Day 1: A very warm welcome
The apartment I'm staying in is closely linked to a hostel with a nice garden where people hang out in the sun and play music. When I first arrived on Saturday, everyone was extremely welcoming. They offered that I go along with them by car to get some "groceries" as they call them here. That was a big change from Switzerland for me: people here talk to everyone and get friendly very fast. You meet a stranger, wherever you are, and they talk to you like they've known you forever. That makes the place very warm, especially when you're traveling solo: you're never alone in Nashville! I remember when I first arrived in Switzerland, it took me ages to get to know people and it's still the case when I meet new people there. As I'm only here 2 months, I'm happy contact is easier and it's really nice to know people already and share with them.
Day 2: Vintage guitars
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| Fanny's House of Music, Nashville |
I'll definitely need to take back a guitar when I go home but I was thinking of buying it new initially. Now that I've tried some real collector instruments, I'm hesitating between new and vintage.
A vintage instrument certainly has a lot of charm but I'm still not at ease with not knowing what the guitar has been through and who it belonged to. But, getting a feel of them has raised my interest in this type of instrument and I guess I'll start collecting as soon as I'm settled in to a bigger apartment back at home.
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| 1935 Biltmore "Diana" rare model. It's got my name on it! |
Strolling around guitar shops here is so much more fun than in Europe. The stores are huge, it's "paradise" to me when I see how many guitars of all sorts there are. But what's better, is that anyone can just pick any guitar they like and try it out, without having to ask each time. I've tried more amazing guitars than ever before! Salespeople are there for a chat and to help if you need them, but they don't stand around watching you. I've spotted a couple of great guitars:
- 2016 Taylor 522e Mahogany
But, I'll have to take it easy on that...
Day 3: Hot chicken & vintage clothes shopping
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| Hattie B's hot chicken with fries and black eyed pea salad. |
Today, I decided to try Nashville's specialty: hot chicken (spicy fried chicken).
This was my first eat out so I looked up a few places on Tripadvisor and found that one of the best places for hot chicken was Hattie B's.
Patrik and a couple spending one night at the hostel came along with me to try it out for lunch. We had to wait in line in the street to get in (the place is always packed) but it was well worth the wait!
I'd actually gone off chicken this past year for some reason, but this chicken? I enjoyed every bit of it and I'll gladly go back! Yummy.
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| Hattie B's menu. Spice wise, I went mild. Maybe a little more adventurous next time. |
We then took the car and went to East Nashville for vintage clothes shopping.
That's not really something for me, but it was great to see such a different neighborhood of Nashville and its little vintage boutiques.
There's something about them that connects you to Tennessee in a different way. Each piece of clothing and each shoe tells a story that's often yours to imagine and as an artist, it's pretty inspiring.
These types of shops are in little houses which gives the shopping area a really cool and pleasant look we don't often find in Europe. I thought it was fun the way sign posts said "SHOPS" at the entrance of a cute little shopping zone you'd never think was one. If you don't know, you would think people are living there.
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| Vintage clothing shops in East Nashville. |
Tomorrow, my musical adventures will begin with an artist's workshop and singing and songwriting sessions are coming up these next few days. Looking forward to that.
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