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- Three and a half days in Nashville and around
Liat was invited to a conference in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Half an hour drive from Nashville. Great! I can visit Johnny Cash and buy an Acoustic Guitar. I think there is no better place to buy an Acoustic Guitar than the city known as "home of country music." In Israel, it's almost impossible to find good used Acoustic Guitar at a fair price, so I planned to buy one in the US for a long time. And finally, it happens! Perfect. The trip started on the left foot. When we entered the airport in Tel Aviv, they told us the flight was canceled. United Airlines said it was because one of the pilots is sick. So they rescheduled us for a flight leaving Tel Aviv only 11 hours after the original plan. And if this is not enough, we had to wait for a connection flight at Newark Airport for another 8 hours. Luckily, we both had laptops and lots of work to do. After almost 16 hours on air and 19 hours of the airport's waiting, we finally landed in Nashville. The time was 13:45, so we hurried to rent a car and drove to the city, hoping to get in time for a visit to one of the city museums. First, we visited the Hall of Fame and the Museum of Country Music. Next, we had a great experience visiting the Johnny Cash museum. Then, at 18:00, we took a walk downtown. Such a cluster of clubs and pubs playing live music – I have never seen in my life: country singer-songwriters, country & rock bands, cover players… Our heads, especially our ears, were dizzy. We couldn't decide which place to enter. Eventually, we found some free seats somewhere and got in. We heard a lovely singer-songwriter, ate some wings with BBQ sauce, and fell asleep… after an hour of napping. Then, we gathered strength with the music surrounding us and drove to our cute hotel in Murfreesboro. The next day, Liat talked at her conference, and I had a mission: to buy a good used acoustic guitar. I tried at least 15 guitars at the first shop I went to but couldn't find what I want exactly. Then, finally, I found a great guitar at the large shop of Guitar Center: used Martin D-35 acoustic-electric guitar with excellent sound, at 2,000$. No way I could have seen such a guitar in Israel, not at this price for sure. Thrilled, I drove to the grave of my hero – Johnny Cash, in Hendersonville Memory Gardens. I sat in front of both graves of Cash and June Carter, his wife, and played some of Cash's songs. After that, and went to pick Liat from the university. I pulled her at 17:00, not in time for any museums, so we decided to take a walk at Nashville Centennial Park – even though it was pretty cold. The 3rd day started the same for Liat – she went to the university to her conference, and I rushed to Nashville. I visited their War Memorial and the Museum of War (a branch of the Tennessee State Museum). It took me an hour or so. Then I went to the Tennessee State Museum – an impressive free entry museum with many stories and artifacts. I spent there 2 hours (could have spent more) and afterward took a 6-minute walk to the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. After being in the impressive Country Hall of Fame and Museum, this museum was very disappointing: too few exhibits, no central story that fascinates you. Look like they chose musicians eclectically and just put in the displays each item they put their hands on, like guitar, shirt, CD's, etc. I left the museum after less than an hour and climbed to the Capitol building through the grave of the 11th president of the USA, James K. Polk. I took a short walk in the Capitol building – visited the Senate Hall and the General Assembly of Tennessee Hall. On my way to pick Liat from Murfreesboro – I had another bad experience – a car accident. I took a turn in a cross-section and hit the driver that was in front. I have no idea how it happened. Lucky me, I drove very slowly, so no harm was done – only a few scratches on both cars. Still, we waited an hour and a half for a police officer to arrive. Both the policemen and the other driver were very friendly, so the whole event ended without further complications. I was hoping to see a music concert while in Nashville, but it took me some time to get over the stupid accident. So Liat had an Idea – to visit a unique hotel she read about in a rival blog. And it was amazing: a big park with lakes, little bridges, waterfalls, fountains, restaurants, and shops - all inside a large hotel. It looks much better than it sounds. We've been there for the whole evening and returned to our hotel, tired and happy. Our last day started early. We drove to a town named Franklin. Of course, we had to encounter something unpredictable – we had a flat tire… after one hour and 10$, we got on the road again. We visited Carter's House – a historic house that had the bad fortune to become a battlefield during one of the brutal and violent battles of the American Civil War. Afterward, we took a walk at the main street of Franklin, which her residents think it's one of the beautiful main streets in America. It was lovely with lots of shops, restaurants, churches and old houses from the 19th century. Great atmosphere. From there, we drove to the airport. We had to take three flights to get back home. But I have no complaints. I have a new guitar!
- Carter's House, Franklin
Carter's House is an old house from 1830 caught in the middle of a brutal battle during the American Civil War. Twenty-five people hid in the basement while the bullets of both sides keep running above them. Americans are obsessed with the Civil War. They reconstruct every battle and every movement of a soldier. It amazes me to see how a nation that fought in so many wars keeps coming back to that specific one. Maybe because most of their wars didn't occur on American soil. The guided tour was good, although I felt the guide was exaggerating.
- Franklin Downtown
Franklin downtown is a beautiful street, with 200 years old houses and lots of shops and restaurants. However, it's not a large area, which can be surrounded in a short time, full of positive and happy energy. The town allows a free park near the main street. It is highly recommended.
- Veterans Park
The Veterans Park is a large open green area next to Lake Michigan, with a section of the Oak Leaf Trail, a green belt of 108 miles that connects all Milwaukee parks. Beautiful place to walk, kite, and rent a paddleboat or a kayak.
- Miller Brewery Tour
The Miller Brewery Tour tells a beautiful story about the American dream. The advantage: it's a free tour. And it includes three glasses of free beer at the end. Impressive. You can fill the power of an enormous American corporation: massive warehouses, super-fast product lines. The cons: it's just a long-lasting non-apologizing advertisement. You won't see anything, the guides speak very fast so I couldn't understand anything, but this is not so bad - they hardly say anything that matters. If I knew better, I would probably have gone to visit one of the small breweries of Milwaukee. Free admission.
- The Historic Third Ward
Like the rest of the city, at first glance, you can't understand what is interesting in this old warehouse district in Milwaukee downtown: lots of unimpressive old buildings. But from the inside of those buildings – Wow! It's a whole different story! Gorgeous design and fashion shops, restaurants, unique shops like the store dedicated just for paper products. Much of the 450 business on the neighborhood looks like a tiny museum. Beautiful district.
- Milwaukee Public Market
The Milwaukee Public Market is a lovely indoor market. Local growers are selling all kinds of food and flowers. You can also find excellent meat, seafood, and cheese dishes to eat on site.
- Milwaukee Art Museum
The impressive Milwaukee Art Museum is lying on the banks of Lake Michigan. The museum has A wing-shaped structure that opens and closes as the hours pass by. The museum collection started in 1888 in the local art gallery, includes more than 30,000 works of painting, drawing, decorative arts, video art, textiles, and sculpture. They are scattered on four floors and forty galleries. The museum is well-known for its collections of American decorative art, German Expressionism, folk and Haitian art, and American art post-1960. The visitors are invited to take a guided tour (leaving the lobby every hour) to see the highlights.
- Milwaukee Public Museum
The Milwaukee Public Museum is 125 years old, with three and a half floors and 14,000 square meters of exhibits dealing with nature, history, and culture. Huge displays with exceptional items, like real Mammoth and Dinosaur skeletons (made of real bones and the completion of replicas). A spectacular exhibition of the rainforest from Costa Rica; Displays the starting point of the universe; Indians' life; the old streets of Milwaukee; cultures from around the world, and more. They invested a great deal of thought in the design and content of every corner of the museum. I visited the museum twice. At first, I planned to spend two hours visiting, but since I had seen less than half a museum at the time, I returned later for another round — an excellent place for kids and adults.
- Harley-Davidson Museum
You should visit the Harley Davidson Museum to see an example of fulfilling the American dream. Three young men tried to add an engine to bicycles and established the most known and profitable motorcycles brand. The lovely museum displaying Harley-Davidson models throughout the years, telling the story of the founders and some main events in the company history – like the role of their bicycles in WWII, serving the US army. The display also shows movie scenes where Harley-Davidson vehicles are starring. At the end of the exhibition, you can take a picture riding on a new fabulous Harley-Davidson. Nice.
- Two Days in Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the largest city in Wisconsin, on the western bank of Lake Michigan. At first, I thought it's an ugly city, full of unattractive industrial buildings. Unfortunately, the beauty of the Michigan Lake and the rivers crossing the city didn't balance that impression. Although the town is full of some great attractions, they are far away from each other, which makes the frequent use of Uber or Taxi essential for the outside visitors. For an explorer like me, who likes to walk the city back and forth while trying to discover things that are not part of the regular Top 10 lists, it was a big disappointment. However, it turns out that despite the grayness of the streets of the city, it has some important and fascinating sites. An excellent art museum next to the beautiful boardwalk. The historic Third Ward. Harley-Davidson Museum. And the MPM – Milwaukee Public Museum that left a strong impression on me. The thing you must do in Milwaukee: (1) Drink local beer (2) Eat Cheese Curds (3) Visit Harley Davidson Museum (4) Buy something beautiful in the Historic Third Ward. Have fun exploring Milwaukee!
- Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio in Milan
Basilica di Sant'Ambrogio is one of the oldest churches in Milan. The church was built at the end of the fourth century AD on the orders of Bishop Ambrogio himself, who dedicated it to the saints buried there. In the 12th century, many additions were made to the church, including the two bell towers. Under the octagonal lamp stands a famous golden altar. The crypt hosts the graves of several saints. The church is imposing and worth a visit. The church is very active and is visited by many visitors. Visiting hours Monday to Saturday: from 10 to 12 and 14:30 to 18:00. Sundays from 3 pm to 5 pm - if there are no prayers at that time. Enjoy your visit 🤗











