The Man took the day off work today and we decided to visit
Olana.
Olana was the home of
Frederic Church, a 19th Century landscape artist who enjoyed great fame and fortune in his day. He bought land overlooking the Hudson River, and decided to build a Persian style house inspired by his travels in the Middle East. The result is something quite impressive and unique. Although 'Persian theme' today may suggest TV home-makeover-show-style gimmickry, in fact inside and out the design works and makes for an attractive and comfortable-looking home.
Being an artist Church appreciated light, so the house has many large windows. And as a landscape artist he appreciated his surroundings, too, and he planted trees and built a lake to enhance the spectacular views from the large verandahs. Today's weather was grey and cloudy and we weren't seeing the place at its best, but we could imagine how magnificent it would be to look out on a fine day across the river to the Catskill Mountains.
We had a little time left before hurrying home to meet the school bus, so we dropped in on the historic town of Hudson. It has, we've been told, pulled itself up from hard times, and its attractive main street is now lined with art galleries, antique shops and restaurants. There was also this shop, which might be my Dad's Shangri-la.
Olana was the home of Frederic Church, a 19th Century landscape artist who enjoyed great fame and fortune in his day. He bought land overlooking the Hudson River, and decided to build a Persian style house inspired by his travels in the Middle East. The result is something quite impressive and unique. Although 'Persian theme' today may suggest TV home-makeover-show-style gimmickry, in fact inside and out the design works and makes for an attractive and comfortable-looking home.
Being an artist Church appreciated light, so the house has many large windows. And as a landscape artist he appreciated his surroundings, too, and he planted trees and built a lake to enhance the spectacular views from the large verandahs. Today's weather was grey and cloudy and we weren't seeing the place at its best, but we could imagine how magnificent it would be to look out on a fine day across the river to the Catskill Mountains.
We had a little time left before hurrying home to meet the school bus, so we dropped in on the historic town of Hudson. It has, we've been told, pulled itself up from hard times, and its attractive main street is now lined with art galleries, antique shops and restaurants. There was also this shop, which might be my Dad's Shangri-la.
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