Coffee Talk

Returned from a get-away with my hubby, Mike, today. Three nights at a B&B in the mountains. Rest, great food, beautiful weather, and time with Mike. It was a great trip.

We toured the Biltmore Estate for the 2nd time. The history and sheer magnitude of that place is so fascinating. We love it. I enjoy hearing about the secret doors, the incredible fleet of staff that made the house work, and what their typical days would have been like in it's heyday (early 1900's). I mean, who wouldn't like to live in a mansion and enjoy 6-course lunches, servants to wait on you at every turn, and stay in a room with original Renoir paintings. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we spent a lot of time in the immense gardens enjoying the Festival of Flowers.

Among the many great restaurants we ate at was a mexican-cuban fusion restaurant that looked like a dive, but had a long line to get in and incredible food. Our table was reaching distance to those around us - on one side a hippy couple enjoying vegan fare. The other side was 2 well-to-do women discussing shopping. A few tables over was a grown man with a long beard and overalls. That's Asheville for you. There's a hoity-toity upper class, mountain folk, and huge hippy culture all rubbing shoulders.

A highlight for me was reading a good book while sitting off the Blue Ridge Parkway with this view:

We also took in a few beautiful sunsets at the Grove Park Inn. Mike loved just driving around the surrounding neighborhood and looking at the incredible cottages.