Oh
dear. Where to begin? Well, if you haven't read the previous post from earlier today, be sure to give it a quick glance and get up to speed on couchsurfing before you read this one. If you've already read it, I suggest you go grab your favorite beverage
and settle in for story time.
DAY ONE - FRIDAY
Friday after work, I got in the car and hit I-65 south. As I started driving, I realized I was taking such easy breaths. It was like I had been wound so tight for a while and didn't even know it. But in the car heading for the place I really love to be, everything melted away and I began to truly relax.
I arrived at 8:15 pm at a two-story brick house. I got my bags out of the car and rang the bell at the front door. I was greeted by one of my host's teenage daughters. She was so warm and welcoming. Her dad was not yet home, so she gave him a call and found out he was just a couple of minutes away, on his way home. She showed me where the bathroom was and up to the room I would be staying in.
My room was a bonus room on the second floor that had its own staircase. It was the most perfect room I could imagine for my stay. One entire wall was nothing but windows and bookcases. There was a large log cabin style doll house, a sofa bed made up with a white comforter, a TV and three comfy looking armchairs. I put down my bags in the room and rejoined the young lady downstairs.
I found out she was participating in a prom dress swap the following morning along with
her sister who I'd not yet met. As she was filling me in on how the swap worked, her dad arrived and greeted me with a warm welcome and a hug. There are few things that compare to the welcoming feeling of a hug. He seemed so genuinely pleased to have me there in his home. It was a wonderful feeling to be there and was made even more special by the genuine warmth from both daughter and father.
Shortly after my host arrived, his other daughter came downstairs and I was introduced to her. I was told both daughters are fantastic musicians, excelling in piano, guitar, ukulele and singing. I was shown around the house and told some history of other guests who have have stayed with them.
My host took me back up to my room to be sure he'd provided everything I needed. When we went back downstairs, we found the girls amusing themselves. One sitting on the couch with a laptop and the other casually strumming the ukulele. Before I knew it, my host had convinced his girls to sing and play for me. They sang a song by Fun called "Some Nights." Their harmonies were so beautiful and their talent so magnificent it made tears fill my eyes immediately. I felt like part of the family as I stood in awe of the beautiful music resonating from these fantastic young women.
If you're not familiar with the song, here it is. Very cool!
After the girls performed a couple of pieces for us, my host and I went over to a local brewery down the street called Turtle Anarchy. Funny story... the reason he was not yet home when I arrived was that he was at Turtle Anarchy and got caught up talking with some friends. When he was explaining to me why he was late, he told me he had been at a brewery and they had a special curry stout that night. At that point I knew I had to try this unique concoction. We made the quick drive over to the brewery and chatted, getting to know tidbits abut one another.
The brewery was a nice simple tasting room. I ordered the sampler which consisted of seven small glasses of beer. One of the owners hung out with us as we enjoyed our beverages and told us more about each beer, about their brewery their history, the brothers that run the brewery and his dreams for a future in digital animation. Their stouts were simply fantastic. There was a vanilla one that was better than cake. It was seriously like dessert. The curry stout was unique and something special in and of itself.
At one point in our conversation, the owner asked me how long I was in town and I told him I was leaving on Sunday. He seemed to have a bit of inner turmoil for a moment and then explained to me they had a new stout in the preparation stages that would not be released for another week. It was aged in whiskey barrels.
He went behind the counter and consulted with his brother, then disappeared into the back. Moments later, he returned with a half glass of this special brew for me! What an amazing thing to do! I have to say, I am really really thankful he let me try it early because it was outstanding!
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| The Sampler |
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| My host and me with the Turtle Anarchy owners |
My host and I returned home after the brewery excursion and he told me about some of the options for Saturday's adventures. He actually has a friend who he thought could potentially get us backstage at the Grand Ole Opry! He checked on it before I got there and it isn't something his friend was able to help out with this time, but just the thought that he made an attempt for me before he ever met me was incredible.
I went to bed that night completely exhausted, but feeling a high from the love of the family in the house and the sheer joy of being in Tennessee. Before I went to sleep I snapped a few pictures of my room.
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| Yes, Elton came with me. We played with the dollhouse. |
DAY TWO - SATURDAY
I woke up on Saturday so excited for what the day might hold. I spent a bit of time in the comfy leather chair in my room reading and then ventured downstairs in my PJ's to find the girls packing up some breakfast for their prom dress swap.
My host planned to take me to an adorable little town called Leiper's Fork for breakfast. What makes it even better, he took me there in his VW Beetle! I was about to jump out of my skin with excitement that I got to ride around in this cute little thing.
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| The General Lee was on our way to Leiper's Fork! |
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| Country Boy Restaurant in Leiper's Fork where we had a delicious breakfast! |
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| A little stage behind some of the buildings where concerts are sometimes held. My host told me he has seen Vince Gill and Michael McDonald play on this stage. |
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| Beverly Hillbillies truck? Absolutely awesome! |
My host next took me over to the Carter House. We parked in a lot across the street and before he filled me in on the details of the Carter house, he took me in the Franklin Glassblowing Studio to meet his friend, Jose. Jose was a very nice man who owns the shop. The pieces for sale in the shop were absolutely stunning. There was a class going on in there at the time, but we still had the opportunity to chat a bit with Jose and look around at all the pretties.
We left there and took a look at the Carter House. We did not go in or take the tour because we were going to tour another property in a little while and a lot of the same information would be presented. However, my host wanted to give me a bit of background on the Battle of Franklin. The Battle of Franklin was the bloodiest five hours in the Civil War. The Carter House was the Union command post and was right in the center of the battle.
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| The Carter House |
The Carnton Platation became the field hospital for the confederate army. The confederate army took a massive, bloody beating in this battle and wounded/ dying soldiers were filling the house and the yard. They used everything they could find to create operating tables to try to work on these men. There were doors laid across saw horses and any other makeshift table they could fashion. The damage was so great that they quickly ran out of bandages and the lady of the house shredded her husband's and her clothes to create more bandages. At the time of the battle, there was carpet in almost every room. Now many rooms have had the carpet removed and the wood floor that was beneath the carpet is there. There are large stains soaked into the wood from the massive amounts of blood from the soldiers who laid on the floor.
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| Carnton Plantation |
The next adventure we embarked on was a cruise on the Natchez Trace. The Natchez Trace runs from Nashville to Natchez, MS. There's plenty more history behind it, but I won't give you another history lesson just yet. ;-) It was an absolutely classic experience, rolling on the Natchez Trace in the Beetle. You know, now that I'm thinking about it, I think this was earlier in the day. Not that it matters to you. I'm just thinking out loud.
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| Bridge on the Natchez Trace |
When the daytime activities were done we returned to the house for a little breather. My host shared many photos with me of adventures he has had. Then we both crashed out on the couch for a bit.
I awoke when a pillow flew at me from the other side of the room and clobbered me. It was absolutely hilarious. I think mostly because my host was someone I'd only known for about 20 hours and we'd already become good enough friends for him to wake me with the throw of a pillow. This is one of the highlights of couchsurfing. Not only did I get to have some great experiences, but I truly made a new friend.
The evening was to be spent downtown Nashville. We met up with a couple of his friends for a Nashville delicacy called "Hot Chicken." I had never heard of this and my new friend seemed concerned about whether or not I could handle it. I was warned about the intensity of the spices and about the type of place that serves it. I was told the Opryland concierge would NEVER send anyone here. Hot chicken is sold in little dives that you would never dream of setting foot inside unless a local took you there. We went to one called Bolton's. The building looked pretty seedy, there were misspelled words painted on the side of the building. Inside the restaurant, well, I can't really describe it. I wish I had a video. Even then you might not believe it. I ordered chicken on a stick and I ordered it "Hot." I also ordered potato salad and macaroni and cheese. Being someone who eats ghost pepper salsa and adds habaneros to lots of her cooking, I wasn't too concerned about being able to handle the heat.
As we sat and waited for our food, I got to know my host's friends. They were a very sweet couple who have been backpacking with my host several times. The girl even thought to bring silverware for us. (Does this give you a picture of the restaurant style? When people think to bring their own silverware...) I was also warned not to touch my eyes if I touched the chicken because it would burn like nobody's business.
Hot chicken came out in styrofoam containers with napkins thrown right in the container and two slices of Wonder Bread. Soda is served in cans. I used my silverware that was so thoughtfully provided to cut a piece of my chicken and have my first taste of hot chicken. It was really freaking good! And really freaking hot. By the end of the meal, my mouth was on fire. The last three bites were a little hard to take, but I did it. I finished all my hot chicken! Making my mouth burn is quite a feat. I was really impressed and will definitely be sure to get some hot chicken every time I go to Nashville from now on.
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| Nothin better than "Bak Beans" and "Pot Salad" |
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| Hot Chicken! |
We left Bolton's and went to a place in East Nashville called Jeni's for ice cream for dessert. They had the most interesting ice cream flavors. I tried things like sweet potato/ marshmallow and Yazoo Sue with Rosemary Bar Nuts before settling on the Whisky Pecan ice cream. I'll tell you what, it was some tasty stuff! And the cooling effects of it were great after the hot chicken.
Leaving Jeni's, we said goodbye to the couple who'd joined us for mealtime and we headed to The Station Inn for an album release party. The party was for a fantastic bluegrass act called Tina Adair Band. Although the place was pretty packed when we arrived, we managed to meet a nice older couple who had a table right at the front and let us sit with them, so we were right up against the stage for the show. There was something so exciting about being at an album release party in Nashville. That's just epic! My host told me about a number of celebrities he has spotted at The Station Inn in the past. Though we didn't spot anyone famous while we were there, it was fun to glance around to see if I recognized anyone.
After the first set at the party we left and headed over to Broadway. Now this is the side of Nashville I know well. Oh wait... before we hit Broadway, my new friend took me to Printer's Alley. I'm not sure how I missed this little nook in all the times I've been to Nashville, but this was the first time I'd been there. We went to a karaoke bar and watched some talented and some untalented people take the stage. Then we headed down to Broadway.
I picked the bar this time. We went to Layla's Bluegrass Inn. A personal favorite of mine. The performers were great. By the time we left, my ears were pounding and I felt like I would have no voice left from singing along with every song. It was there that I learned a new song which I am now obsessed with. It is a song called Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show. It's really catchy and fun to sing along with. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.
The final bit of crazy cool fun was a street performer who sits and plays drums and raps what he sees. We watched him for several minutes and he continuously rapped about every person that walked by. It was awesome how fast his mind worked and how he never seemed to get tired.
And we went home and crashed.
DAY THREE - SUNDAY
Amazingly enough, after being out so late and having such a busy day on Saturday we managed to get up and ready in time to make the first church service. When I rolled out of bed and came downstairs my friend had coffee already made.
His church was fantastic. Especially the worship team. One great thing about being in the Nashville area is there is no shortage of musical talent. In fact, some famous Christian artists are worship leaders at this church. They were not there when I was there, but it's still really cool. The service was great as well.
Since I had to leave in the afternoon, we decided to spend the day touring Franklin. We went to brunch at a Cajun place called 55 South. I had some breakfast tacos that were downright scrumptious.
We walked down the street to the historic Franklin Theater. They hold concerts, live theater productions, and show movies in there. It wasn't open yet, but there was a guy in the window, so my friend asked if we might be able to come inside and look around. To my surprise and delight, he was very agreeable. Not only did he let us in, but he took us on a full tour of the beautiful building. We went backstage, up to the green room, into the projection booth and all over every nook and cranny of the theater. He really went above and beyond for us which was amazing.
We walked around town, window shopped a bit and every now and then I would get some fun facts about the city and its history.
The next stop was at The Factory. This is an old Magic Chef factory that used to manufacture stoves. It was restored with incredible vision and turned into boutique shops, offices, event spaces and a theater. I was also introduced to a guy named Rusty there. He is pretty cool. He is made of all sorts of industrial materials and tools. He even has internal organs like kidneys and a liver. And yes, he has a penis too! You know I had to look!
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| Rusty and me |
After the factory we went back to a bit more Civil War sightseeing. We went up to Fort Granger which was the Union Fort. It has a nice little hiking trail around the perimeter, so we walked it and looked out over the city the way they would have during the war. It's funny because the Confederate sites are all covered in signs, monuments and flags. Meanwhile, the union sites barely even have a plaque. Although they lost the war, the south takes great care to keep their history very visible.
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| Fort Granger |
That was our final stop before heading back to the house. We took some fun pictures at the house to post on couchsurfing.org and cap off the awesome weekend we had. Then we loaded up my car and I headed back to Indy.
The whole crazy whirlwind of fun was something I will remember for the rest of my life. I'm so thankful for my new friend and his incredible hospitality. I foresee some future adventures with him for sure! I'll keep y'all posted!
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