Tuesday, April 29
Asheville, North Carolina
Our first morning in Asheville started with birds singing and the sun in our eyes. As cute as the apartment is, a skylight directly over the bed is rarely a good idea. When on vacation I like to sleep in!
We putzed around the apartment for a bit and eventually headed out for breakfast. Sunny Point Café had been recommended by a few friends and it did not disappoint. 
D ordered a house-made maple glazed donut, which was tasty but cold. He also got a trout omelette which he says was “good, but fishy.” I ordered coffee and a cheddar, sausage, and egg biscuit. Our food was great but there was a lot of it. They also had homemade jam, which was delicious!
After swinging by REI for a Nalgene bottle and a free map of Asheville…
…we headed to the Basilica St. Lawrence. 
The pictures don’t really do it justice.
Around noon we headed back to the apartment to relax. Dennis took a nap while I watched Veronica Mars and lounged. We vacation well together because we are both firm believers in a balance between doing things and doing nothing.
Late afternoon we headed out again, this time to visit Grove Park Inn. 
We heard it was a beautiful, grand building with an incredible view and it lived up to its reputation. 
The building is stone and imposing, positioned on the side of a hill with a sprawling view of the golf course below. Rooms were a little outside our price range, but we were able to sit out on the back veranda with a cup of coffee and admire the beauty. It was perfect weather and wonderfully peaceful. We shared a delicious banana cheesecake with brown sugar, caramel, and vanilla ice-cream. 
On our way back to the car, three wild turkeys came out for a stroll. My adorable husband is not fond of big birds, it turns out, but he humored me and got as close as he dared so I could snap a photo. 
On our way back to town we took the scenic route, driving through random neighborhoods and admiring the stately mansions.
At 6PM our ride aboard the Lazoom Comedy Tour began. We didn’t know what to expect from our tour through Asheville on a giant purple bus. 
We were very pleasantly surprised. We had a blast! The bus drove all around Asheville while our tour guide delivered a mix of information and surprisingly funny quips. Part of the tour included the history of Asheville, where we drove by beautiful historic homes.
There were some really ridiculous gags, but considering everyone on board was drinking, we were all having fun.
Half way through the tour we stopped at the Thirsty Monk for a restroom break and a refill on beer.
And then we were back onto the traveling looney bin. 
The tour guide encouraged us to yell out of the bus at passersby and yell and cheer randomly. It was a very entertaining 90 minutes. I highly recommend the tour! Even Dennis, who tends to be a little more… selective in giving his stamp of approval, full-heartedly recommends the ride. 
Selfie with the tour guide!
After the tour ended we walked around downtown for a bit. We were impressed by the sheer number of young, white, “hippy”, panhandlers on the streets. I felt like I was in Portland again. Lots of dreadlocks, baggie corduroy pants, and wallet chains. It was very 90’s.
We stopped in a few of the shops and I bought a pair of blown glass earrings, before we headed back towards the apartment. Along the way we stopped for a drink at Urban Orchard Cider Co. We shared a cheese and meat platter and each ordered a cider. 
Back at the apartment Dennis watched the Flyers play the NY Rangers in game six of the semi-finals (the Flyers won!) before we headed to bed. 
It was hard to get a good nights sleep, though, because there were a lot of ants. I don’t mind ants in general but they were in the bed, which was a little frustrating because I couldn’t tell if I was itchy because there was an ant on me, or because my mind was playing tricks on me. Eventually we both fell asleep, though, excited to meet our friend Liz for breakfast the next morning.