Julie’s holiday in New Hampshire, Massachusetts & Maine

It’s lobster season in New England and my friend Judy was going up there to enjoy the seafood and asked me to join her. She was staying with her friend Sallie and when I asked if there would be room for me at Sallies, Judy laughed and said that Sallie’s house had 11 bedrooms! I said yes please, then packed and the next thing I was on a plane to Boston. John was still in Alaska so it was great timing (although he would have loved to join us)

We left Saturday morning had a stopover in Atlanta, Georgia and arrived in Boston late afternoon. Sallie picked us up and drove through Massachusetts, New Hampshire and into Kittery, Maine where we ate dinner. Of course Judy & Sally hooked straight into their lobsters (2 for $9.99) and enjoyed every bite. There was a very large salad bar with a huge variety so I was also enjoying every bite. The drive north from the airport gave us a glimpse of the beautiful fall (autumn) colours this part of the country is famous for – absolutely stunning!

Day one saw me set foot in 5 states – Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine – amazing eh! After dinner we crossed back over the border into Portsmouth, New Hampshire - it was Halloween and the town was full of costumed people celebrating – it was such a party atmosphere and we just wandered around amongst it all and had such a fun time.

Sallie’s house is in Rye Beach, just out of Portsmouth and right on the coast. It was built by her family back in 1635 so is very old and very, very large - it has 17 rooms! It also has a double outhouse - upstairs and downstairs - something that is a bit of a local tourist attraction! Rye Beach is also beautiful and we enjoyed some time out in the crisp fresh air walking along the beach.

The next morning we walked around the neighborhood and along the coast – what an amazing area – the homes are magnificent and the area is spectacular – definitely coming back in the RV one day……

In the afternoon we joined Sallie at the library to listen to the library’s new director, Andy Richmond, talk about ‘Biking Across Iceland”. It was a trip he had made with

a friend and it was just fascinating to experience his power point presentation. So many beautiful places in the world – another one added to my list……..

We then drove through the delightful little seaside town of New Castle and into Maine where we spent some time on a shopping strip outlet – so many shops, so little time! Then it was back to Rye for dinner at Ray’s Restaurant – twin lobsters were waiting for Judy & Sallie and they were once again in seafood heaven!

That night we vegged in front of the tv and watch part 1 of Pride & Prejudice – just fabulous and couldn’t wait ‘til the next night for part 2!

Monday saw us on a day trip along the coast of Maine through Freeport and Bath. We drove as far as Pemaquid Point Lighthouse with its rugged granite coastline. Apparently this lighthouse is one of the most frequently visited attractions on the Maine coast and is the first lighthouse ever to appear on American currency in 2003, when its image appeared on the official Maine quarter.

We lunched in Damariscotta in a wonderful café overlooking the water (clam chowder today instead of lobster!) and then drove home via Baileys Island. All in all a wonderful day, finished off perfectly with part 2 of Pride & Prejudice – does life get any better!!

Tuesday we spent the day in Boston where we visited Cambridge and walked through Harvard University (always wanted to say I went to Harvard!).

We walked around Boston Common where I had my photo taken sitting on a duck named Mrs. Mallard. The statue is of a mother duck and her 8 little ducklings and was installed in 1987 as a tribute to Robert McCloskey who wrote the children’s book “Make Way for Ducklings” a book that made the Boston Public Garden familiar to children all around the world. The book was written over 60 years ago and is still extremely popular and is the official children’s book of Massachusetts.

We browsed through Faneuil Hall Marketplace - a marketplace that has been operating for 250 years – that is just staggering – its older than Australia! The finial on the top of Marketplace is a copper grasshopper weather vane.

We stopped at Trader Joe’s on our way home (a wholefoods supermarket) and bought some goodies for our dinner (wow, a lobster-free evening!) and then once again relaxed watching part 1 of Sense & Sensibility before retiring exhausted after a most enjoyable day.

Wednesday saw us driving south to the town of Salem in Massachusetts. Salem is a bewitching city known mostly for the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and has a definite enchanted feel - the police cars are adorned with witch logos, the local public school is Witchcraft Heights Elementary School and the Salem High School football team is named The Witches. Apparently the city really came alive on Saturday night celebrating Halloween with over 100,000 people joining in. There is even a statue of Samantha Stephens from the TV show Bewitched in Salem’s Lappin Park.

We visited the House of the Seven Gables, a Colonial mansion built in 1668 and is rated 9^th on America’s top 10 favorite Historic Homes. The House of the Seven Gables inspired author Nathaniel Hawthorne to write his legendary novel of the same name. It is now a museum and has the most beautiful gardens right on the water.

Late afternoon saw us back in Portsmouth where we wandered the shops for awhile before heading off to Al’s for our last dinner together. Judy & Sallie once again devoured steaming hot lobsters and then it was back home to enjoy our final movie night together.

Thursday morning it was farewells all around – lots of hugs and kisses and thanks for a very memorable time. Sallie’s hospitality was amazing and she made me feel very welcome. The NE coast of the US is very beautiful and a place I would definitely like to spend more time in – looks like I’ll just have to bring John back and show him around…….