It was 6:30 am. The Headmistress announced it was time to go shopping. I looked out my bedroom window (in our one room mobile apartment) and tried to declare a 2 hour frost delay on a chilly morning. Apparently the malls don't have any greenskeepers with clout. So off we went. I suppose I had options......I could have read my book at our picnic table wearing all the clothes from my en suite closet......as my house drove down the road. The newspaper I had purchased on U.S. Thanksgiving Day weighed several pounds, consisting primarily of discount deals from every store you could think of, many of them opening their doors at midnight. I knew I was in trouble when Rhonda started mapping out a strategic path the night before. But it was Black Friday and an opportunity to observe the busiest shopping day of the year in this country so away I went.
It was not difficult to get caught up in the buying frenzy with the incrdible offers being presented. I entered the ring. 5 hours, lots of stores and many hundreds of dollars later, the adventure was over and our Christmas lists got a little shorter. We expect to be contacted shortly by several countries from the European Union to come and help re-start their economies.
Fortunately, by noon the temperature had risen to 20C, as we have become accustomed to, allowing for a leisurely stroll around Opryland. It is a massive operation with several large hotels and guest rooms facing inward, overlooking indoor gardens and waterways covered in glass ceilings 10-15 stories high. It was all dressed up for Christmas and families were out en masse working off their turkey dinners from the day before. Once we had explored the entire 9 acre indoor complex, then the surrounding area including the newer Grand Ole Opry theatre, we headed into downtown Nashville where the real action was.
The regular Opry show is transferred to the Ryman Auditorium in Nov-Dec so that the Rockettes can perform their annual Christams show in the larger theatre. It was a break for us since we how had a chance to experience country music in the original old-style theatre situated in the heart of Music City. 13 different artists, several older ones already voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, performed 1-2 songs each in a 2.5 hour show that is still broadcast 'live' on the radio to many more people than the 3,000 people crowded into the show last night. Before the concert we had a wonderful dinner at Demo's, an institution with a constant wait line, and walked by (& into) over 25 bars, all with 'live' music going on. There were plenty of street musicians as well. If we hadn't started our day so early in the morning we definitely would have returned to boisterous clubs after the show. Certainly a place to return to especially if you enjoy music as much as we do.
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