Monday: Chattanooga to Asheville

We left Chattanooga this morning and took the scenic three and a half hour route to Asheville, North Carolina.  The drive was beautiful, taking in lakes, small towns, rivers etc.  The small roads are a joy to drive, aided by my impeccable taste in road tripping music…..

Lunch was at a diner in Murphy, NC, where I had one of the best grilled cheese and ham sandwiches ever (the trick seems to be to lightly fry the bread).

Asheville itself is gorgeous and full of character.  It also has one of the highest per capita number of micro-breweries of anywhere in the US, a fact which did not influence our desire to visit in the slightest.  Bend, Oregon, also has the same distinction and it won’t surprise you to learn we’ve been there too.

After settling in, we walked through town to ‘Burial’ Brewery, which was great, both in terms of the beer and ambience.  We then popped into ‘Dirty Jacks’, where we were drawn in by the open mike night and the remarkable group of ten people who were playing fantastic bluegrass.  We got talking to Anndria and Thomas, a lovely couple from Raleigh, NC, who are planning to move here.  Anndria was particularly fascinating, never been further than the eastern seaboard, but totally immersed and cultured in her own geography.  For example, I learnt that shagging is something very different in this part of the world.

We had excellent Chinese food for dinner.  A real treat since we can’t easily get it in Belize.

This is Lake Ocoee in Tennessee.  That would be fantastic in Wordle if it was allowed.