Biltmore Estate - Day 626 (Yr 2, Day 261)

Asheville, NC

I know I promised to post a photo journal of the Estate, but not only is sorting through the 250 pictures going to be a major undertaking which I don't have time for, but because flashes were not allowed, many of the pictures didn't even come out very well.

However, the good news is that there is already a great deal of information online.  For those who have not been there, I think these photos capture the rooms and grounds very well, although it still doesn't come close to actually being there, in the rooms, imagining life happening 100+ years ago.  For myself when I read back, these photos will jog my memory.

Again, I have to say that magnificent doesn't even come close to describing the place.  It's amazing how having millions (or by today's standards - billions) of dollars can buy!  I can't even fathom living this kind of lifestyle (of course, I'm at the other end of the spectrum, living in an RV!  And very happy, I might add!)

For history of the house, a photo gallery of the rooms and photos of the gardens, click here.  There are 3 links on the left hand side to click on for each of these categories.

I will now try to recapture our adventure and add some photos and facts that aren't on the Biltmore website.  We were there for 2 days: Sunday and Monday (2/28 and 2/29).

We had to pass through Biltmore Village, which was a town built on the outskirts of the Estate for all the workers.  It's very tudor style.  Here is one such building:

A typical store in Biltmore Village

Entering the gates of the property:

As you drive through the property,  you either pass through beautifully planted forests of white pine, or sprawling hills:

Sometimes you pass some beautiful homes which are residences of current-day workers such as Head of Security, and other high level positions:

After entering the gates, our first stop was the Inn where we would be staying.  The plan was to try to get an early check in (didn't happen), park the truck there and take the complimentary shuttle to the House (also didn't happen because the shuttles started at 9:00 and it was only 8:30.  We had tour tickets for 9:00 so we needed to drive back to the House, which, although still on the property, was 5 miles away!!!  Imagine having so much land!!!)

A duck crossing the road en route to the Inn

The Inn coming into view

The Inn up close

We had a few tours booked on Sunday, so we really didn't have the leisure to take things totally at our own pace.  First stop was the House, with admission at 9:00 and an "Upstairs/Downstairs" behind the scenes tour starting at 9:30.  Here are some photos of the house coming into view and a close up shot (the photos on the website are much better).  It should be noted that there is a road (called "Approach Road") that is beautifully landscaped as it meanders by the stream and through the forests.  You then enter a huge gate and only then does the house come into view.  It was intentionally built that way so that guests would enjoy the journey and then be very impressed when they saw the building.



While the website and general admission just takes you through the main living areas for the family and guests, the Upstairs/Downstairs tour took us into the servants areas where all the hustle and bustle took place and where everyone worked hard to make sure things ran smoothly.  After all, it was the Vanderbilt's reputation if someone was displeased with even so much as their tea being too cold!  It was a privilege and an honor to work at the estate!

A photo of us taken inside the main hall:

I am most impressed by how very high tech this house was for it's time (built 1885).  For example, it had 43 bathrooms at a time where most people didn't have indoor plumbing.  There was electricity throughout the house, including lights at the bottom of the swimming pool, at a time when most people were still using candles.  I think I was most impressed by the servants communication system.  There was a box centrally located in the servant area, which had a light corresponding to every room of the house.  Each room had a button, that when pressed, would light up on that box.  It was someone's job to watch that box and, using the in-house intercom phone system, immediately dispatch the nearest servant to that room.  That servant, in turn, would learn who wanted what, communicate it back via the intercom, and then the appropriate staff member would see that the person's needs were met quickly.  For example, if a guest was in the Tapestry Room reading a book and wished for a cup of tea, he would ring the bell, the nearest servant to that room would let the kitchen staff know, the kitchen staff would prepare a tea along with some scones or cookies or finger sandwiches, and have it brought up to the Tapestry Room.  Room service at its finest!

Here are some photos of the inner courtyard, where the servants would come and go easily without being seen:



This part of the tour was over at 11:00.  We had lunch reservations at 12:00 and we received a call that our room was ready to check in.  So we drove back to the Inn, dropped off our luggage, and took the shuttle to Deerpark (there's a map of the property here).

Back in the day, Biltmore had a dairy farm, a barn where they also raised cattle, sheep and chickens for meat, and thousands of acres of farmland where they grew all their own vegetables for use on the estate.  In the 1950s, the dairy was sold to Pet-milk, and the building was turned into a restaurant.  Here are some photos of the inside.  We had a delicious buffet lunch (why didn't I take pictures of that???), while being serenaded by a bluegrass player.



After lunch, we had a 2:00 tour at the winery in Antler Hill Village - a seminar of how to deliciously pair red wine and chocolate!  We really did learn a lot about wine tasting (nothing like the moonshine tour we took last year).  Here is our wine master Peter filling the glasses again:



This tour was over at 3:30.  We took the shuttle back to the Inn and decided to take showers and a little nap before our 6:00 dinner reservation.  What am amazing room, and especially bathroom. Ok, no jacuzzi, but the marble decor, fancy and elegant lighting fixtures, regular household (carpet) bath mat (not a small towel), plate to put your soap in, and especially the robes and slippers all made it very special.  Here are a few pictures of the hotel lobby.

   

Once again I forgot to take pictures of the Dining Room (the name of the restaurant), but I can tell you it resembled the breakfast room in the House - extremely elegant.  There were huge windows all around, overlooking the mountains, and a huge glowing fireplace; the wait staff wore tuxes and gloves and, like the servants of the House, were right there waiting to wait on you.  I don't think we've ever enjoyed the luxury of this level of fine dining before (and due to the cost, probably won't again for at least another 14 years when we celebrate our 50th!), but it was well worth the experience.  After dinner, we relaxed over a few drinks in the upstairs lounge, where there was a jazz group playing.

Monday was a more relaxed day.  We started off having a very lovely buffet breakfast in the Dining Room (custom omelets, and lox among other fine specialties).  We had another tour booked at 1:00, so after breakfast we went back to the House to finish up seeing everything we missed the day before.  The tour was a bus ride around the entire property, describing what everything was and giving a lot of history behind how things were built (including how they built a special diversion to the lake because silt from the stream was getting in and they wanted clear blue water).

After the tour, we went back to the winery and did the complimentary wine tasting.  We had our urb-es with us and it was a beautiful day, so we rode around Antler Hill Village a little bit.

Then it was time to go home and the fantasy to end.  Back to reality once again, but with fully charged batteries.

The only real complaint I have is that the place, especially the House with all the handrails, is a germ-fest.  I didn't think of that in advance and didn't have any Purell with me.  Needless to say, I woke up Monday morning with a sore throat which had been getting progressively worse throughout the week (although today it seems to be starting to improve).

Tomorrow at shul is another "First Shabbat", so it will be a bigger crowd and a fancier luncheon.  However, I'm really looking forward to Sunday.  Mitch's co-workers (the ones we went to dinner with a few weeks ago: Mike/Kandi and Tim/Sandy, as well as another couple who just joined in this area) are throwing me a birthday party.  We're going to their campground and doing a pot-luck around the campfire.  Unfortunately, those couples are leaving the following week, so unless we're scheduled to work in the same area, it will be a long time before we see them again.

Happy Anniversary! - Day 624 (Yr 2, Day 259)

Asheville, NC

We had an absolutely amazing time at the Biltmore Estate and Inn.  I can't even begin to fathom what it must have been like to live in such a place (if you watch Downton Abbey or Upstairs/Downstairs, it's the same kind of situation).  It is just way beyond magnificent.  Here is a photo of the outside (couldn't fit the entire photo in, but you can go to www.biltmore.com to see some really great photos!)

We took over 250 photos, which I would like to organize and caption and present in some type of slideshow or bearable format.  That will take me a few days to complete, so please bear with me while I create a more detailed journal of our mini-vacation celebrating our 36th (or 9th, since it comes every 4 years) anniversary.

Doctor visits - Day 616 (Yr 2, Day 251)

Asheville, NC

I wish we hadn't waited so long, but then again we never really knew how long we'd be here.

We visited Fast-Med, which is an urgent care center that also offers family practice and wellness care.  It's been over 2 years since we had our annual physicals and figured it was time to take care of it.  Just like we need routine maintenance on our vehicles, we should also have it on our bodies, especially since we're aging.  Fast-Med also has a lot of offices throughout NC, TX and AZ so all our record will be available.  I still need to return for a woman's (gyn) exam, both of us will need colonoscopies, and I will need to have another iron infusion.  I guess we'll try to get this all done before we leave Asheville - probably not for at least another month.

I also went ahead and made the reservations for the Biltmore Estate for this coming Sunday and Monday, to celebrate our 36 year (or 9th actually since it's leap year) anniversary.  We're going to go all out and take all the tours and stay in the 7 star hotel on the grounds and have dinner in the Dining Room where suits & ties/dresses are required, fine china, gloved waiter service, 5 courses.  The estate has a farm and almost all their food is sourced from there.  So next week I will have lots of photos and explanations to post.  Not quite the Epcot or Caribbean vacation I was hoping for, but this will be a lot of fun.  I'm getting really excited.  Sunday is supposed to be sunny and 61 degrees; Monday about 59 and partly cloudy.  The estate is over 8000 acres (you need a car to get between sections) so we'll bring our urb-es.

The Incredible Edible Egg - Day 615 (Yr 2, Day 250)

Asheville, NC

First, we did not have the company we hoped for (Kathy & Al), as they took their grandkids out for dinner then to a movie and got back too late to visit.  But they did stop by for a 5 minute chat before hitting the road; a quick hello-goodbye.

As for the title - this really was incredible (I actually meant to write about this yesterday).   Along Mitch's route on Friday, he was surveying a meter at someone's house, where there happened to be lots and lots of chickens running around.  The owner came outside and Mitch, friendly guy that he is, started up a conversation (that's how we met our very good friend Ethylin when we first arrived here).  Anyway, Mitch sort of half-jokingly asked the guy whether he wanted to sell any eggs and the guy was more than happy to do so ($3.50/dz).  Some of them were laid 3 days earlier and the rest the day before.  So we're talking FRESH, organic and free ranging -- not from a commercial farm.  Having never been in an area where egg laying chickens were something almost everyone had in their back yards, and certainly never living near a farm, the only eggs we ever tasted were the commercial ones.

I always thought an egg was an egg was an egg, but let me tell you -- that is NOT true!!!  For starters, the colors were so much different.  The outer shells were brown or light brown, not the bleach white color.  The yolk was a bright orange, not drab, and after cooking them (scrambled), they were almost a neon yellow, not drab canary.  And the taste?  Heaven!  I couldn't believe that's what an egg is supposed to taste like - incredible!  I have a feeling, though, that buying the organic, free ranging eggs from the supermarket will still not be the same.  I have a feeling that's only part of the deal, but the rest has to do with freshness - a day or 2 old rather than a few weeks (but we may splurge and buy a dozen just to compare.  If I'm wrong, it may be worth spending 2-3 times more money once in a while to enjoy such a treat).

Dinner with work buddies - Day 614 (Yr 2, Day 249)

Asheville, NC

Mitch has been working here in Asheville with a very lovely couple (Mike and Kandi) and developed a nice camaraderie.  They've been here for about 4 months.  They also had to go to Durham back in December, so we had dinner out with them then.

A new couple (Tim and Sandy) also just arrived in town for a few weeks, so the 6 of us went out to dinner at a lovely Italian/Greek bistro.  Great service and delicious food (I had the eggplant parm and Mitch had veggie manicotti).  Most of the talk was war stories-- both Mike/Kandi and Tim/Sandy are traveling "couples" - not only married but both of them work for Southern Cross.  I was the only one at the table who did not share in their experience or adventures, so much of the conversation was above my head, but it was a lot of fun anyway.   Mike/Kandi are leaving here on March 12th, en route to an assignment in Utah.  Tim/Sandy are leaving March 14th for Gatlinburg, TN (I told Sandy about the moonshine tour).  Mitch was told he will be released in a few weeks.  We are waiting for an answer from his boss - hopefully this week - to explain the process: does he go where he's told (where the most need is), or are we given a list of opportunities and we can choose?  Fingers crossed it's the latter.

Meanwhile, some old friends - Kathy and Allen - returned to the campground.  We met them during the summer, but they left for their home in FL around the middle of Sept.  They have family in Asheville, so usually spend from April until September here.  They arrived yesterday and are leaving on a road trip to Yosemite tomorrow morning, and returning for the season on April 1st.  I have a hunch we will NOT be here when they return.  They are spending the day with their grandchildren but said they would come over and hang with us around 6:00 when they return.

The only concern I have at the moment is we noticed some water gathering near the toilet bowl when we flush.  Mitch suspects it's a problem with the seal, but it requires taking the entire assembly apart (as well as figuring out the part he needs and ordering it).  I hope this isn't going to be a major problem until we have a chance to get it done.  Next week we were planning to be away to celebrate our anniversary (just Sunday and Monday - depending on the weather).

Light at the end of the Tunnel - Day 611 (Yr 2, Day 246)

Asheville, NC

Sorry to my friends & family (and devoted readers) who may have been waiting with baited breath for me to post something.  But, alas, unless I have something interesting (bad or good or eventful) to post, I hate to bore everyone with the details of "I worked," or "I went shopping," which pretty much sums up our lives these days.

However, it looks like the tides may be turning in terms of leaving Asheville.  As you may know, Mitch reports to 2 bosses: the main one, who is in charge of the nationwide travelers, and a local/regional one.  It's the main one who decides when and where he is needed.  We just learned that the main boss(who historically has been extremely unresponsive) just left the company.  His position was taken over by someone we "know" -- it's the person with whom we were "friends" on an RV forum, and who introduced us to this position with the company.  We've been following his very interesting and well-written blog for a while, even leaving comments now and then.  We've corresponded a few times expressing our frustration and woes about being stuck in one place for so long.  So it was really exciting news to learn that he will be Mitch's new boss!

Today he explained that since he only just officially started this job 2 days ago, he's still trying to get his feet under him and figuring out what's what, but he did promise that we could probably be released in a few weeks; he just needs to figure out to where.

Of course, I just made appointments (this coming Tuesday) for our annual wellness visits.  Maybe we should hold off another month or 2 until we learn how long we'll be in the next location.  Makes more sense if the dr. finds anything wrong or wants routine tests (like colonoscopies, mamos, blood workups), we might need more than a few weeks in the area.  Then again, there are always referrals.  We shall see....

Goings on - Day 600 (Yr 2, Day 235)

Asheville, NC

Nothing at all worth noting.  Mitch was feeling much better and worked the entire week.  We even got to go to services on Saturday (it was a huge gathering--they have a special "first Shabbat" once a month where they try to get as many families to come.  Motivation: fancy kiddush lunch!)

Mitch also took on a small IT job which made him extremely happy.  The wifi in the campground sucks, and Mitch offered to troubleshoot and then fix the problem (at his normal IT corporate rates).  He spent a few hours today working on it and I believe it's fixed.  So far, so good.  Now if only he could fix the electric in the campground!  They're working on it.  They've been busy digging up trenches behind our rig so it can be rewired.  Currently, Mitch is about to hitch up the truck so we can move it a foot or 2 forward, as they need to dig another trench below us.  Royal PITA.  But for only a few feet, we're not closing the slides or putting anything away, and only disconnecting the sewer line, as Mitch has to add an extension since it just barely fits right now.  Electric and water reach with plenty of room to spare.  It took us 45 minutes to hitch up, and it turned out the water line needed to be extended, so we had to add another 25' hose.  Not to mention re-leveling since the jacks had to come up.  As I said... Royal PITA.

As for me, I did a really heavy duty cleaning - getting to all the nooks and crannies that tend to get overlooked while doing a general cleaning.  We really need to clean out the vents and change the water filters at some point soon.

Update:  Did