A day in the gardens

{The beach below the gardens}

     For the last two months we have been here, we have been asking the locals for suggestions on places to see, things to do, where to eat, etc... And for the most part, we have checked things off our 'to-do' list in a pretty efficient manner. The weather has been unreal, almost too good, which makes exploring that much easier. Although, I am hoping we are going to have a Fall at some point and not just make the jump from summer to winter, fingers crossed, because drinking my Pumpkin Spice Latte yesterday with the air conditioning on full blast felt wrong on all levels. So when Shaun suggested we check out Villa Eilenroc and the surrounding gardens, I was all for it considering he had the day off and it was in the low 80's. We didn't know what to expect except for the fact that the gardens overlooked the ocean and there were some paths along the way to explore on your own. So donning a long sundress and flip-flops (not the wisest choice since the dress doubled as a broom sweeping up everything in its wake) we headed off. The gardens were a mixture of kempt and unkempt which gave off a feel of Savannah (anyone who has been there knows what I mean). The villa itself was beautiful with the typical architecture that is expected in Europe, but the best part, was the view. It always comes back to the view. Sure the green mossy paths were a highlight (not so much for the spiderwebs though) but they still played a supporting role to the dramatic cliffs spilling down to the sea. While the gardens close for 3 months after Halloween, the paths that lead down to the sea stay open year round so while I am hoping Fall will eventually come, I am happy to benefit from 'Summer' a little longer and maybe have a picnic or two in the meantime...although, not in a long sundress of course.

{Some of the many flowers in the gardens}

{One of the few paved paths}

{The shadow we just couldn't shake}

{The villa itself}

{Isn't the color of the bench awesome...}

{The one path that gave us a bit of a 'spider-web' dilemma}

{Jeweled colored water}