Sometimes we find amazing adventures right there on our backyards. I had a great opportunity to spend a sunny day in Nashville a little while ago. Although the city is so close to us, most of the time I am just yearning for “bigger adventures”. Why to go to Nashville when I could just fly to New York, Chicago, San Francisco …. or overseas?
But on this sunny day, after running some errands in Tennessee ‘s state capital I decided to slow down a little, and enjoy the gorgeous, beautiful southern sunshine. Nashville is the best known from its amazing country music scene. Many of the country stars live in the city’s suburbs, and they can be seen performing at Grand Ole Opry every so often. What Los Angeles and Hollywood are for film stars, Nashville sure is for the country music. This time I skipped the country music scene although I absolutely love it.
My relaxing afternoon in Nashville was an ex tempore combination of a picnic lunch in one of the most beautiful parks in the city, Centennial Park , exploring the small Art Gallery in the park followed by a quick visit to the Parthenon , and finally I drove to the old, charming town of Franklin for some shopping. And I did find out that this local art gallery offers art lessons too….. yes, I have been thinking of painting lessons. So far my oil paintings could be placed next to the toddlers’ work and there wouldn’t be a whole lot of difference. But more about the art adventures in upcoming blog postings.
I grabbed my lunch from a local natural market, The Turnip Truck , which – by the way – supports the local producers while promoting healthiness, and headed to the park. Lunch salad was delicious , and I highly recommend them to anyone digging the organic food. Centennial Park is a beautiful green eden in the busy downtown. It is a perfect place for jogging, lunch break, or just simply hanging out. Park is also home to the aforementioned Parthenon . Yes, the same thing that you might have seen in Greece . A-piece-of-Greece-in-the-redneck-land as l jokingly call it is the exact replica of this famous, historical site in Greece. Parthenon in Nashville was built in 1897, as part of Tennessee Centennial Exposition.
Inside the building, there is Nashville Art Museum, and 42-foot statue of Athena. Definitely a must-see place in Nashville if you are interested in art – even a little.
There are times when local, short adventures are almost as exciting as trips to the other side of the country, or even abroad. Too often we, well, at least I, overlook at the opportunities that are right here, right now. I sure am glad I took time to spend in Nashville. I got to see the different side of the town compared to the music scene.
However, the more I explore Tennessee, the more I start to become southern, and the more I am loving this new home state of mine…
“I see the road now, I know just what I need
To find my way back to Tennessee
I’m going home now to southern, it’s so sweet
And find my way back to Tennessee”Billy Ray Cyrus, The Way Back to Tennessee
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