Asheville, NC in Two Days

As the weather started to dip into something cool, we got the opportunity to drive up to Asheville and visit the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Though I've been to Asheville before, this is the first time I've gotten to explore the city and experience its beer culture.  The last trip was a high school choir trip to sing at the Biltmore Mansion, so we opted to leave that out this time.

The first evening was all about getting in some craft beer and some delicious food in the heart of downtown.  John and I seem to always have the bad luck of killing kegs, but we were able to taste a few good brews.  John being a brewer himself, we hunted down a local beer supply store the next morning to get some freshly milled barley and malts for a new brew he was planning.  Near the beer supply store is the UNC Asheville botanical gardens, where we got out to romp around with the native species.

One of our foodie highlights was Early Girl Eatery, a local hotspot for sustainably grown and local food.  I had a fantastic "Early girl benny" with fried grit cakes, poached eggs, wilted spinach, avocados, and a tomato relish on top.  John had a good looking "porky breakfast bowl" as well with pulled pork.  All of that goodness got us ready to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway for some fantastic overlooks!

We finished our trip with a walk down to the Wicked Weed brew pub.  Their menu, like many others in the region, are very IPA and hop heavy, which we don't really like, but they had so many options we were able to choose some great beers.  I had their Transcendence, which is one of the few bacteria beers out there.  I know it sounds gross, but just think of a more lemonade taste woven into the beer's profile.  The food was also great, but the service, not so much.

Again soon, please!

Wild Wisteria

The second snow

Our last week in Oberweissenbrunn was insanely short due to the amount of travelling we did.  We felt we merely came home to sleep and wash clothes, all to turn around and pack again.

We did, however, experience the region's second snowfall this season, in all its beauty.  We found as we were taking the bus towards the train that would eventually lead us to a plane back home that we would greatly miss the beauty of the place.  Yes, it was really far from the train, and there was no grocery store within our town's limits, and we spent so many days under a foggy cloud cover, but it was a lovely place.

Hiking through Freezing Fog

We have been experiencing quite a bit of frost this past week.  Not only are we already up in the clouds at this elevation, but the colder temperatures have pushed the moisture down towards the earth.  The result has been freezing fog, which leaves a beautiful icy layer over everything.  Oh, and it's very cold.

John and I have enjoyed hiking around in this countryside.  We hike to sight-see, exercise, and often, to gather our groceries.  You've never felt so connected to your food as when you hike a mile and a half to get it and then carry it all back.  It leads you to buy little and often.  Food is also a lot less expensive here than in the states.  It has been a great way of life thus far and keeps us from over buying, which we often do in the states.  I'm currently imagining our pantry full of food back home, completely untouched for two months.

This particular hike took us to Gersfeld, about 7 km away from our town of Oberweissenbrunn.  It was a new hike for us and proved to be quite beautiful.  However, it was pretty far and quite cold, so we ended up taking the bus back rather than hiking another 7 km through the freezing fog.  It just didn't sound like fun once we got a beer in us.  Sometime soon, once my arthritis calms down in my right foot, we will plan to hike there and back, all 14 km in total.

Is it not so beautiful, still, and lovely?

spiderwebs after the rain

It's like magic.

I didn't get too much closer to this one, as there was a big spider in it still.

Bees and Flowers

With all this regular posting on Project 365, it's hard to make myself post here too.  However, I still have loads of good pictures to share!  Shout out to my parents who just stayed a couple of days with us!  We had a good time.

Hiking in the Smokies

In the Greenbrier Disctrict of the Great Smokey Mountain National Forest.

Driving through the Great Smoky Mountains

Sorry for the windshield smear.  We were driving kind of fast, and many bugs were killed along the way.

Birds of Spring