Yesterday was cool and it rained heavily all day. We had to abandon an ideas for hiking in Chimney Rock Park. Today the weather was perfect with lots of sun and a cool breeze. We learned that George Vanderbilt,after completing the building of his estate,also built a village and a church(which he wanted to be the central focus of the village). Richard Hunt,the architect for the Biltmore,conceived of the plans for the church. In 1896 the church,called the Cathedral of All Souls,was completed and dedicated. In 1995 it became the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina. The church appears to be rather massive from the outside(see picture here,but inside we were surprised to find the seating area to be rather small. Nevertheless,we enjoyed services there today-special music was provided by women playing a dulcimer,flute,recorder and guitar. After the service we toured the downtown area of Asheville. We covered part of its urban trail,which is marked by 30 bronze sculptures. The entire area has 150 unique shops,galleries,and cafes- what an enjoyable walk! And many people were also out enjoying the day-seems like Ashveville has done some excellent urban planning. The picture here of an iron commemorates the old historic building called the Flat Iron. And the musician standing next to it is is a live man. Most of the time he was standing absolutely still,but occasionally he would burst into song. The other picture is the Thomas Wolfe boyhood home,the setting for his novel Look Homeward Angel.
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