Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

The day came to bid farewell to Atlanta and head for points north.  The city had been kind and welcoming in true Southern hospitality style.  It’s no wonder Margaret Mitchell was able to pen such a masterpiece in those surroundings.

Setting out after breakfast, the ladies hoped to make an early appearance into Asheville as to spend as much time at Biltmore as possible.  They pointed out the many churches along the route.  In South Carolina they stopped at a roadside country store to sample boiled peanuts.  The cashier gladly demonstrated how to eat the unusual treat.  (The peanuts tasted similar to cooked black or pinto beans.)

They spotted a sign to the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic site in North Carolina and took a little detour.  (http://www.nps.gov/carl/index.htm)  “Recalculating.”  They looked about the idyllic setting while walking uphill to the house, but didn’t tour the home’s interior.  The cousins remarked that since they were traveling without spouses or children and with few time constraints, they could stop whenever a fun opportunity presented itself.

They made it to the Biltmore Estate around noon.  (www.biltmore.com)  The estate grounds were expansive, extensive, massive, lovely and impressive.  The same could be said of the house but with using more adjectives—awe-inspiring, opulent, ostentatious, incredible, breath-taking, posh, over-the-top, grand, ginormous, other-worldly.  Mere words are inadequate to describe the grandeur.  In order to photograph the entire “house,” one had to almost stand in the next county.  Biltmore was built more and built more and built more.  George Vanderbilt was an impressive guy.  Too bad he died at such a young age.

In order to have enough energy to explore just some of the 160,000 square-foot 250-room house, the ladies opted to eat lunch in the Stable Restaurant prior to entering the home.  Two fun and attentive waiters made their meal quite enjoyable.  The food was pretty good, too. 

On the way to the house, Natalie just had to make a stop in the toy shop and look for gifts for her granddaughter.  (She and Susan opted to wait until the end of the tour to make purchases at any of the Biltmore gift shops.)

Equipped with a map, headphones and a pre-recorded listening device, the cousins began their tour of the mansion.  “Only” about 45 rooms were available for viewing including, but not limited to, the indoor garden, billiards room, dining hall (with an 8-story-tall ceiling and pipe organ), library, Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt’s bedrooms, guest rooms, music room, kitchens, gymnasium, bowling alley, swimming pool, and Halloween room.  Again, words cannot describe what they saw.  It would have been very easy to get lost in the house with the multiple staircases without the map.  Sadly, no interior photographs were allowed. 

Emerging from the home more than an hour-and-a-half after they entered, they visited the gift shops and made a few purchases and then set out to tour some of the gardens and greenhouses.  Again, words defy description.  It must be noted that the Biltmore staff members were all very gracious and accommodating.  Susan and Natalie didn’t want to leave, but other opportunities and responsibilities were calling, so they eventually left the estate.

Dinner was eaten on a whim at a charming little restaurant chain.  The food was quite nondescript except for the deep fried Oreos Susan ordered for dessert. 

Once again, they pulled into the M. cousins’ Wake Forest estate close to midnight but were still welcomed.  Mark even favored them with a bagpipe mini-concert in the basement (so as to not awaken the sleeping family members).  They slept in the same beds as they had on their last visit.