Mad Dash for Asheville – A Christmas Road Trip Series, Day Five
On Sunday morning I was awakened by my brother jumping on my bed shouting “IT’S CHRISTMAS IT’S CHRISTMAS” like a five-year-old driven mad by egg nog and holiday cheer. It was tongue-in-cheek, of course, but that didn’t make it any easier to get out of bed; I’d been finishing an earlier post in this series until the wee hours of the morning and was in no hurry to extricate myself from the warm, plush sheets in which I was encased, no matter how Christmasy a day it was. Eventually I was enticed by the promise of stockings filled with goodies.
My initial bed-clung grinching aside, it was a very pleasant and relaxing Christmas morning. We all had lots of delicious items in our stockings – the traditional Ritter Sport, some Cadbury’s, Haribo – and Michael, Emily and I each got a portable Bluetooth speaker box that sounded more like a mid-size home stereo. The trip to Biltmore itself was the family Christmas present, not just the destination, so getting any sort of toy at all was a pleasant surprise. This little guy is gonna be perfect for backyard grill sessions.
Christmas morning didn’t end there, of course – we still had to head down and eat another delicious buffet breakfast! I was very impressed with the staff that were working on Christmas day; no one seemed unhappy to be there and the service was as excellent as it had been during the rest of our stay. One of the shuttle bus drivers had mentioned to us the previous day that, during peak times (like Christmas), the Biltmore estate employs nearly 2000 people, making them the largest employer in the area. The food was just as delicious as the morning before. We’d need the energy, too, as we were returning to the house to take the audio-guide tour and see the place in daylight.
Following breakfast, we headed back up to the room to read from the Advent devotional book that my grandmother had given us. The Christmas day devotional posited an interesting take on the birth of Christ that I hadn’t thought of before. His being laid in a manger was an act of humility, of being placed on the level of human beings, but the manger holds another symbolism – it’s the place where the creatures of the earth come to get food and nourishment. Jesus, the “bread of Life,” born in Bethlehem (“place of bread” or “bakery” in Hebrew), was born and placed in a manger, the feed trough, on earth. It seems sort of obvious, in retrospect, but it was still a cool way to think about Christmas that was fresh to my ears. We finished our devotional time and got dressed for the day and hopped on a shuttle back to the house.
Biltmore was different during the day, but no less impressive. The audio headsets the staff passed out to us filled in a few gaps about the house that we’d missed the first night of our visit, including a few nice anecdotes about the Vanderbilt family and the daily routines of the servants and staff. I got the impression more and more that George never clung to his wealth or status, but enjoyed both without taking advantage of or belittling others. Workers and servants at Biltmore were paid New York-level wages, which would have been much higher than anywhere else in the area. They had hot and cold running water, electricity, and nice rooms. Mrs. Vanderbilt personally bought gifts for every worker’s child each Christmas. It really seems like the people who lived and worked at Biltmore genuinely admired George and Edith, rather than fearing them.
We had an early dinner reservation time (4:45pm!), so we didn’t waste any time getting back to the Inn at the conclusion of our second walk-through. The Christmas day dinner was the most formal of all the meals we were to eat, so we all dressed our best and then headed downstairs. We were seated in a small room away from the main dining area, and the quieter, more intimate setting made the meal all the more special.
The four-course dinner menu carried a host of stunning options – Dad, Mike, and I started with paper-thin slices of bison sprinkled with blue cheese, while Mom had butternut squash ravioli, and Emily enjoyed some king prawns on a bed of corn pudding. The salad course had three different choices (Mike decided to go for the parsnip and apple soup). When it came to the main course, however, there was only one choice – grilled filet mignon. Four of us (the carnivores) ordered it, and Emily went with the grilled salmon. The meat was tender, flavorful, and perfectly cooked; I have to count it as some of the best meat I’ve ever tasted.
Not to be outdone by the other courses, dessert put in a strong showing on the menu as well – chocolate flourless cake, pear tart, and egg nog cheesecake. We decided to be a clever family and get at least one of each. The sit-down dinner was probably better for me since the portions were limited to what they brought, rather than what I decided I could fit on my plate.
Stuffed with Christmas food and Christmas spirit, we headed back up to our rooms to get a head start on packing for the journey home to Texas. We’d be striving, once again, for maximum trip efficiency, so we wanted to have our act together before we visited Antler Hill Village one last time in the morning. Emily, however, was jonesing for some physical activity, so she convinced Mike and I to head down to the Inn’s fitness room to work off some of our Christmas dinner. The fitness room was sparse and intimate, but it had enough equipment to get the job done. It didn’t even occur to me that it might seem strange or counter-intuitive to be working out on Christmas day, on vacation, (don’t most people save that for their new year’s resolutions?) until I noticed that we were the only people there! It did feel nice to get some exercise, though, after spending the last week doing little besides eating and walking.
When we returned to the room, we each got as packed as we could and headed to bed. I had spent the last few nights writing posts late, but this night I decided to turn in early. I’d have plenty of time to write in the car the next day anyway.
