A Day Just for Me

Rarely do I take the time to just let go and be free from responsibility. Being that this is a holiday weekend, turns out I have Monday off of work. That gives me some extra time to spare, so I decided it was time for a "Me" day.

I awoke this morning around 7AM. I had to get an early start to my day. I showered, got dressed, and dashed out the door by 7:45. It took me about an hour to drive into Asheville, NC. I knew I had to be in Asheville before 9AM. I parked downtown and walked to my favorite restaurant in town...Tupelo Honey Cafe. It truly is an amazing restaurant. They open at 9AM, and I arrived at 8:55. There was a long line to get in even before they opened the doors. I got in and sat at the bar, which is right in front of the kitchen staff. I find it fascinating to watch their kitchen staff. They are truly seamless!

I got my order in by 9:05. I looked around and the restaurant was already full, and the wait staff had already started a waiting list. I was shocked! My waiter brought me a giant biscuit with a homemade blueberry jam and some Tupelo honey. It is a delicious way to start the morning. A bit later they brought me my order, fried chicken and biscuits in a spicy white gravy. Every bite was heaven. Ugh!

After breakfast, I made the drive over to the Biltmore Estate for my tour. I ended up purchasing a season pass (I know I will come back for at least Christmas), which took forever. The 2-mile drive up to the main house is peaceful and beautiful. I drove extra slow just so that I could enjoy the beauty of nature.

The house is beautiful. It is in phenomenal shape for a 116 year-old house. Every time I go to visit, it feels like the first time I saw it. It is awe-inspiring! The tour took me about 2 hours. I did take some extra time to sit outside of tapestry room enjoying the beauty of the mountains and the cool breeze.

After my tour, I spent some time touring the grounds. You can literally spend a full day or two just touring the grounds. They have added so much to the grounds, and I was surprised. You can now take a bicycle tour of the grounds, a tour on a Segway, a carriage tour, and even an antique car tour of the grounds. I didn't do any of those, but it gives me something to do in the future.

I decided to have lunch on the grounds. I chose to eat at the Bistro outside of the Winery. I began with a bowl of roasted tomato and fennel bisque. The main course was a deep-dish quiche Lorraine. Every bite was sheer bliss. Then my wonderful waitress offered up the dessert menu. Rarely do I have dessert, especially at lunch. However, I was in the mood to treat myself, thus is chose to have the buttermilk pie.

It only added to my bliss. Lunch was worth every expensive penny! One side note about lunch was the couple that was seated to my right. It was a gay couple who were just enjoying their equally expensive lunch. They looked so happy together, and I found myself wanting to be just like them. Ironically, I ran into them again while I was shopping in downtown Asheville.

Speaking of shopping in downtown Asheville, I found a huge sale on summer sandals. For those who know me well, they would tell you I live in sandals and flip-flops. The sale going on was 30% off the already reduced shoes. I ended up purchasing several pair of Teva flip-flops for less than $10 each, and I got a wonderful pair of Chacos for only $30. I was in "hog heaven."

I enjoyed the rest of my time in downtown Asheville just walking from shop to shop. Asheville is by far on of my favorite cities to peruse.

I got home just in time for the thunderstorms to hit. I sat with the front door and the living room windows open just to hear the rolling storms pass. It was a nice way to wind down the evening.

It was so nice to have a day to myself. I so rarely get to have those anymore.