Asheville

Joel's parents were sweet enough to watch the boys so that we could have one last "getaway" before the baby comes... 4 months from now. Everybody in North Carolina has told us that if we were to only see a couple of places while here, it should be Asheville (and the Biltmore) and the Outer Banks area. And since everyone raved about how beautiful the Biltmore is during Christmas time, that's where we headed for an overnight trip! 

We left the morning after Christmas, spent the afternoon at the Biltmore in the house (almost every room we toured had a Christmas tree, including a 37ft real one in the dining room!) and walking the gardens (the outdoor gardens weren't blooming, but the conservatory was beautiful), an evening eating a chef's tasting dinner  at Cucina 24 on recommendation of a friend (for 3 hours-- can you believe I got Joel to sit for a seven course, three hour meal?!), and spent the night at a bed and breakfast in the mountains. The next morning on their way back to Indiana, Joel's parents dropped the boys off in Asheville and we took them back to the "castle", where they were able to tour the house as well as visit Biltmore's Antler Hill Village which has a barn, petting farm and winery (Joel wine tasted while the rest of us drank grape juice). 

Everyone was exhausted by the time the day had ended, but the trip was a lovely, relaxing time with both Joel and later the boys-- who have asked multiple times if they could go back to the "castle" again!

 the conservatory decorated for Christmas... the orchid room was also beautiful!

the view from the loggia... pictures aren't allowed indoors

At Cucina24. Our courses included raw oysters, cured fois gras, a winter root vegetable salad, octopus, campanelle with black truffle, duck, and sweet potato donuts... definitely different then what we would have chosen from the menu, but we left with diversified palates!

 (Bent Creek Lodge)

 

The boys got a kick out of the green horse. :)

It's turning around and seeing him do things like this that makes me understand why Dr. Alderidge wants him wearing a brace until the end of February.

 A statue of the Vanderbilt's favorite dog, a saint bernard named Cedric

 At the end of the evening, the line to get shuttled back to our car was super long... so while I waited in line, Joel tried to get a photo shoot with the boys. Unfortunately, he didn't have a tripod, and they weren't the best subjects.... believe it or not, Aiden is smiling here. Half the time when you tell him to smile, he scrunches his face up like this now while saying cheese :)