Author: Priya Nayar

We continued our Nashville experience with a backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry House. In the last post I wrote that we attended an Opry show being broadcast from the Ryman Auditorium. The Ryman was the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974 before taking up permanent residence at the Opry House. Currently, though, the show has moved back to the Ryman for the Christmas season while the Opry House is used for a theater production so we were lucky to attend the show in its original home and then do a backstage tour of its current home which still runs during the day.

Music Row is the heart of the Nashville music industry, where recording studios, radio stations and record labels are located. Our Airbnb was located right in the centre of Music Row and our apartment was in the former Spence Manor, the first 5-star hotel in Nashville and temporary residence of stars who came to town for business including Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson. Though currently closed for winter, we were still tickled to discover the guitar-shaped swimming pool right outside our window.

The rest of our time in the Music City was spent soaking up the talent that can be found in every bar and on every corner you turn. There is no end to the music that is overflowing here and while country music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, even Sammy was caught tapping her feet as she discovered that bluegrass music and honky tonk is actually not so bad 😂 We enjoyed every minute we were in Nashville. My only disappointment: there are not enough cowboy hats being worn here. I expected far more Stetsons and far fewer baseball caps!

A special mention must go to Dean and Bert of Nashville Night Tours. Between Dean’s expert navigation and Bert’s musical talent and knowledge, we learned about the history of Nashville, took in the sights by night and had loads of fun in the process

From Music City to the Home of the Blues: we arrived in Memphis and our first stop was Beale Street. Bright lights greeted us and we spent a great few hours at the original BB King’s Blues Club, eating BBQ ribs and listening to live music.

We also visited the Peabody Hotel to watch the March of the Peabody Ducks. Five North American mallards (one male, four female) live on the hotel rooftop and every day at 11am, led by their Duckmaster, they make the journey from the roof, down the elevator and along the red carpet that is rolled out for them to the lobby fountain where they paddle about until 5pm when they head back to the the elevator to retire to their rooftop suite. It is by far one of the cutest things we have seen on this trip. The ducks, however, in their excitement to run to the fountain, made it hard to get photos without them appearing like brown blurry streaks. Check out this link to see the ducks in action: https://www.peabodymemphis.com/peabody-ducks.

Our last Tennessee stop: Graceland, home of Elvis Presley. Graceland has become a pilgrimage point for millions of fans of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll each year. The house is beautifully preserved, kept just as it was when Elvis was alive, including his somewhat interesting interior decorating choices as seen in the famous Jungle Room and Pool Room. We really enjoyed our visit to Graceland, more than we anticipated. We expected a great mausoleum of a mansion and instead found a home that was lived in by a rockstar and his family and is surprisingly full of character.

Tennessee you have looked after us well (literally) and we cannot thank you enough. Mississippi, we’re on our way to you! 😊

P&S

In my Tennessee mountain home, life is as peaceful as a baby’s sigh – Dolly Parton, 1973

Driving into Tennessee we found ourselves in the Smoky Mountains and even with no leaves on the trees the scenery was beautiful and certainly reflected Dolly Parton’s fond reminiscent lyrics about her childhood home. We couldn’t have had a better segue-way to visiting Dollywood, our first Tennessee stop.

A quick detour to the Ole Smokey Tennessee Moonshine distillery warmed us up before we found our Airbnb cabin perched on the mountainside.

And then there was Dollywood… filled with all things Dolly, her theme park has been transformed into a winter wonderland for Christmas with a whopping five million lights illuminating the park. All over the park there are shows and entertainers – including members of the Parton family – sharing their music. Between this and the museums, rides, shops and restaurants there was plenty to keep us occupied.

Our next Tennessee stop was one that was completely unplanned and one that we debated long and hard about sharing on the blog. But in the interest of sharing our USA experiences we’ve decided to include it. Let us start by saying Sammy is fine, healthy and great now. But she was feeling decidedly unwell which led to a 24-hour stay in hospital and us being able to add “experience the American health system” to our list of things to do on our road trip. America, we can honestly say our experience was excellent. The care that Sammy, and I, received was second to none, from the nurses to housekeeping to doctors to diagnostic imaging staff. We were looked after so well and made to feel like we were a priority at all times. An enormous thank you to all the staff who looked after Sammy at LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville, you were all exceptional. Even if I did remove a record 21 ECG dots from Sammy upon discharge – you were nothing if not thorough! 😂 A big thanks for the excellent wifi that allowed us to keep in touch with our family. We are totally impressed with our patient experience. We also need to say a big thank you to Covermore travel insurance – if any of our friends are travelling overseas from Australia, choose Covermore, they have been superb.

So with a happy healthy Sammy beside me again, we headed off to our next destination, one I have been super excited to get to and Sammy maybe not so excited😂… Nashville!

We kick-started our Nashville experience by attending a Grand Ole Opry show at the Ryman Auditorium. The Grand Ole Opry has been running for 94 years, broadcasting live country music into homes the world over. We’ve also taken in a show at The Listening Room, showcasing aspiring country musicians accompanied by only a guitar.

Tennessee, you have ticked all the boxes so far (including some unexpected ones) and we can’t wait to continue our time here 😊

S&P

Oh Savannah – with your oak trees, Spanish moss, gardens and antebellum houses, you are truly a beautiful city. We spent our two days here dawdling around the streets, taking in the city’s ambience and trying to decide which house we would want to buy if we won the lottery. Designed with 24 garden squares around which the city was built, 22 of these squares remain today as pockets of peace and quiet in amongst the residences and businesses of Savannah.

The houses of Savannah range from grandiose to simple but each of them exude an elegance no matter their size, style or design.

As we meandered through the squares and along the Savannah River we learned about the city and its colourful past, but I have to be honest: finding the landmarks that are seen in the opening sequence of Forrest Gump made the city shine even more for us.

A visit to the Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters gave us an insight into how the gentry and the enslaved lived side by side 200 years ago.

From Savannah we headed to Atlanta with another movie-related visit on the way…

We found the town of Juliette and the Whistle Stop Cafe where the movie Fried Green Tomatoes was filmed. The cafe is just as it looks in the movie, the staff were just as characterful as Idgie and Ruth and the fried green tomatoes were as good as we hoped.

Our final Georgia stop was Atlanta, home of the Braves and birthplace of Coca-Cola. We took the two-hour VIP tour of the World of Coca-Cola which flew by as we heard about the history of the soft drink, saw great memorabilia and tasted samples of the many variations found the world over (some of which were really not-so-great like the plum-flavoured cola that tastes like barbecue spare ribs).

Georgia you have been a gracious hostess and we are sorry to say goodbye. But not too sorry… Tennessee, with Dollywood, Nashville and Graceland, we are coming to you next!

P&S

Charleston has been a delight to visit. As a city, she is graceful, pretty and so welcoming. Between Dottie and Bill, and Charleston Classic Carriage Tours, we spent hours exploring the city’s Lowcountry architecture, cuisine and hospitality.

We wandered through Historic Charleston City Market. The Market dates back to the 1790s and covers four city blocks filled with local vendors proudly selling their wares.

A walk along the waterfront brought us to famous East Battery Street lined with stately homes, and White Point Garden. The Battery itself is a defensive seawall and promenade that runs along the lower shores of the Charleston Peninsula. We also drove through the grounds of the Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina.

We waved Bill off on a 60-foot yacht as part of a five-man crew as they set sail for the Virgin Islands. Safe and happy sailing to the team!

A visit to a local rifle range gave us the chance to try our hand at target shooting. Sammy took to it like she’s been doing it forever and impressed Dottie, the lads around us, and Scott the range safety officer with her aim and first-time prowess. I, on the other hand, was on the verge of throwing a tantrum when I couldn’t initially locate the target through the scope and then couldn’t even see where the bullet had landed. It turned out I couldn’t find the bullet hole because I had hit the bullseye – it was through the dead centre of the target 😂

After a week in the Palmetto State, our holiday within a vacation has come to an end and we leave South Carolina and the Aimar family with warm thank you’s and farewells. We will be back!

P&S

Making the most of the excellent weather we headed to the Wild Dunes Marina in Isle of Palms, with boat in tow for a wee jaunt on the water. With Bill at the helm, we set off for Capers Island and enjoyed the serene waters as the sun took the chill out of the air.

Located 15mi/24km north of Charleston, Capers Island is a relatively undeveloped barrier island that is home to different ecosystems and wildlife. At the south end of the island is the haunting ‘tree graveyard’ that surrounds the shoreline. It is filled with the stumps and branches of palmetto and oak trees that have, over time, been left weathered and barren by erosion, giving the trees a skeletal appearance.

The island is a haven for shell collectors, nature lovers and anyone wanting to escape urban life for a few hours.

As we headed back to the marina we travelled through the Intracoastal Waterway, also nicknamed “America’s Oldest Highway”, The Intracoastal Waterway is a series of bays, lagoons, canals and rivers that extend 3000mi/4800km along the east coast of the country. A protected inland route, it provides a safe path for sailors without the hazards of the open sea. Wildlife was out in full force for our viewing pleasure.

As we made our way back to the marina, we were not the only ones making the most of the great weather as we passed jet-skiers, kayakers and stand-up paddle boarders.

Yet another wonderful day😊 Thank you Bill and Dottie for such a great South Carolina experience!

S&P

Our first sign that we had arrived in South Carolina was needing to shed layers of clothing in the car as we crossed the state line and the temperature seemed to immediately increase 😂We’ll be honest, we were very happy to be back in warmer climes! Our first stop was an overnight stay in Chapin at a great Airbnb with Lake Murray right on our doorstep.

From Chapin we headed to our friends Dottie and Bill in Mt Pleasant. We worked with Dottie in Doha and are so excited to be able to spend Thanksgiving with Dottie, Bill and their family. But first up was an introductory tour of Mt Pleasant to see Shem Creek, pelicans and shrimping boats.

Thanksgiving Day dawned clear and sunny and, by the time we appeared in the kitchen, the table was already set for dinner and Bill’s shrimp to go with grits for breakfast was a work in progress. Complete with mimosas, the arrival of Liz, Kevin, John and Zeus, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on TV, the day was off to a superb start.

Deep fried turkey was on the menu for dinner and like the true tourists we are, Sammy and I watched every step of the prep. The aroma was incredible and when that turkey came out of the pot, it looked amazing. Complemented by dishes including broccoli and sweet potato casseroles and honey baked ham followed by dessert, our first Thanksgiving dinner in America was everything we imagined it would be. Thank you to the chefs!

As I sit here writing this post, post-dinner naps have been had, college football is on TV, the fire is crackling and we are very content. Thank you so very much to the Aimar family for welcoming us to your Thanksgiving Day with open arms. It has been wonderful and we hope our American friends the world over have had a very happy Thanksgiving 😊

P&S

Clockwise from bottom left: Dottie, Daniel, us, John, Bill, Liz & Kevin

Next on our North Carolina itinerary: Charlotte. As we headed south from Palmyra, we made a detour to Mebane to meet our friend Lindia and her husband Charlie for lunch. While all our reunions have been wonderful, this one was particularly great as we had never met Lindia in person – she has always been an enigma on the other end of video conference calls from Doha. We had lunch at her son-in-law’s restaurant Junction on 70 which serves great food and it was so lovely to finally meet you properly Lindia!

We arrived in Charlotte and found our Airbnb. We have stayed in so many great places during this trip but with welcome cupcakes and a note waiting for us, Jen and Charlie’s place is at the top of of our favourite Airbnbs alongside the cabin we stayed in at Lake Superior.

Queen City, Crown Town, Hornet’s Nest… all nicknames for Charlotte and all used as frequently and affectionately as each other. Charlotte was named for Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III who still ruled the Colonies when European settlers chartered the town in 1768. We took a tour of Charlotte in a golf buggy – there’s a first time for everything – and got a glimpse into this city that is history-proud, church-proud, sports-proud and cuisine-proud.

As the buggy tour took us through the historic 4th Ward of Charlotte’s Uptown district, we loved the care that the city has put into restoring buildings from the past and turning them into part of today’s legacy.

With an abundance of restaurants, cafes and food trucks throughout the city, Charlotte has no shortage of places to find a meal. As the tour buggy paused in front of Mert’s, a staff member magically appeared out of nowhere and handed us hot freshly-baked cornbread for us to sample. An excellent marketing ploy because we headed back there after the tour to have some lunch.

Charlotte, not unlike the rest of America, has a keen passion for its sports and proudly boasts its sporting venues throughout the city.

Fall has arrived late in Charlotte and so, much to our delight, we were able to continue to seeing fall foliage with brilliant splashes of red all over the city.

Thank you Charlotte, it has been a pleasure 😊 We say good to North Carolina now as we head to Dottie and Bill in South Carolina for our next reunion and a real American Thanksgiving!

P&S

I don’t think this post is going to do justice to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Outer Banks extend southwards along the coast of North Carolina for 175 miles/280 km and comprises a number of islands made up of mostly sand, rarely more than one mile in width and with some dunes over 100ft/30m in height. Our friend Brian has family who own a beach house on the dunes in Corolla, at the northern tip of this chain of barrier islands, and we were so lucky to be able to stay here for our Outer Banks experience.

There is no sealed road to leading to the beach houses in Corolla. Instead access is by four wheel drive along the beach with sandy roads amongst the houses that have been created over time.

It was dark by the time we arrived in Corolla and as we headed along the beach we could hear and smell the ocean to our right and see it by headlight but, with no streetlights to cause light pollution, it was otherwise pitch black. As Brian pulled up at the house under a sea of stars overhead, we had no idea what our surroundings looked like until the next morning when we saw the view from our deck. Wow. Beach houses spread out along the beach with nothing but sand in between and the ocean on the horizon.

The houses in Corolla come in all shapes and sizes, old and new, from the homes of permanent residents to those kept for summer holiday makers.

Descended from Spanish Mustangs, the Corolla Wild Horses have roamed this area of the Outer Banks for over 400 years. While it is illegal to intentionally approach them, they can be seen wandering around the houses and along the beach. While in years past there were thousands of horses seen here, there are only 100 or so horses left in the Corolla herd today. They are a source of much pride amongst the people of the Outer Banks and we loved seeing them grazing amongst the houses.

With the sun shining, Brian took us exploring around the Outer Banks beyond Corolla and we fell in love with the area, its sights and its history, making this one of our favourite places we have visited on this road trip. From the monument honouring the Wright brothers to the lighthouses dotted along the coastline, the Outer Banks is rich in history as well as beauty.

Known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, the coastline of the Outer Banks is notorious for its treacherous waters and has been the resting place for over 2000 shipwrecks throughout the years. Today the wrecks make for a diving haven and the Outer Banks is home to five lighthouses along the length of the coastline.

We went to Cape Point, the eastern most beach in the Outer Banks, to watch the fishermen angling for their daily catch. Being situated so close to the Gulf Stream means an abundance of fish including Spanish mackerel, mullet, bluefish and croaker. Never mind the number of fishermen, the array of rods and lines on display was mesmerising 😂

The seafood on the Outer Banks is spectacular. Brian took us to all his favourite places and not one dish let us down.

And to top off our Outer Banks visit, the sunrises and sunsets were beautiful.

We want to say a huge thank you to John and Debbie for sharing your house and your corner of Outer Banks heaven with us. And thank you Brian – this chapter would not have been the same without you.

S&P

At the risk of confusing anyone who is mapping our journey, our Virginia and North Carolina visits have criss-crossed with each other as we visited Arlington and Luray in VA, the Outer Banks in NC, back to VA for college football and then down to Charlotte in NC. To make it a little easier, I’m continuing with Virginia here and I’ll wrap up North Carolina in our next post.

In Palmyra, VA, we found our friend Brian and surprised him by emerging from Ruby wearing our Virginia Tech beanies, in preparation for our upcoming college football experience 😊 We then headed to North Carolina for a few days (post to come) before returning to Virginia.

The drive back to Palmyra was filled with photo stops giving Brian a chance to experience what Sammy has to deal with when I find something I need to take a photo of with no notice whatsoever 😂 Case in point: finding our first cotton field. We were very excited to see a field full of fluffy white balls and then find the already harvested cotton packed into fluffy white bales.

A visit to the Planters Peanut Center brought us to Suffolk, home of Mr Peanut and where Planters has been producing their roasted peanuts since 1913.

We had a dinner stop Wakefield at Virginia Diner, serving customers since 1929, and received a great introduction to local cuisine including Virginia country ham and biscuits and peanut pie.

Saturday dawned overcast and chilly as we drove to Blacksburg, home of the Virginia Tech Hokies, with Brian and Tray. On our way to Lane Stadium, we were joined by other Hokies fans heading there alongside us in cars adorned with flags and bumper stickers. As we pulled up into the carpark Sammy and I found ourselves in the world of tailgating. Portable canopies in the distinctive orange and maroon colours of the Hokies were dotted all over the carpark, shielding fans from the rain as the pre-game excitement could be heard in the laughter and shouted conversations from one car to another. Jello shots and chilli alongside burgers and beer seemed to be the general order of the day as we wandered amongst tailgating fans to say hi to friends of Brian and Tray before heading into the stadium for the game.

The Hokies were playing the Pitt Panthers and their Virginia fan base were out in full force despite the persistent rain. The bands who provided the pre-game and halftime entertainment were fantastic and the damp weather did nothing to temper the enthusiasm of the crowd who sang, cheered and roared their support of their team.

With a resounding 28-0 over the Panthers, the Hokies brought home the win for their exuberant fans. The atmosphere in Lane Stadium was electric and we had such an amazing college football experience. Despite being slightly concerned for my safety with the very vocal fan next to me who frequently took umbrage against the referee and the Panthers and was downright scary at times 😂 Lesson of the day: college football fans are very passionate.

Thank you Brian and Tray for sharing your football team with us. And thank you Virginia – you have been fantastic!

P&S

Our time in Virginia began with a flurry of hugs and a reunion with Jason and Marla, fellow ex-expats. Together we had a personalised tour of Arlington National Cemetery, given by their good friend Carl who, now retired, served in the United States Army for 23 years. Established in 1864, the Cemetery encompasses 624 acres and is the resting place of approximately 400,000 soldiers who have died fighting for their country. We spent 2½ hours with Carl and absorbed facts and anecdotes about the history of the Cemetery and the people who work there and are buried there. As we drove and walked through the grounds, Carl shared his extensive knowledge and personal experiences related to how this cemetery has become the hallowed ground it is today. All cemeteries are sacred but from the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to the the sea of white headstones that fill the terrain interspersed with more personalised markers, we found ourselves with a very moving perspective of America’s most famous cemetery.

A great many of our experiences on this trip have been made more special by the people who have shared them with us. We cannot thank you enough Carl, for your insight and your time spent giving us this memorable visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

Next up we headed to Luray Caverns, the largest caverns in the eastern United States. Dating back four million centuries, the walk through these caverns is spectacular and the photos here do not do any justice to them at all. All formations in the caverns are made of calcite, a crystalline form of limestone, and appear in varying colours from pristine gleaming white to deep amber. The 1.6 mile walk through the caverns took us through chambers, past sparkling lakes and amongst towering columns. It is simply beautiful.

This part of our Virginia chapter was made wonderful by Marla and Jason and their gorgeous Bella and Willow. It was so good to catch up with them over wine tasting, playing cards and wings with football and we got in some great pet time. I also made my first pavlova in America and it turned out not too shabby 😊

Thank you Jason, Marla and pups and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

S&P