Vizcaya

Last year when the family came to visit I had just moved here and wasn't sure of the big city of Miami. On this year's visit I gave them a proper tour. We started our day off by visiting Vizcaya, which is free the last Sunday of the month during the hot sweltering summer. To make our adventure even more exciting we took the Tri-Rail down from Palm Beach County and hopped on the Metrorail. I don't particularly love trains but I love the hassle-free ride and the chance to expose my family to some new things (there isn't much public transportation in South Carolina).

The weather turned out perfect even if it was a tad hot at some points. The best part about visiting Miami is the cooling breeze off the bay. Vizcaya is a National Historic Landmark which features an Italian Renaissance-style villa and formal gardens built in 1916 as the winter residence of industrialist James Deering. During last year's Christmas Bird Count Vizcaya was on my route circle so I had the chance to check out the gardens but this trip provided me with time to really soak in the architecture, sculpture, and villa. My favorite part of the garden was the orchids which I will post about tomorrow but my favorite art were these two statues. I love the way the people are admiring the birds. If I was a millionaire at the turn of the century I would have had these in my garden as well.