|
|
|
The most beautiful part of the trip here, for me, were the gardens and fountains outside. The landscape at Blenheim is amazing, no matter what the weather is like. Since El Nino was wreaking havoc with British weather for most of May and June in 1997, I had no chance of seeing anything except chilly drizzle. But the gardens still impressed me.
|
|
|
As you leave through the back door of the Palace, you'll see the view I captured in the picture above. It is of the Formal Gardens, which are perhaps the most beautiful and regal of all the gardens at Blenheim.
|
|
The Formal Gardens were redesigned in the 1920s, as the original gardens were less than stellar. The 9th Duke of Marlborough was sick of being uninspired as he stepped out his backdoor, so in 1920 he commissioned Achille Duchene, a French landscape artist, to redo them.
And redo them he did. The result of hard work and long planning was the amazing Formal Gardens that lie just outside the Palace. Look at the intricate patterened beds that line the Italian Gardens, shown above. Admire the Mermaid Fountain at the center of these interwoven hedges. Imagine the orange trees are in bloom, and that you can smell the roses on the light breeze. That's the Italian Gardens.
The Water Terraces, shown on the left, are built around a Bernini river gods' statue. It took five years to plan and built the terraces, but they are beautiful. They look like a smaller version of the gardens at Versailles.
When you've had your fill of the fountains, follow the sheep path which takes you to the Arboretum, home to many rare trees and shrubs. Stop into the Temple of Diana, where Sir Winston Churchill proposed to Clementine Hozier. The romance of the place will make you smile as you head into the rose garden. Breathe deep.
|
|
The Grand Cascade was one of my favorite areas of Blenheim Palace. I'm a sucker for a pretty waterfall, I guess, but this one, despite the steady downpour of rain, was beautiful. It was designed in the 1760s to make the River Glyme wind from the lake to a river where it later meets up with the Evenlode, a tributary of the Thames. It's not a Niagra Falls by any means, but it's one of England's most beautiful cascades.
From here, you can go onto the Marlborough Maze - just don't get lost. It's the second largest in the world. If you can find the center, you'll see the giant chess game. If you find a tea cup that says "Drink Me," then it's time to go home.
Had enough of walking for awhile? Hop on the palace train that will take you from the maze to the Pleasure Gardens, one of the most popular sites at the Palace. The Duke of Marlborough must have loved trees, since he had many planted in his gardens. His successors had the same love for foliage as he did; between 1893 and 1919 nearly 500,000 trees were planted. Unfortunately, because of recent storms, many of the oldest trees have fallen down. Dutch elm disease claimed the trees that once lined the avenues on the north and east of the park.
After the Pleasure Gardens, stop into the Butterfly House, where many exotic butterflies hang out. Depending on when you go, you can see some really rare butterflies. Also housed here are many unusual insects. Since I'm not a bug fan, I stayed away.
|
|
|
|
John Vanbrugh's (have you forgotten who he is already? He's the original architect of the palace. Good thing there's no quiz in the end!) first challenge was to figure out a way to get from one side of the Glyme River, which was nothing more than marsh land at that time, to the other. He made plans to built the most amazing bridge in all of Europe, and it is just that. As you can see in the photo above, it works so well with the palace and with the landscape. What's more, is it contains 33 rooms. Although they have never been occupied, some have fireplaces and chimneys.
|
|
|
I�ve always loved this picture. I have wanted to thank those two women for making my picture of the daffodils so perfect, but I don�t even know who they are. Strangers have a way of coming into your life and making an impact in ways and at times when you least expect them to. They have a way of sticking in your mind, becoming real, acquiring personalities. Becoming friends.
Whenever I shut my eyes to remember that time of my life, this is always the first image I see, from one of the last trips I took in England. England�s funny. You don�t expect to fall in love with it, but it ends up breaking your heart when you have to go home.
home is where I want to be
|