Connie and I eat breakfast at the hotel and it's pretty good, considering our earlier (rez and room readiness) and enduring (sucky wireless and phone connections) problems.
We head to Biltmore. Holy cow! 8,000 acres of winding beauty that we only covered probably one-tenth while driving to the shuttle pick up. While I'd heard that Biltmore was big, I thought I was prepared to see an over sized mansion, much like so many I've seen in California and overseas. No, I wasn't prepared. This was the biggest honking mansion, if you can call it that, one could even begin to imagine. Where no expense is sparred and there is plenty of real estate upon which to build, well, I'm not even sure I could come up with such a monstrosity.
The Biltmore is quite an eyeful, beautiful from far away, breath-taking as you get closer, but got a bit gaudy with all its intricate details. Well, the house covers 4 acres! I just sold three acres of the last of any ties to Columbus, MS. So, adding another acre to attempt to imagine the coverage of the mansion was mind-boggling. After walking in, it's well, big. Over-sized doorways, 'rooms' that could be 'houses' where I'm from, furniture and fixings that were quite ornate, and with entertainment and artistic items that most museums would be glad to house.
The guidebook and touch-and-go audio tour are essential to touring the house, which Connie and I both had the good sense to go. The Biltmore assistants told us it would take about 90 minutes to tour the house. It took Connie and me nearly 3 hours. We didn't tour the grounds as much as we'd have liked since we were nearly drained from the house, if you can call it that, tour. Besides, mums in November all start to look the same after a while.
We left the main house and ventured to the remainder of the property that was drivable. Lord, have mercy, if I had even 1/1000th of the ponds, lakes, ducks, walking paths, horses, etc. that would be more than I'd have time to enjoy, considering I work for a living. The Biltmores obviously had more time on their hands than I so they made the best of it. Kudos to them for making the fortune and time to enjoy it.
Antler Village at Biltmore, the end-drive of our visit, was your usual touristy attraction. High-priced items for suckers willing to bit. The wine tour left a bad taste in our mouth, even though the wine-tasting end result wasn't too bad. As much as I know about beer and hard liquor distilling, I learned some new tidbits about wine-making. As we exited the Biltmore Estate, I couldn't help but wonder how much I could have taken in had we two days there. No, my brain's sponge was sopping wet. It could hold no more. Time to venture back into Asheville and see some of the sites.
Connie and I would have killed to be 16 (or 17 or 18) again. As we drove downtown Asheville, thanks to a great trolley, guided-tour guide hints, we happened upon some music that got louder and literally shook every part of our well-constructed Nissan Murano. The closer we got to a certain part of downtown the louder the music got and the more bizarre became the folks walking down its streets. We were forever gone and late for the Halloween Party that was becoming more apparent the closer we got to the music. When we happened upon the near epicenter of the activity, the music was near-deafening and the costumed attendees growing in number. After a couple of passes and youthful wishes, Connie and I decided to check out local eateries. We settled for the Corner Stone Restaurant. Talk about a land (or restaurant) of plenty, again Connie and I shared a over-sized salad. It was quite good, though not as good as the Pomodoros'. I had the Fried Fresh Trout and it was most delicious, exquisitely double-fileted, tender and moist. Connie got, guess what ... yep, steak and taters. You can bank on that gal's food leanings and restaurant orders. ; )
We headed back to the back to the hotel to prep for our next drive, our primary destination, Colonial Williamsburg, VA. After more drive through beautiful foliage initially, we began to see less of it and more territory resembling our coastal plains.
We did stop along the way for a visit to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home. But, before we got to Monticello, we had to try out the Michie Tavern, an almost-authentic reversion to the past of the way folks used to eat in taverns in Jefferson's time on earth. In a dimly lit, musty, smoky environment with low entry ways, rickety chairs, pewter utensils, and cups, the setting couldn't have been much more authentic, sans the AC or heat. Virginia pulled pork is pretty good, though North and South Carolina (more of that to come) have THE handle on barbeque. The menu was pretty much along the lines of what was available in the 'olden' days. All was well cooked and the company, conjugal, was quite fun. I'd recommend it as a side-light and to appreciate what the early colonists had to endure or reap, based on their income.
Jefferson was indeed a genius, often self-learned. While he did have a decent upbringing, I have to admire the guy for being quite inventive, creative, and driven. Driven to the point that he pretty much set the foundation for the enviable route our country has taken in its form of government, though I worry often about its apparently fragile condition. Words of advice: Don't visit Biltmore before visiting Monticello. As exquisite, yet practical as is Monticello, it looks like the shoebox of a Lilliputian compared to Biltmore. We did hear Sally Hemming mumors in and about Monticello. After viewing the way Monticello was built, there is no doubt that hanky-panky could have occurred. It is regrettable, though, that as much as Jefferson espoused freedom for slaves, he was among the more negligent in his outward behavior and reconciliation toward that fact. I"ll say that Jefferson certainly did so much more good than not, in spite of his 'human' nature. Anyone who misses a chance to visit, when so close by, should be tried for dereliction of citizen duty. Monticello and its accompanying museum is worth the visit, on all counts.
Connie and I finally reached Colonial Wiliamsburg late afternoon. Tired from the drive, we checked in to our Best Western in Newport News, VA. Yes, it's 16 miles from CW, but it has a plethora of shopping opportunities and local eateries galore. Besides, I specifically wanted to see where the competition for Ingalls for so many years lied and how they operated. (More on that in the final days reviews.)
Connie and I, after our hearty and not quite worked off Michie Tavern meal decided to forego dinner. We crashed in our motel, but not to the point that we couldn't plan our CW visit.
