Nashville Parthenon

Instead of shopping on Black Friday, we communed with nature. We went to Great Smokies National Park, where we saw two black bears, a mother and her cub. According to the bear guide, who was trying to ride herd on all the humans about, momma bear was using humanity to keep a third bear at bay, an aggressive male. We drove around the eight mile Cade’s Cove loop, at rip roaring 5 MPH. There was major gaper block. Halfway around, we did a hike to Abrams Falls. I’m still feeling that jaunt tonight, but we were not done yet. We went out for bar-b-q and then attended the Ice Bears game, more bears. They are Knoxville’s minor league hockey team. They lost.

Nashville, also known as the Athens of the South, celebrated this association by building a replica of the Parthenon. Built in Centennial Park for the city’s first hundred year celebration, in the 1890s, it remains a cultural icon.