Nashville Country

Yeah, I've been to Nashville before, but it's been almost 40 years. All I remembered was the Parthenon. At the time I didn't appreciate country music. And I was there in the summer in an un-air-conditioned Ford Courier pick-up with an un-air-conditioned cab-over camper. Quite frankly I don't remember how I ever survived the heat. . .being young and crazy helped.

Nikki and Cory had been to Nashville previously, so they would be our guides for a while. But first we had to get breakfast at the local Waffle House. Turns out one of Cory's first jobs was the WH, and this gave him the "in" as to how to order his hash browns. I promised myself the next time I was at the WH I'd also get on the bandwagon.

After breakfast, but before going to the "big city", I decided I had to get rid of the bicycle rack that I purchased especially for the trip. It was a Camping World special that just hung over the permanently attached ladder on the back of the trailer for roof access.

I had spent about half of the time getting ready for this adventure trying to get a good way to get our two bikes to hang on this rack. Try as I may, it just looked jury-rigged. The rack worked fairly well for my men's bike, but Marianne's women's bike was another story. I used a handful of bungee cords and zip ties coordinated with washcloths and even an old glove in an attempt to keep the bikes from rubbing against one another, the rack, the ladder and/or the trailer. When I had finally finished this abomination I discovered that they stuck out of the back of the right side of the trailer by 18". Well at least I could see them in the truck's rear view mirror to determine if they we still attached.

Over the past 2500 miles I've watched them bounce along, petrified that when passing another vehicle, especially a large semi, or even a wall to my right, I would simply erase them from the back of the trailer. It added another element of excitement to our trip!

The new bike rack, which you can't really see,
 but you get the idea!

Not only that, since I had spent so much time attaching them, I just didn't ever want to take them off, because of the extreme hassle involved. So, for the duration of the trip so far these bikes were just decoration on the back of the trailer. That, and it's no fun biking in 100° plus temperature.

I knew that there was a better solution, because I had seen in not only on other trailers but at Camping World when I cheaped out to by this one. And now that I was camped right next to a Camping World, I would make my amends, and spare no expense.

Since I had a strong welded bumper I could purchase a receiver hitch-based bike rack. But I didn't have a hitch receiver on the back of my trailer, I had to purchase a bolt on version of said item. Of course Camping World had this item. Plus they had a nifty bike rack that I was convinced would be the answer to my dreams.

One hundred and seventy five dollars later I was ready to bolt this contraption to the back of my trailer in the blistering Nashville heat. . ."Mad dogs and Englishman in the noon day sun."

With Cory's assistance we successful in attaching it to the trailer, and even with the bikes on it (no muss, no fuss) it was as solid as a rock. To coin a phrase, once again, I was a happy camper!

Printer's Alley
click on photo to enlarge

Chores done it was time to head out. Cory and Nikki wanted to see "Printer's Alley" which turned out to be just off the downtown action. In this interesting area we found an English pub in the basement of this building which was all really in an alley. The atmosphere was a great re-enactment of a London pub, including the various English pub and food menu. We all enjoyed our food, and I especially liked my curried vegetables.

After lunch we headed just a few blocks east, and in the shadows of some very large buildings we came upon Nashville's imitation of New York's Broadway. Here there a bustling crowds, miles of neon, music emanating from bars, honky tonks, dives, stores, car radios, and street musicians. Our senses were overwhelmed. 

While Nikki and Cory browsed a shop which specialized in reproduction posters which they printed right there (not cheap!), Marianne and I walked into the sunlight in an attempt to capture the flavor of this area. The few hours that we spent there are definitely not enough, I'll have to come back here for a week to see everything.

Walking Through Nashville
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More Nashville
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By the time the kids had left the print shop Marianne and I had explored much of this area of downtown, which we had to do again when they got out. If you like to people watch, I highly recommend this area.

Now it was time to see the Parthenon again. We saw it last in 1975. This is a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens. It was built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Given that Nashville's moniker was the "Athens of the South", influenced the choice of the building as the centerpiece of that 1897 fair. A number of buildings at the Exposition were based on ancient originals, however the Parthenon was the only one that was an exact reproduction. It was also the only one that was preserved by the city, although the Knights of Pythias Pavilion building was purchased and moved to nearby Franklin, Tennessee.

The Parthenon with MY Athena
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And I must say it is much better than the original on the Acropolis in Greece as this one isn't broken and falling apart. . .

The Nashville Parthenon is also a home to a large statute of the Greek goddess Athena just like in Athens, but unfortunately it was too late for us to gain admission to see her in all her glory. Another reason to spend a week here.

We also drove through Music Row, which is in essence several blocks of mostly homes that have been converted into recording studios.