Brief Spring Break Getaway – Asheville (NC) and Chattanooga (TN)

A short drive (3.5 hours or so) NW out of Atlanta, nested within the Blue Ridge Mountains lies the quaint city of Asheville – a veritable mecca for arts & crafts and outdoor activities, among other things…  And smack dab in the middle of it, the Biltmore Estate – a 250-room château built in the late 1800’s by the Vanderbilt family.  A veritable work of art (and National Historic Landmark), very well preserved and still owned today by one of George Vanderbilt’s great-grandson.  The actual estate covers about 8,000 acres (if that doesn’t “translate”, it’s 23 km²) and it includes lush landscaping, a farm and a winery, but the pièce de résistance is the majestic mansion, with its surrounding gardens.  I can’t do it justice with words, no matter how hard I’d try, so just enjoy these pictures:

… too bad that indoor photography is prohibited; the first two are pics that we were able to "sneak"… the rest are actual postcards…

A "chandelier" hanging over 3 stories in the main staircase

The dining hall - with 6 fireplaces and big enough [if not bigger] for a basketball court

The Library and the "Winter Garden"

 In conclusion, it’s definitely worth the visit; just check online for discounts and promotions, otherwise, the regular admission price ranges around $50-70, depending on the season or day of the week…

The other must-see “attraction” is also a historic landmark: The Grove Park Inn – a massive granite hotel opened in 1913 which houses one of the best Spas in the world [#13 according to Travel + Leisure in a recent poll].  The subterranean Spa alone came with a hefty price tag of $44 million… which explains why a facial or an 80-minute massage can set you back as much as $270, depending on the season...  What can I tell you?  Prestige does not come cheap … Nonetheless, for Laura this was like a pilgrimage to a sacred place …

Yep... the actual fireplace in the lobby...

Wrapping up an action-packed day, was a quick stroll and window-shopping foray through the downtown area, followed by dinner at a French bistro [yep, it is a foodie town as well].  The area reminded me of Haight-Ashbury [in San Francisco] with traces of “hippie” blending in among art galleries, trendy shops, bars, restaurants, and the obligatory “pipe” shops.  “Street artist” and various levels of “freak” made for an interesting people-watching experience.

The next day was all about enjoying nature in its purest form.  Yes, I’m talking about a 2 hour horseback trip through some of the most amazing scenery you could imagine.  Nothing more relaxing than the “sound” of tranquility accompanied by birds happily chirping in the bright-green foliage and week-old lambs chasing after their mothers in the meadows… Again, another “picture” that can’t be described with words… not even these pics can do it justice…

There were some days-old lambs in that valley... with Easter in another week, they looked "delicious"

From North Carolina, off to Tennessee for a quick stop to visit the local attractions in Chattanooga.  Specifically, the Aquarium [biggest fresh-water kind in the world, allegedly], Ruby Falls, and Lookout Mountain/Rock City.

This was not the first visit to the aquarium, and I must admit – I was not as impressed as the first time.  Some of it had to do with the fact that the one in Atlanta is so much bigger and better, but I think mostly because it needs a face-lift and a good “scrub”.  Although some exhibits were still interesting, for the most part the tanks looked dirty; some were “under construction” and others looked like “stuff” was just thrown in, willy-nilly… I would recommend it if you’ve never been, but personally I doubt I’d want to go back.

Next, off to Lookout Mountain – Rock City to be exact; a very nice walk though woods and giant rock formations, culminating into a plateau [Lover’s Leap] that claims to offer views of 7 different states!  Nice panorama, indeed, but when you realize that Mt. Pinnacle (KY and VA) is 150 miles away, the Smoky Mountains (NC) about 50, and SC 80 or so, then all you really see is TN, GA and AL… unless, of course you’re using some NASA-grade scope that can “see” around the curvature of the earth past the 8-10 mile that the naked eye can reach… Nonetheless, this was worth the trip to the top.

What’s not worth the time is the ride on the Incline Railway.  You can drive up and admire the view from the top (or nearby historic site park) but skip the ride.  It’s long (both the ride and the wait) and the tall trees on either side of the tracks block the view.

But just down the hill there’s another natural wonder – namely Ruby Falls.  Again, not the first time here either, which lessened the excitement… or was it the fact that morons have been vandalizing the stalactites and stalagmites for “souvenirs” to the point where there’s barely any left in the place? Still, for a first-timer, the imposing 145-feet high underground waterfall at the end of the mile-long trek through the heart of the mountain is jaw-dropping.  Definitely worth it!

And before you say good bye to the Tennessee River valley, take a stroll along the Riverwalk, or stop by the old [terminal] railway-station-turned-hotel: The Chattanooga Choo-Choo.  For most it’s a nice museum piece; for those of us hailing from the old Eastern Block, just another ol’ railway station [to me it looked like Gara de Nord in Bucharest, on a slightly smaller scale… or Focşani; Paşcani, maybe…]

With all that said, go ahead and rush home after that... there really isn't anything else in Chattanooga...

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Briefly passing through St. Louis

Downtown view from across the Mississippi

No one in their right mind can claim that a 3 day work-visit to any city allows any ample time to explore what the locality has to offer.  Yet, I have never made any personal sanity claims, especially when it comes to travelling.  Those who “suffered” through many a similar ordeal in the past, would tell you that I can squeeze a lot of sightseeing in a very short amount of time; let’s just say I’ve developed a rather unorthodox, highly non-scientific method of compressing time: do a lot of research in advance, walk fast, and take plenty of pictures so you can “take it all in” later, when it’s all over.  So let’s see what came out of a 4-hour afternoon in St. Louis…

First off, some general impressions:  As a metro area, it’s bigger that most (18^th in the country, according to statistics) but at the turn of the 19^th century it was as high as 4^th on that list.  It clearly had something to do with the Westward expansion and the Louisiana Purchase (more on that in a bit)… Traces of history are clearly present and well preserved throughout, especially in the downtown area, where most of the old buildings have been turned into office space, upscale restaurants and swanky lofts.  Gentrification they call it… 

Like in any city of that size, there’s plenty to do, so we had to choose wisely on a dreary Wednesday afternoon where clouds and fog denied us a nice panoramic view from the top of the Gateway Arch… The one slight disappointment on an otherwise enlightening afternoon…

First stop, Pappy’s – a BBQ icon according to the locals; St. Louis [dry] style, that is.  They consider it sacrilegious to put anything on in, so the sauce is only served on the side.  I thought I had a pretty killer recipe for a “dry rub” myself, but theirs clearly lived up to all the hype!  It must be all that overnight smoking over apple or cherry wood… or the state-of-the-art smoker… Oh, and the guy who owns the place doesn’t believe in re-heating BBQ, so closing time means they ran out of meat for the day (which happens around 7 or 8 pm).  The verdict: it was a close second to what I had years ago at Dreamland in Birmingham, AL.  So good – in fact – that my colleague (a Yankee from NY) bought one sandwich “to go”.  You could imagine the reaction of the passengers on that flight to LGA when he opened the bag!

Pappy's "smoker on steroids" - smelled fantastic!

From there, a few miles down the road we stopped by the St. Louis Cathedral.

 

Built in the early 1900’s and named after King Louis IX, it was designated a Basilica by Pope John Paul II in ’97; a glorious edifice, not only for the architecture, but the mosaic installation, the largest in the world, apparently.  Someone with plenty of time to spare allegedly counted the glass and ceramic pieces: 41.5 million!! (the pamphlet mentioned 7,000 different colors, covering over 83,000 sq. feet, contributed to by 20 different artists).  

 

...see the little shrine at the bottom?
(under the 3rd portal)

...this is the close-up of that shrine (all mosaic, of course)

I know... Picture-taking got a little out of hand in there... but the pics taken with my camera  phone don’t do it justice, so I urge you to go to their website: http://www.cathedralstl.org/ for a closer view to reality...

Truly a highly spiritual work of art in every sense of the word...

The next stop – pretty much mandatory on any St. Louis itinerary: the Budweiser tour.   The place where it all started, back in the mid-1800’s, where a local brewer [Eberhard Anheuser] and his son-in-law [Adolphus Busch, who had a knack for marketing and logistics], combined to lay the foundation for what today is known as the [self-proclaimed] King of Beers.  The irony of it is that Adolphus spent years throughout Europe to learn and experiment with brewing techniques, only to come back and create – what I, in my humble opinion, consider to be – a watered-down version of the brewed drink, which in most of the ‘old world’ would not even pass up as an ‘alcoholic’ beverage.  But then, again, that’s not what it’s all about; they don’t sell a quality product [personal opinion, again] but they do an excellent job marketing the hell out of it, and that’s what Americans buy.  As much as you want to disagree with me, you know it’s true!  Simply put, someone who learned a great deal about beer chose to disregard quality and produce something that the American public in general would actually prefer …

As a quick sidebar to prove my point: the aforementioned Yank made an interesting comment when we were in the Clydesdales barn: “… big strong horses to represent the American beer”.  He got a little deflated when I told him that the breed is actually Scottish! And that “American beer” is a misnomer.  Yes, there are more and more microbreweries that produce quality beer, but they all use German, Belgian or British techniques… Yet, giving credit where credit is due: that is where ‘America’ has an award-wining recipe: take the best from around the world, bring it / them here, add a dash of the land of opportunity “spin”, a solid scoop of consumerism, and voilà:  you’ve got an American winner!  That said, in recent past that [land of opportunity] feel is turning more and more into the illusion of opportunity - sort of like Budweiser’s illusion of being the King of Beers…

But I digress…

Another big plus: the tour was free (as any self-respecting company promoting their own product should do).  Back in Atlanta, another global consumer icon (yep, Coca-Cola) charges a $12 to $16 admission for pretty-much the same thing.  Shameful, if you ask me! 

If the Budweiser tour is a must do, the Arch is mandatory.  Unfortunately, the weather conditions didn’t cooperate, so the “elevator/carousel” ride to the top of the structure – 630 feet above ground – did not allow for any panoramic views.  What a pity!

Built in the mid 60’s, the Arch is part of the larger Jefferson National Expansion Memorial and it’s been erected not far from where Lewis and Clark began their expedition, as a follow-up to the Louisiana Purchase.  History books have wasted a lot of ink on that subject; my opinion is a bit different:  “The Little Corporal” (Napoleon that is) was cash-strapped and needed to finance his England invasion [never got there, as you know].  He squeezed the Spanish into ceding the Louisiana territory (some up front, some under the table) only to turn around and sell it to the U.S. for 3 cents per acre (42 cents in 2011-equivalent dollars)… Boy, was he desperate… What a bargain!  Then, Jefferson sent out Lewis and Clark to actually get a feel for what his money bought him… The rest is more or less in those books I mentioned earlier.  The alternative (if you’d allow me): a bigger French-speaking territory, not just Quebec, or a larger section of North America where Spanish is the primary language (wait, that’s already true, at least in Texas, New Mexico and California)… Funny thing, history, huh?!?

Back to the Arch, though. 

Impressive structure.  Tallest man-made monument in the U.S.  And the carousel / elevator that transports up to 40 people at a time (8 capsules / 5 seats each) makes for an interesting [if slightly claustrophobic] ascent.  On a clear day, the observation deck at the top provides 30-mile views.  We just weren’t lucky, with clouds and fog essentially shrinking that distance to almost zero… Yet, the whole thing was pretty impressive, nonetheless… I mentioned that already, didn’t I? Oh, well… maybe next time I’ll get to see the panorama as well …

The observation deck at the top
...
and below, the "claustro-capsule" carousel that takes you there 

Across the street from the hotel:
 the home of last year's "World" Champions
(for  that is a truly world-wide competition, indeed...is it?)

A brighter view of the same landmark

*     *     *     

Well, that’s it.  A quick run through St. Louis at the speed of … ehmm… “Adrian”.  Wish I had more time for other attractions… But if you want to experience its essence, follow this itinerary and you’ll be pleased.  Make sure you set aside a whole day, though, in case you can’t keep up this pace…

This one is "borrowed" from the web, but I liked it!
Thought it would make a nice ending...

Another Year Wiser ?

As another year draws to a close, some personal reflections in verse form to give you something to smile, contemplate upon, or frown about. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

                             *  *  *  *  *

Alas, another year full o’ “treasures” we’ve ammased

(For some, a dreadful struggle… for some, a real blast…

For some, a happy “welcome”… and some, an ending “last”…)

. . .

Some liberties we took, or risks perhaps we passed;

“– Au contraire, mon cher” (some would frown, aghast).

And often times, without an aim we’d drift, as just

In stormy seas, a vessel with a broken mast,

Compassless and stranded in the infinite vast,

Not fretting that each moment could be our very last.

But still, we forge ahead, unweavering, steadfast,

Yet, in the minds’ dark shadows, where doubts are often cast,

There’s always something there to remind us of…

“The Past.”

A past that’s far, a past that’s close, or one somewhere…… halfway

Why do we really drag its burden, anyway?

Why do we let it change the black or white to gray?

. . .

It’s done.  Forget it; and move on. (forgive me the cliché)

“– Can run from it, or learn [from it],” Rafiki used to say

‘Cause in the end it’s nottin’ but an odd dream gone astray.

Yes… dwelling on that past, will always make one pay;

Would cause the soul to wither, the spirit to decay…

Then why, my dear friend, why not push that away?

For all we have to guide us, and blindly to obey

Is but a simple rule: let “light” show you the way!

So live a little “louder” this fragile little miracle we simply call…

“Today”

Today it’s time to turn the page and tell the past: adieu

Plenty a chance you’ve had – I hope – its lessons to review,

And some of it (if you’re like most) wish that you can redo…

. . .

For life – they say – would be much simpler, the future if we knew;

If crystal balls would grant us that ‘travel-in-time’ view.

Yet “life” and “simple” go togheter like fire and ice do!

And “good” and “bad” will always hit you, straight out of the blue!

Stop searching for tomorrow, aimless and without clue.

“– But that’s what makes it worth it”, would claim a voice or two.

To them, I say: “– Live every moment… (knowing there are few)

As it’s the only memory you’ll one day take with you!”

So dive in the deep end, eyes closed, and thoroughly embrace

“The New”

Never forget this Past year, try to learn from it,

Cherish the birth of Christ, Today… let your soul uplift,

And make the brand New year knocking at the door, a trully happy gift!