Sunday, May 10th Asheville, NC

The big draw to Asheville is The Biltmore Mansion.  We think Asheville is a mini version of Portland, Oregon.  We seen homeless people, hippies, yuppies and normal people, like us.  There's thrift stores, junk stores, high-end stores and dispensaries.  It's a real mix.

Our hotel is another cool old building called The Flat Iron Hotel.  Most flat iron building I know of are triangular in shape, and this one is no different.  Turns out "flatiron" derives from its triangular shape.  Our hotel was an office building so some of the doors on each floor have business names on them.  Across the hall from us is the Social Security Office.

We started our day with 9:00 Mass at St. Lawrence Basilica, which was within walking distance.  Mass was pretty crowded, because it was Mother's Day or because there's lots of Catholics in Asheville?  After mass there was a 30 minute tour and we learned about the designer, Rafael Guastavino.  He built the church known for its self-supporting arch made with tile and mortar.  Guastavino also helped build the Biltmore.

We drove north on the Parkway to Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi.  We didn't think we were going to make it to Mt. Mitchell because it was backtracking, but we (I) wanted to on the peak.  It was a 1/2 mile high from the visitor center, how can we not do it.

The NC Arboretum was our last stop.  We arrived in time to view the bonsai collection.  I really enjoy looking at bonsai.  I have one that really need attention.  There's a lot of specialized care that bonsai need.  But i really enjoy looking at what's possible.  See our Japan blog from May 2025 for some awesome bonsai from the Osaka World's Fair.

Picture link is the same May 8-May 11.  Questions on any pictures, let me know and I'll add description to our blog.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/8663407@N07/v970S1n65K