sneaking through a slight crack in one of the tall windows gently moved the sheer drapes.  My eyes darted around the empty room as my now peaked senses sought out another sign. Was it her?  Or was it my imagination?  I guess I'll never know ... but seeing her was not in the cards today.  You see this was the bedroom of Edith Vanderbilt.  Wife of George and we're on the 2nd floor of the Biltmore House in Asheville North Carolina.  One of the most grandiose family homes in America.  The mansion was completed in 1895 by then bachelor, George Vanderbilt with the help of an army of craftsmen from all over the world.  The Vanderbilt clan weren't strangers to big homes.  Between all the named relations over the years, the family constructed over 26 residences around the country.

George and Edith had separate sleeping quarters that were separated by a common 'sitting' room ... apparently designed for conjugal breakfasts.  The grandeur that old money could buy is beyond understanding.  The finest of everything is the standard.  Ornate woodwork, handcrafted wall coverings, hand-carved furniture, and granite and marble imported from all corners of the world.  I did notice one little obscure detail that our guide had an answer for; though probably more politically correct than accurate.
You see old George's bedroom doors were quite different from Ediths.  Whereas Edith's door had only one lock (but very substantial), George's doors not only had an identical lock but another massive brass lock with three deadbolts.  And since this lock was not keyed, the only way it could be locked or opened is from the inside.  Now I ask you ... What was old George trying to keep out?

Okay ... I need to stop.  I'm getting way ahead of myself.  Let's continue with the tour.

The Biltmore mansion sits on about 8,000 acres but is only a part of the 125,000 acres Vanderbilt eventually owned in the area.  The 8,000 acres were for the most part stripped of vegetation and completely replanted by the landscape architects Frederick Olmsted and Richard Hunt.  These guys also worked on another little project later on ... Central Park in New York.  Not exactly rookies I'd say.   In driving the 11 mile road through the estate, you get the sense of balance and continuity these architects created with the trees, streams, hills and ultimately the mansion.  With the passing of over 117 years, the vision of George Vanderbilt and his landscape architects is in full bloom.  It's beyond spectacular.  250 rooms and 43 bathrooms.  The tour we purchased allowed us see most of the available rooms (42), the gardens, farm and winery.  Certainly a full day but I can't help but wonder what in the world are they doing with the other 208 rooms.  The residence is still owned by a member of the Vanderbilt family.  William A. V. Cecil, about 85 years old ... the great grandson of George.

Within the European styled country estate are a number of unique technical advances for its time.  The entire mansion was fully electrified from the day it opened in 1895.  All the bathrooms and kitchens had running water.  There is a regulation two lane bowling alley, and an indoor swimming pool.  It  also has two of the first Otis Elevators ever installed in a home.  They are still running on their original electric motors and are still serviced twice a year by Otis.  I rode one and I bet it was just as smooth as when George and Edith used it.  The estate originally was designed to be a self-sufficient.  Having its own farms for raising crops  and live stock and today much of that still exists.  And to continue of practice of taking care of itself, Biltmore is in the process of creating a large array of solar panels to help generate electricity for the estate.  Currently providing 13% of the total needs, they are working to add even more.  They have placed the array on an obscure hillside but  you can just get a glimpse of it on I40 before entering the estate.

A modest little sun room just off the main entrance

As you can imagine we were really taken by this experience.  I could go on and on but you'd be better served by paying a visit yourself.  But here's a little tip in advance.  First it's not cheap ... $60/ticket for the base program.  Additional guided tours are also available that spend more time explaining the families use of various areas of the mansion.  You can also rent bicycles, ride horses and stay at the Biltmore Inn on the estate.  The second thing to remember, and much to my chagrin, is that no photographs are allowed.  So I lugged the cameras along for nothing ... well almost.  I just couldn't help myself ... with my stealthy Canon S95 I managed to grab a few shots when no one was looking.  Actually someone was most likely looking as there are more security cameras in the mansion than a Vegas casino.  The people there say the art work has more value than the mansion and they watch it all like a hawk.  No one said anything but maybe the security team was at lunch.

Grand staircase and chandler.  Four floors.  18 foot ceilings.  Whew! ... what a hike

Two-lane bowling alley

Basement swimming pool

Part of the 'workout' room for men.

Sleeping quarters for a female servant.
The women sleep in the main house and the
men sleep on the 2nd floor of the stables.
In the peak years as many as 35 workers help take care of the
the house and family.

One corner of a massive kitchen

Where the 'help' did the ironing.  The sinks on the left are copper.

Laundry room.  Note cast iron round washing machine at the right.  I wonder if it has a 'gentle cycle"?

Gentlemen's hide-a-way

Souvenirs galore at the gift shop... or is it 'shoppe'

Baubles and Bangles

Toys for the kiddies

Christmas gifts year around

After leaving the mansion we hopped a shuttle to our car and then drove a couple of miles to the greenhouses and formal gardens.  Didn't see many radishes or green peppers but what a layout!  Any weed even thinking about setting roots out would meet and immediate death.  I can only imagine the effort it takes to make and maintain these gardens.

This is no Victory garden

One of 6 greenhouses

Is that Tarzan behind that palm leaf?

Orchids in all flavors

After leaving the gardens, I stopped to photograph this little waterfall alongside the road.  The attention to detail throughout the estate extends to even this little corner.

Obscure little waterfall, maybe two foot tall,  makes this a very special place.

Our next stop was the winery.  Another short drive of some 3 miles provided us with the opportunity to sample the wines they produce on the estate and, you guessed it ... the opportunity to 'buy' some as well.
There were other little shops and a couple of restaurants and a nice gazebo in the center courtyard.  As luck would have it, even though it was a chilly, windy, 45 degree day, a piano player was working his magic on the keyboard in the gazebo.  Life is good.

Free samples with the price of admission

More winery attractions

A short trip up the hill behind the winery is the Biltmore Inn.  I'm guessing if you stay there you'll enjoy beautiful views of the countryside and a fair amount of pampering.

The Biltmore Inn.  Staring at about $269/night.  Staying on the estate has it privileges.

Entrance and Exit to the Estate.  No the building is not falling
over it's just that my camera was pointing up and the
perspective is changed and I should have fixed it in Photoshop but
didn't so it's getting late and .............  It's the same gate that George and Edith came through years ago and followed the winding three mile trip to the mansion.

So there you have it.  A day-trip to remember.  I might have gotten a carried away with this entry but it really is quite a place.  (www.biltmore.com)

Still livin' the dream ... this time with the rich and famous.

Phil

ps ... just in case you didn't notice ...  I changed the layout of the blog a bit.  I'll continue to fool with it as we go along so let me know what you think.  You can still reach me on the link to my email.