I always like to take a post-recital recovery trip. April and May are the craziest months, and by June, I'm on the verge of not being a functioning human being. Brixon was headed to Washington, D.C. with Grandma, and Hudson was going to Michigan with Mimi. So the options were endless! No really...we spent hours researching. Paris? Not enough time to do it right. Seattle? Flights were too long. All-inclusive to Jamaica? Sold out. Then we thought about flying right out of Punta Gorda...convenient, and we could maximize our time, wherever we ended up. We have both always wanted to go to New England, so we booked a flight to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, rented a car, and should have packed warmer clothes!
On Saturday, June 3, we took a quick and painless flight, and landed in Portsmouth. Have you ever seen that Stephen King movie 'The Langoliers?' You know, when the entire airport is abandoned? It was a little reminiscent of that...but in a great way. No lines, no hassles, and we were downtown in ten minutes. We booked a room at the Ale House Inn, which was a brewery in its past life. The rooms were charming, and the staff even moreso. The location was central, and we were able to walk everywhere we wanted to go. We immediately fell in love with this town, from the gas lanterns lining the streets to the cutest coffee shop/soda fountain I've ever seen. The people were so friendly, and the food was fantastic.
The next day, we headed about thirty minutes north, to Kennebunkport, Maine, the second state we could now cross off of our list! Kennebunkport is the home of the Bush family's summer residence (yes, they were there when we were!), and is the quintessential New England resort town. The weather could not have been more beautiful! After lunch, we headed back into Portsmouth, and spent another afternoon wandering the narrow streets and green spaces. We spent a few hours at the Franklin Oyster House bar, and may have scared away a patron or two after some drinks and a lot of laughing!
Monday, we headed down the coast, and crossed into Massachusetts, our third state of the trip. I have dreamed about visiting Salem since my sixth-grade social studies teacher, Mrs. Bertram, spent Halloween there and filled us in on the fun! We spent the morning exploring, but it was cold, rainy, and apparently Mondays aren't a great day for visiting stores, restaurants, or museums...because most of them were closed. After a two-minute period of deep consideration, we hopped on the train and headed south to Boston! We were planning on saving Boston for another trip, but it was only 20 minutes away, so we couldn't say no. We walked the Freedom Trail, which is this fantastic brick path that leads you throughout the city, taking you to all of the most important historical monuments and buildings. We had a beer at Cheers, visited an old prison turned luxury hotel, and met up with my Aunt Kelly, and cousins Delaney and Colin for dinner. It was so cold and so wet, but we managed to put in 14 miles. I loved Boston, especially the Beacon Hill area, and can't wait to visit again.
On Tuesday, we were hoping to head back into Boston, but it was even colder and rainier than the previous day, so we decided to stay in Salem, and we were glad we did. The first day, it felt overwhelmingly tourist-driven; not the historic, mysterious town I was really hoping for. We found some great shops, visited the Peabody Essex Museum, the Witch House, and were even able to drive out to Marblehead for lunch. I loved our hotel, The Merchant, which was so beautifully decorated, and right in the middle of the action. I was a little disappointed in the lack of ghost sightings, but there's always next time...
The next morning, we were supposed to fly out of Portsmouth at 10:48am. Well, massive delays afforded us the opportunity for one more day in this little town. We didn't complain. More food, more drinks, more ice cream, and more exploring. We finally arrived home around midnight, but are already planning our trip back!
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