Monticello

We have travelled down to near Charlottesville to visit Monticello which was the home of Thomas Jefferson. It is set on the top of a hill and the name indeed means Little Mountain. 

The gardens have been restored to contain many of the plants recorded as grown during Jefferson's time.

Some of these we recognised but others we didn't. We had a good walk around the gardens before taking a tour of the house.

No photography was allowed in the house. The kitchens were in a separate building under the house and had a slave cook who had been trained in French Cuisine. He needed a clock because of the exact timings and so one was provided! It looked very out of place in the basic kitchen!

On the way back down we saw the extensive vegetable garden.

And the vineyard with far reaching views behind.

We were also curious as to why coins had been thrown at the base of his grave.