Knoxville Adventures

So here I am, coming up on the halfway point of my month in Knoxville, TN. I've gotten to explore the city quite a bit (translation: I am trying all the coffee shops), and I must say, it's a pretty cool place. There is way more garish orange assaulting my eyes than I care for, but overall I rather like Knoxville. My first weekend I decided to go find a place called Coffee and Chocolate and discovered a farmers market that was in the same area. I'm going to have to go back soon!

Tennessee Theatre - reminded me of the Orpheum in Memphis

Shiny gold thingy called the Sun Sphere. Apparently has an
observation deck that has recently opened, so I'll probably go
visit it sometime soon.

Market Square - even their outdoor art sculptures are orange

Stumbled upon a farmers market in Market Square - will be going
back next weekend to see about some of the fresh cheese I saw someone selling

Clockwise from top left: olive oils from The Tree & Vine, Union Ave Books,
iced amaretto latte from Coffee and Chocolate, an awesome sign that was
sadly not for sale

This past Saturday, my friend Kelsey and I took a day trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. We are both in Knoxville just for the month for rotations, so we figured it would be fun to visit while we are on the other end of the state. The Biltmore Estate is the largest home in the US, and it's more of a manor than a house. It's probably the closest you can get to a castle without leaving the country. Naturally, it rained most of the day, but by the end of the trip, the sun had finally come out. So, we did not get to really explore the (very extensive) grounds and gardens.

I took about 20394 scenic vista pictures

Checking out the gardens during a respite from the rain

I was so sad that we couldn't take pictures inside, because the library was WONDERFUL AND PERFECT and had everything I've ever wanted in a library - dark wood shelves, spiral staircase, huge fireplace, secret doors, and thousands of books all hand-selected by George Vanderbilt himself. The rest of the estate was equally stunning and so much fun to explore. We paid for the audio guides, which I would highly recommend doing if you visit. The stories and history gave the tour so much more depth than just looking at the rooms on their own. I was highly amused that every room I loved (dark woods, jewel toned walls, leather furniture, etc.) was described as being in a masculine style. Apparently I have the design tastes of an early 1900s upper class man.

The clouds make this picture look a lot more ominous than it really is.

*Biltmore selfie*

After visiting the house, we went to the Antler Village, which is also on the property and has the Biltmore winery, the Cedric's brewery named after the Vanderbilts' St. Bernard, an ice cream shop (the Biltmore is known for their ice cream too), several restaurants and a couple historical buildings to explore. They had a grape stomping booth at the winery (which we totally did) and a free winery tour and tasting (which we also totally did). After eating a late lunch and having some ice cream for dessert, we headed back to Knoxville.

Squishing grapes with one's feet is a very weird feeling

Outside Cedric's Tavern - gotta love any family that
loves their dog enough to have a statue of him

Kelsey: Hey look a maze for kids! Let's do it!
Kristin: We are as tall as the bushes lol.
Kelsey: Yeah there's no way we will get lost.
*30 seconds later*
Kristin: I think we are lost
Kelsey: Yep we are definitely lost

You are probably wondering "Well what about the rotation you went to Knoxville for? How is that going?" I am happy to report that my rotation is fantastic! The drive to LaFollette is a bit far, but I am loving what I am doing every day. Infectious disease is one of my favorite areas of practice and I am learning so much! The hospital is very small, which I was unsure about at first but now I really like it. I am able to keep an eye on (almost) all of the patients who are on antibiotics, and I feel like I am making an actual difference in patient care. It's good to know I am comfortable in a small hospital as well as a large one, because that gives me more options in my future residency/job search. More options = better chance of landing a residency/job. The residency search is going to begin in full force next month when I am off of rotation!