Day 77
August 1, 2015
Miles: 0
R&R in Nashville
Di and I got up a little after 9am, hung around the room for a little bit, and then went down to get a little breakfast at 9:45. We only had a little breakfast because we were saving our appetite for the real breakfast we would have later with Andy and Paige. Naturally, Andy and Paige enjoyed the Nashville night life for a lot longer than Di and I did last night, so it wasn't surprising they were not yet up. I went for a walk after breakfast, but it was already getting hot so I didn't go too far. I went far enough, however, to see a number of drunken revelers already partying and drinking. Most of them were young women, which is not surprising since Nashville has become the bachelorette party capitol of the country. Nashville truly deserves its reputation as a big party town. Andy called to say he and Paige were hungry, so we all walked around the corner to a place called Noshville to get some more breakfast.
Breakfast at Noshville
After breakfast, we decided to visit the Green Brier Distillery. The Green Brier Distillery was started in the 1800's and closed in 1909 with the advent of prohibition in Tennessee. Two brothers, the great-great grandchildren of the original founder, decided to resurrect the family business in 2009.
On our way to Green Brier
A rare selfie that doesn't look weird
As we were waiting for the tour to begin at the distillery, I saw one of the original advertisements for Green Brier Whiskey and had to laugh when I read "For medicinal or family use." It reminded me of something my mom told me a while ago. It seems that back during the time I was baby, it was common practice to rub whiskey on a baby's gums when it was teething. My mom told me the whiskey would make the baby feel better by numbing the gums, but I think it more likely the whiskey made the baby pass out and therefore stop crying. I don't know, maybe mothers are still using the whiskey trick to this very day.
Whiskey, definitely for medicinal use
Paige, Andy, and Di in the distillery
Whiskey aging in barrels
Some whiskey ages in barrels used in making sherry for added flavor
After the tour came the best part of our trip to the distillery, the whiskey tasting! We were given four different types of whiskey to sample. The first shot tasted like grappa and that made me think of Ernest Hemingway: "He poured a glass of grappa. He raised the glass and drank. The grappa burned his throat. It burned his stomach. He liked the burn. He lowered the glass. He put the glass on the table. It rested on the table. The glass was empty. He felt full." My favorite whiskey was the one aged in the sherry casks, which was very smooth and tasty. I think it was called Belle Meade and it was a double gold medal winner at a recent blind taste test competition. Sorry, its not available in RI.
Andy, Paige, and Di sampling the wares
Father and son sidling up to the bar
Outside the front door of Green Brier Distillery
Reeling from the effects of four shots of whiskey in a 10 minute period
We left the distillery and went back downtown. Andy and Paige wanted to do a little bit of shopping, so they went off in search of merchandise while Di and I went searching for something to drink and some music. Our first stop was the Whiskey Bent Saloon, where we listened to a trio play a number of Johnny Cash songs (though not as well as he did them, of course).
The bar at the Whiskey Bent Saloon
The buffalo head at the Whiskey Bent Saloon
The patron at the Whiskey Bent Saloon
Live music at the Whiskey Bent Saloon
Di and I next went on a horse carriage taxi ride through the city. We had never ridden in one of these before and, surprisingly, it was a lot of fun.
Di as we ride by the Country Music Hall of Fame
Here we are at the end of our ride with our driver
Next, we went to the Coyote Ugly Bar. There was loud music and drunk women dancing on the bar. That sounds like a lot more fun than it really was, so we stayed for only a little while.
Di at Coyote Ugly
Andy and Paige sent us a message they were done shopping so we all headed back to the hotel. We rested for a little bit and then walked down the street to Valentino's, a nice Italian restaurant. It hasn't been easy for Di and I to find Italian food, so we make sure to get some whenever the opportunity presents itself. "The spaghetti was on the plate. He looked at it. He picked up the fork. He used the fork to pick up the spaghetti. He ate the spaghetti. It was hot. The spaghetti burned his throat. It burned his stomach. He liked the burn." Well, you can guess the rest.
Andy, Paige, and me and dinner
Tomorrow, we go nowhere because it is another rest day. I know, how lazy can two cross-country bicyclists be?
