Let Asheville Sweep You Off Your Feet: Asheville NC Part 2. Thrill, Infatuation & Romance. In Other Words, Zip Lining, Jonas Gerard & The Biltmore Estate

This might be the longest blog post title ever on Mango & Tomato!
If you missed my previous post, make sure to read Let Asheville Sweep You Off Your Feet: Asheville NC Part 1. First Date. And just so that you are not confused, a little reminder: I came up with an idea for how to summarize my Asheville trip: I'll write about it as a progression of a romantic relationship. The first date; the thrill, infatuation and romance; and finally the deep love and companionship.

I left you last with a write up of a perfect first date: champagne and appetizers followed by a fun dinner of tapas and sangria ending on a sweet note with espuma de chocolate: chocolate mousse, raspberry sorbet and hazelnut praline.

Maybe there was even a kiss involved!

As the relationship takes off, you welcome new experiences, adventures, and romantic settings.

Not being an outdoorsy or sporty girl, when I heard that I'll have a chance to ZIP LINE, I almost fainted. My mom asked if I really had to do it. Of course not, but I decided to push my sense of adventure and go beyond my boundaries and comfort zone.

Luckily, everyone at the Navitat Canopy was knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic and tried to put me at ease as much as possible.

The views were breath taking. Green trees, blue sky, a light breeze...and then there were all those ropes, knots, cables, bridges, etc. I kept on reminding myself to BREATH.

We started with a few trial zip lines before moving on to longer ones. And guess what? I did just fine! The whole experience went by almost too quickly even though it lasted about three hours. And now I can say that I zip lined just like the Real Housewives of OC, but with no drama ;) {Unfortunately I could not take my big camera with me for the fear of loosing it, so all the pictures from zip lining experience were taken with my little point and shoot.}

Other than zip lining, we also crossed a few bridges (see below), learned how to repel, and were educated on the types of trees, flowers, and mushrooms surrounding us.

  

Another activity that I think would be fun to do with someone you are dating is visiting museums or, even better, artists' studios. On my first trip to Asheville, I took a tour of the River Art District and fell in love with the work of Jonas Gerard. Imagine my excitmenet when I learned that I'll get to meet him in person and sit through one of his demonstrations!! I could not believe my luck.

Jonas Gerard's art is bright, colorful, strong and makes me think of the Cuban music he listens to while he paints. It shows his passion for life, beauty and intuition.

The painting on the left is the one I've been dreaming about for the last year, but alast it's a bit too pricey for me ;)

From Jonas:

The essence of abstract art is:

To unfold the spirit of self-exploration by painting freely without restraint or criticism.

To develop a deeper trust in one's intuition and instinct as they happen.

To realize that letting go of set goals opens up a whole world of infinite possibilities.

And then right before Jonas started his demonstration, he decided to paint on ME!!!! {Notice the arrow that points to my cleavage.}

My expression on the photo above is priceless! :)

I'll be honest with you, I was hoping Jonas would just gift me the painting above, which took him less than ten minutes to complete, but no such thing. Instead, I bought one of his smaller prints and can't wait to frame it and find a place for it in my condo.

My last idea for a thrilling and romantic date in Asheville is the visit to the Biltmore. I did not get a chance to visit this mansion on my first visit and loved the architectural private tour we got to take.

"George Vanderbilt created Biltmore as an escape from everyday life. A visit to the 8,000-acre estate in the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina provides limitless fun.

Explore Biltmore House & Gardens and the Antler Hill Village—featuring the Winery, The Biltmore Legacy, Village Green, and Farm.

Play in our backyard with an array of outdoor activities, indulge in one-of-a-kind shopping, and savor our restaurants' exceptional fare. Visit Biltmore in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC and let our gracious hospitality inspire you."

Although we weren't allowed to take photographs inside, the outside of the estate provided countless opportunities.

  

Supposedly this brings you luck ;)

These are the views of the Biltmore from far away: how romantic is that?

Stay tuned for the last installation of this series that I'll share next week! For now, have a great weekend and try to stay cool: it's going to be 100 degrees in DC. Oy.

Disclaimer: the trip was paid for by the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau including my flights, stay at The Grove Park Inn and all the eating out and sightseeing adventures. I was under no obligation to write about any of it.