For The Love of Travel

Today my only stopover as I drove down the east coast to Boston was Kennybunkport, another cute seaport village. Very gaudy wedding cake house on the way.

Only a little tree colour change on the way south so far, the weather has been unseasonably warm.

I stopped off to check out Moody’s diner (nothing could be finer)…lots of ‘pie’, very rich cream cakes.

Challenging drive into Boston with impatient locals not giving way and hence missed well planned exits off freeways and in tunnels. Arrh! A nightmare to then work out how to reroute. Finally…got map from cafe, much easier.

Made my way to the Taj Hotel in Arlington St to rendezvous with friends from London.

 

 

 

Had a great morning in Wiscasset, a picturesque town in Lincoln County, Maine. Lovely shops to do some retail therapy in…”In the clover” and “Debra Elizabeth’s” and just stroll around looking at the architecture. Visited the Butterstamp Workshop, folk art shop which produces cinnamon scented decorative Xmas baubles and candles.

Sarah’s Cafe, Wiscasset – firstly the wheat roll is yummy and made each day on the premises. The lobster is fresh and tastes just-cooked and picked, with just a little coleslaw mixed through. Put simply, it’s lobster roll perfection (from the 3 I’ve tasted). Goes really well with Sarah-nade, pomegranate in home made lemonade. Delicious lunch!

On the recommendation of visitor information staff, took myself to the lovely region of Damariscotta and route 130 to Pemaquid Point for another lighthouse view, with a craggy rocks vista. It was a perfect day for such a drive, past lovely little art galleries that I wish I had time to pop into.

Camden draws quite a tourist crowd and I was glad I got into town later in the afternoon, to avoid the worst. The harbour has really pretty views and the park just above it is lovely to relax in. Cappy’s restaurant offered delicious clam chowder, my dinner.

Lastly to Rockport overnight….a tiny village but extraordinarily picturesque, also with nice harbour views. In lots of ways, preferred it to Camden.

Who knew there was even more tree colour gorgeousness in store when I started off this morning…..but there was….especially on the small Hunters Bridge Rd that I spyed as I drove past…turned when it was safe and came back to revel in the COLOUR!! There was more along the route to Portland, so I ended up spending 3 hrs jumping in and out of the car, in a drive that usually takes half the time. Loved it.

After the lengthy drive in the morning, I didn’t feel like mixing it with tourists in Portland either in the Arts, Old Port, Waterfront and certainly not Government districts!

Thought the historic Portland Head Light might be a place to head for, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Beautiful, expensive houses in the roads that led to same! The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine. Spent quite a time waiting for the sun to come out, so the lighthouse would be bright white rather than grey in the pic I wanted to take.  There was a pic opportunity of a couple of tourists that presented and I had to take, they sussed me but laughed!

What is the first word that pops into mind when word associating with “Maine” ? Well, now I know it’s lobster. (Or “lobstah,” depending on where you come from.) You can’t go far in Maine without seeing a T-shirt or a handbag with a lobster on it.  To ensure availability of supply, the State of Maine goes to great lengths to see that the lobster population stays strong. Every lobster, when caught, is measured—the body must be between 3.25 and 5 inches or you have to throw it back. The lobster industry has a huge economic impact on the state. Over 126 million pounds of lobsters a year are caught, valued at over $338 million.

Went for a late lunch, cold lobster roll, at the Lobster Shack @ Two Lights (National Park), which was a real disappointment compared with my neighbour’s ….who knew what she was doing when she ordered. Oh there’s always a learning to be had!! Funny thing, she’s also staying at Freeport tonight at the Best Western.