Travel

Categories: Travel

New England Road Trip | A Scenic Drive Through New Hampshire

After a couple of days in Maine, it was time to pack up and hit the road for our final destination: Stowe, Vermont. It’s a six-hour drive from Bar Harbor to Stowe, but we took the scenic route, including a detour for the Kancamagus Highway, which was well worth our time.

We left Maine early, and opted not to have breakfast at the B&B. (The previous day, we had breakfast at the B&B, but we weren’t the biggest fans. We thought there would be a spread of food to choose from like my mom had experienced at another B&B, but instead, we were given one option, and for picky eaters like us, it wasn’t a hit. To be fair to this B&B, it has nothing to do with their cooking and everything to do with our own pickiness. Everyone else who was there for breakfast raved about the meal, and one person even wanted the recipe!) We’re two little weirdos when it comes to food, so we decided we’d find a restaurant on the road.

We stopped for a bite at Dysart’s, which is a local chain that really hit the spot. I was craving French toast, and it was delicious (and came with real maple syrup!). My mom had pancakes.

Then, it was time to hit the road for real. Our first destination was White Mountain Cafe & Bookstore, which was about a two-hour drive. I listened to podcasts, and my mom took a nap!

It was a real treat to find this bookstore, and even better to score a prime parking spot right up front. Somehow I didn’t take a single photo while in the bookstore, probably because it was pretty busy and I felt weird about whipping out my camera. It was a small bookstore with a very curated collection, and I didn’t find anything worth buying. I did find some great postcards, though. (I have a whole collection from this trip, so watch your mailboxes!)

And we got some refreshments. I ordered a Nutella iced coffee, and my mom ordered tea. And then we shared a grilled blueberry muffin that was so, so good. We took a seat on a bench near the bookstore where we had this insane view, and it was really nice to sit for a while, listening to the babbling brook and feeling the breeze. This might be the happy place I return to in my head when I need a moment!

We couldn’t stay too long, though, so we were back in the car to find our way to the Kancamagus Highway, which I had heard so much about in my research! But we both realized quickly we needed a restroom, so I hunted for an easy place to stop and came across a gift shop with an incredible view! They even had this huge patio with rocking chairs so people could relax and enjoy the view. I think New Hampshire might be my kinda place, for real.

After using the restroom, poking around the gift shop, and taking some much-needed selfies, it was back on the road.

We finally started making our way down the Kancamagus Highway, and it was definitely busy! Our first stop was Sabbaday Falls, where we snagged a parking spot just as someone was leaving (it was super busy!), then trekked down to the falls and back. The hike is listed as easy, but there are quite a number of steep climbs (which always terrifies me because I broke my ankle on a downhill during my first-ever hike), and I couldn’t see where to actually see the waterfall (I should have done more research, sigh, but even all the travel vlogs I watched didn’t cover this!). Apparently, there were stairs you could climb to get to a platform, but we missed that turnoff, and instead, I thought you had to make your way through all of these treacherous rocks to get to the falls. Ah, well. This just means I need to go back to New Hampshire to see the real Sabbaday Falls, right?!

Anyway, we didn’t stay too long and continued driving along the highway. There were lots of places to stop and take pictures, but it was absolutely packed with cars, and I didn’t feel like fighting for a parking space after the disappointment at Sabbaday Falls. So instead, we just enjoyed the drive and the views. We ran into some traffic on our way out of the highway, and we also didn’t have any phone signal once we left Sabbaday and for a pretty long stretch of time, so we lost GPS access. I kept thinking of those teams on The Amazing Race who drive for hours in the wrong direction. At least we weren’t in a race for a million dollars if we were going the wrong way! But I could also see that we were traveling west, which is the direction we needed to go, so I figured all was okay!

And it was! Eventually, we made our way through the Kancamagus Highway and out of the crazy traffic. And then it was time to finish up this drive! Getting to Stowe took a few more hours, and I was soon driving through winding mountain roads in the pitch black, which was not my favorite thing and I was white-knuckling it a bit until we finally got to civilization.

And then we were in Stowe… but you’ll have to wait until next week to hear more about Vermont!

New Hampshire Quick Facts

When we visited: Saturday, October 10th
Miles traveled: 354 miles
Pictures taken: 26
Favorite little moment: Sitting outside the bookstore, listening to the sounds of nature while eating a shared blueberry muffin with my mom
Souvenirs bought: one magnet

Categories: Travel

New England Road Trip | Nubble Lighthouse & Bar Harbor, ME

Leg two of our New England road trip commenced on Thursday, when we picked up a rental car (a 2027 VW Taos – a zippy thing that was a lot of fun to drive!) and started the trek to Maine. Boston > Bar Harbor isn’t a long drive (around four hours), but we made it an adventure by stopping at the Nubble Lighthouse right near the border of Maine. It was an hour and a half from Boston, so it was a great place to walk around and get some fresh air! Plus, the views were incredible. The weather was gorgeous – sunny and in the 60s – and there were a lot of people taking pictures and enjoying the view.

After that, I considered stopping in Camden to walk around, get a snack, and maybe pop into a bookstore (heh), but it would make us get into Bar Harbor pretty late. I scrapped that plan so we could get to our destination sooner.

The drive to Bar Harbor was gorgeous, too, so I wasn’t mad about staring at the view for miles and miles. I kept myself busy with podcasts and then some music when I started getting tired and needed to keep myself awake.

Eventually, we made it to the B&B, which was really adorable. It was so quintessentially New England! I felt like I was living inside Stars Hollow.

The best part about where we stayed is that we were just a short walk from downtown, which had tons of restaurants and shops, so we spent a lot of time wandering around and picking up some souvenirs. I also forced my mom into her third bookstore of the trip – Sherman’s Book Store. Such a great shop!

We only had one full day in Maine, and we tried to make the most of it with a visit to Acadia National Park! I purchased a vehicle pass for Cadillac Mountain because your girls are not hikers, and I was trying my best not to injure myself on this trip. We got to enjoy the beauty of Cadillac Mountain and then eventually started driving through the park, stopping at little lookouts here and there. I was really looking forward to going to Sand Beach/Thunder Hole, but just as we were in line to pass through, they shut down this entrance due to a medical emergency.

A bummer for us, but much more so for whoever was dealing with the emergency. I couldn’t find anything online about what happened, so I hope it wasn’t too serious. Anyway, we made the best of it and went the other way, eventually ending up at Schooner Head Overlook.

I’m proud to say that nobody was hurt on this trail, so success! We took our time, let the more athletic people pass us, and enjoyed being surrounded by nature. And we were definitely treated to a beautiful view! We opted not to be too adventurous here by climbing on too many rocks, but it was a great stopping point.

We meandered around the rest of Park Loop Road, stopping here and there, and eventually making our way back to our B&B. We parked the car and then headed out for a delicious lunch (below). Afterward, we took it relatively easy! We meandered around the shops for a while, then went back to the B&B where we napped, read, and lazed around until dinnertime. We went for a super delicious dinner at McKay’s Public House to cap off our time in Maine!

It was a great introduction to Maine, but there is so much more to explore. I definitely need to go back!

Maine Quick Facts

When we visited: Thursday, October 8th – Friday, October 9th
Steps taken: 14,909 (over two days)
Pictures taken: 54
Best sleep: Friday (8 hours)
Favorite experience: Seeing all of the fall colors on our way to Bar Harbor
Favorite restaurant: Blaze (where the pizza above was from – so damn good!)
Favorite little moment: Listening to a conversation between two middle-aged friends while we were at Nubble Lighthouse. One of the friends said, “This is such a beautiful day!” And the friend responded, “Every day is a beautiful day when I’m spending it with you.” Corny, yes, but it melted my heart!
Souvenirs bought: two magnets (Nubble Lighthouse and Maine), a lighthouse print, a long-sleeved Acadia National Park shirt, an ornament, and two books

What kind of hiker are you: the kind who climbs on rocks like it ain’t no thing, or someone who is a bit more cautious like me?

Categories: Travel

New England Road Trip | Three Days in Boston

We started our New England road trip in Boston, MA. I visited Boston with book club in 2019, but my mom had never been, so it was a great starting spot for us. I enjoyed returning to this city that I really loved, and getting to do some things we didn’t get around to the first time around.

Here’s what we got up to!

Trident Booksellers

After dropping our bags off at the hotel, our first stop was a bookstore. Trident Booksellers was a 10-minute walk from our hotel, and the brewery we wanted to go to didn’t open for another hour, so it was a no-brainer. Trident is such a cool bookstore where I found yet another gorgeous copy of Anne of Green Gables to add to my collection, along with an Agatha Christie mystery. They had a great curation of books, bookish items, games, house decor, and Boston souvenirs. I opted for two books and a sticker!

New England Aquarium

Our next stop was Trillium Brewery, but when we arrived, there was a sign saying they were closed for a private event. WAH! We walked over to the Boston Public Market for a quick lunch, although it wasn’t really our scene. (A great spot if you’re a foodie, though!) We found a burger shop and called it a day. I just needed to eat something and a burger and fries sounded great to me.

After getting some sustenance, we headed over to the New England Aquarium. My mom loves visiting aquariums whenever we travel, and this one was definitely a must-visit. There were sea lions, penguins, stingrays, and huuuuge sea turtles (my mom’s fave!). And, of course, lots of fish and small sharks and all that jazz. We spent a lot of time with the penguins and also happened upon the sea lion exhibit right as the trainers were giving a speech and letting the animals show off their skills, so that was a lot of fun! We spent a few hours at the aquarium, and once my mom got an alert that our room was ready to check in, we high-tailed out of there so we could get off our feet and RELAX.

Boston Public Garden/Beacon Hill

Our first full day in Boston, we did a lot of walking! We walked Boston Public Garden, part of Boston Common, and Beacon Hill, which are all located in the same little square. I enjoyed perusing the stacks at Beacon Hill Books, although I didn’t see anything I really wanted to buy. What they did have were some copies of Emma M. Lion. I’m starting to collect physical copies of these books, and while I was hoping to snatch up the second volume (I had already purchased the first volume), the closest I could get was volume four. Oh, well! It was something, at least!

Acorn Street

In my Boston research, I kept hearing about Acorn Street, which is supposedly one of the most photographed streets in the United States. TBH, it was… fine? I mean, it was definitely gorgeous, especially in the fall, but it didn’t blow me away. However, I did force my mom to take some photos with me. Of course, every other tourist in Boston decided they wanted their pictures as well, and they didn’t seem to care that they were in everyone’s way! Ah well. That’s the magic of technology. I removed the background characters from my photo, and voilà! It’s like we were the only ones there. Muahaha.

Bull and Finch Pub (aka, the Cheers bar)

This was a must-visit for us, as my mom loved Cheers (and I watched a few seasons myself, and enjoyed them!). We stopped here for lunch, even though there was a wait. We poked around the gift shop, took some pictures outside, and eventually our table was ready. The food was surprisingly good! It’s pricey, as you might expect for a tourist trap like this, but my mom and I split a plate of chicken tenders and fries, which was a great decision. It was all very tasty!

View Boston

We picked sunset tickets for our View Boston experience, and it was a gorgeous way to end the day! We took a stroll around the place, and got lots of great daytime pictures, and then we found a couch where we could relax and watch the sun go down on the city! It wasn’t until after sunset, as we were walking downstairs to get to the elevator, that I learned there was a whole second floor we could have explored and it had a full bar. Womp, womp!

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

If there is anywhere to go while you’re in Boston, it is here. This was, hands down, my favorite thing we did in Boston. It’s a whole experience, too, as you go through the entire journey – what led to the Boston Tea Party, what happened during the actual event, and how it set off a chain of events that eventually led to the Revolutionary War. And, of course, you get to “throw tea” in the harbor. You start in a “meeting room” for an assembly (the final meeting of December 16, 1773, which led directly to the Boston Tea Party), then go through the motions of the tea party, and then walk through a few more interactive exhibits that take you through what was happening in the colonies in the immediate aftermath. It was so cool and I loved every minute of it.

Fenway Park

We had a bit of time after the museum before it was time for our next excursion: Fenway Park! Mom and I are not baseball fans, but it was still really cool to visit this iconic landmark in Boston and hear the history of the Red Sox. It was about an hour, and there was a lot of sitting in all the different seats around the stadium: from the original wooden seats from 1934 to the Green Monster seats to the press box. I like all the sitting, muahahaha. It was a really neat experience, and I’m sure even cooler for someone who is an actual baseball fan.

Ghosts & Gravestones Boston

We had to do a ghost tour while we were in Boston! Unfortunately, this ghost tour just didn’t do it for me. I love a ghost tour that’s a mix of history with really creepy stories, and this one just seemed to have a lot of creepy stories without the historical connection I crave. We did get to visit the graves of Franklin and Revere at night, so that was cool! But it just wasn’t my favorite ghost tour, which is fine. They can’t all be winners!

Boston Quick Facts

When we visited: Monday, October 5th – Wednesday, October 7th
Steps taken: 34,556 (over three days)
Pictures taken: 155
Best sleep: Tuesday (9 hours, 3 minutes)
Favorite experience: Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
Favorite restaurant: Bull and Finch (although the fries at Bleacher Bar in Fenway were out of this world!)
Favorite little moment: Making up stories about the penguins with my mom at the aquarium
Souvenirs bought: a mug, an ornament, a magnet, a bookmark, and three books (Anne of Green Gables, The Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie, and volume 4 of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion)

Have you ever done a ghost tour?

Categories: Travel

London, UK | Day 6 | Towers & Tours & Tea

Our last day in London was Monday, October 6th. We had a full day planned, starting with a tour of the Tower Bridge at 10am.

We had a quick breakfast at McDonald’s because I wanted to see how their sausage egg McMuffins stacked up to the U.S. The verdict? U.S. > U.K. for this one!

The Tower Bridge was a five-minute walk from our hotel, so we walked over and started our self-guided tour. There were lots of signs and details about how the bridge was built and all the people involved in keeping it running. It was fascinating! What I loved most, though, were the kid-friendly placards scattered throughout the exhibits, complete with the most adorable cat that I quickly became obsessed with.

I also loved the glass floors of the bridge. I know these terrify some people, but I love them. I think they’re so cool!

Once we finished touring the bridge itself, we followed a winding path to the engine rooms to learn more about the engineering that powers the bridge. This was pretty cool because it showed impressive steam engines and the process they went through to raise and lower the bridge throughout the day. With each new room you entered, there would be a new steam engine going through a different process until you worked your way through the entire raising and lowering process. Pretty cool!

After our tour, we spent some time in the gift shop, where I bought another magnet and a print of the Tower Bridge. I love collecting local art when I travel, even if it’s mass-produced like this one likely was. But whatever. It’s pretty and I thought it was worth it.

Then we walked back to the hotel and played on our phones for a bit before walking to a nearby restaurant for lunch. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant, and I took exactly zero pictures, even though the place was so cute (especially the restrooms, lol). I ordered shepherd’s pie that was so delish! Shepherd’s pie might be my all-time favorite comfort food – yum, yum!

After lunch, we got an Uber to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Here’s where I come clean and say I wasn’t all that excited about this excursion. We had a small window of time (around two hours) to tour the cathedral, and my feet were hurting a lot by the end of the trip, so it seemed like it would be a big to-do for a lackluster experience. But my mom really wanted to tour St. Paul’s Cathedral, so off we went.

And man, I’m so glad we did because it might have been my favorite place in all of London. It was stunning. I couldn’t believe such a beautiful, holy, reverent place just seemed to be in the middle of London. As we were nearing the cathedral, I peeked out the window of the Uber and gasped when I saw the dome come into view. It’s just not something you see every day!

I would’ve liked another hour at St. Paul’s Cathedral, especially to climb some of the stairs and get a different vantage point, but we didn’t have the time and frankly, the energy. So we walked through the nave, dome, and quire while listening to the audio guide and taking in all of the incredible architecture. We took our time, sitting when we needed to, and walking when we wanted to see more of the cathedral.

We also visited the crypt, which was quite an interesting experience! We were most curious to see Florence Nightingale’s memorial, although it took us way too long to find it. (We probably passed it three or four times before we realized, sigh.)

Soon, it was back to sunshine-y London and another Uber back to the hotel. We had about 20 minutes of downtime before we had to get ready for afternoon tea at the Shard!

While I am not a tea drinker, my mom definitely is, and I wanted her to have an afternoon tea experience while we were in London. There is quite an array of options, as one might expect, but we opted for the Peter Pan afternoon tea because it looked like the most fun and had the type of menu that appealed to us the most.

We had a great corner seat, and I was delighted that I was able to order a mocha for afternoon “tea.” (Yes, coffee at 4pm. I had two and had no trouble sleeping because I AM BROKEN.) I’ll admit that the food was so-so, but we’re also picky eaters, and I would assume most people with normal palates would really enjoy the offerings! At this point, it has been over a month since afternoon tea, so I have no recollection of anything we ate, but I think there was a chocolate mousse my mom really enjoyed and some scones with clotted cream that I really enjoyed.

We had such a fun experience, though, and thoroughly enjoyed our tea and coffee and the gorgeous views. It was a great way to end our London trip, and we both agreed that while things didn’t unfold exactly the way we wanted them to, we had fun, and we definitely wanted to come back and do all the things we didn’t get to do. <3

Categories: Travel

London, UK | Day 5 | Castles, Cliffs & Cathedrals

On Sunday, October 5th, my mom and I woke up early because we had a day trip planned! We decided to get to the bus station early so we could stop by Starbucks before our tour. I was intrigued to see that they offered a pumpkin spice macchiato, which I’ve never seen on a menu in the U.S.! It wasn’t as sweet as I wanted it to be, so a bit of a disappointment.

Anyway, right around 9 am, we all boarded the bus, and we were off to Leeds Castle, which was about an hour and a half away. This is a historic landmark in the UK where many different queens have lived, including Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon. While the castle itself is only about 200 years old, the site has been around since the 800s!

Mom and I love a good castle tour, so we definitely enjoyed ourselves. One of the most recent owners of Leeds Castle was a woman named Lady Baillie, who used her extensive fortune to repair and restore the castle and all of its associated buildings. One of my favorite stories of this woman is how she would have dinner parties but would stay upstairs until a few hours in, and then reluctantly join the group. That’s my kinda girl!

My favorite part of the castle was, of course, the library. It was so beautiful! Look at this window seat – can you imagine spending your mornings with a cup of coffee and a good book and staring at this view? Sigh!

After touring the castle, Mom and I strolled around the grounds. We poked around in the gift shop, where I got a beautiful leather bookmark, and then I wanted to find the bookshop that was listed on the map we were given. We had a hard time finding it, until I realized I was looking at the map wrong and it was in an entirely different area of the estate. Womp, womp!

We had about two hours to enjoy the castle and its accompanying attractions before it was time to board the bus again and head to our second stop of the day: the Cliffs of Dover. Since I have seen the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, I think my expectations were a bit too high. These cliffs were fine, but we were pretty far away from them, and this was more of a quick photo-op stop than anything else. We had maybe 20 minutes here. Apparently, though, if you squint hard enough, you can see France in the distance. (I did not see France, but I also wasn’t sure what I was looking for.)

Also, during this stop, my mom took a tumble! She was trying to step onto a sidewalk to get a photo, and lost her footing and fell right onto the rough pebbles. I was not a very good daughter when this happened. I am usually a very good daughter, but I always get nervous when my mom falls (did she hit her head? can she stand? is she okay???), and it manifests as panic. A nice older man stopped to make sure she was okay, and she said she was, and so I was like, “Well, get up then. People are staring.” LISTEN, I SAID I WAS NOT A GOOD DAUGHTER. I AM NOT PROUD OF THIS. My mom gave me a death glare, and even the older man was like, “She can take a moment if she needs it.” Anyway, my mom’s knee was a little bruised, but she was ultimately fine. And I apologized.

Once we were done at the Cliffs, it was time for our last stop of the day, which was Canterbury Cathedral. What a beautiful place! It was founded in 597 AD (but rebuilt in 1174 after a fire), which is just something I can’t wrap my mind around. This is also the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, who is the spiritual leader of the Church of England. Even cooler – they recently announced that the next archbishop is a woman, and the first woman to hold this position. Great job, England!

The architecture of this cathedral is stunning. Sometimes it’s hard to believe I’m allowed to walk around in a place so holy and reverent. And it really made me think a lot about my faith and how different religion is treated in England than in America. Of course, I’m just seeing the touristy parts of England, so maybe I’m naive and things are just as bad there as here, but it just feels like the church there is about loving people and helping people. With the rise of Christian Nationalism in the U.S., Christianity doesn’t look anything like that here, which is really sad.

After viewing the cathedral, we were given about an hour-ish to explore the town of Canterbury on our own. My mom and I poked around in a few gift shops where I bought a cute mug, some bookmarks, and some souvenirs for friends. Then, we found a pub for lunch where Mom ate a whole meal (yay!) What I found funny is that there was an NFL game playing in London at this time, but there were no TVs in this pub showing that game. Instead, it was all about the real football (aka soccer to us Americans).

Soon it was time to board the bus and head back to London! This was an excellent day trip and I really enjoyed myself. Plus, our tour guide was fantastic. She was personable and was great about giving us quiet time throughout the bus rides, so we could relax.

There’s not much else to say about this day! We got back to London around 6 p.m., got an Uber back to our hotel, and then relaxed for the rest of the night. Oh, except I was hungry and we decided to walk to the McDonald’s that was near our hotel. I wanted a McFlurry, some fries, and, for some reason, they had mozzarella sticks on their menu, so I had to get those, too. (A very healthy, well-balanced dinner, I know.) This McDonald’s didn’t have any seating—you would order from a kiosk and then wait for your number to be called. When we were there, we saw one woman steal a McFlurry from the drinks table, and then, when she was called out on it, she caused a ruckus. And then another man was being super rude to one of the workers, and McFlurry Stealer decided to yell at him, and then he started recording her as they were yelling at each other, and I was like, “Oh my god, am I going to be in some random viral video?” We got out of there before anything else crazy happened, but whew. I was not expecting that!

What a day! Castles, cliffs, cathedrals, and catfights – oh my!