My facination with Cape Cod...and the man from Nantucket

My love of all things Cape Cod like began as a young 17 year old watching my first real horror flick 'Cape Fear' with Robert De Nero & Jessica Lang.  In those days I was a big Jessica Lang fan and although I definately was not into horror films I loved this one as I was introduced to a love of the Cape and its landscapes and beautiful Cape houses which were so vastly different to my Australian view of the world.  Those Cape images stayed with me and conjered up a dream that one day I would visit and see this beautiful landscape for myself. 

As strange as life works its wonderous ways, my brother in law's girlfriend just happens to reside on the Cape and after many emails back and forth we planned to meet each other and were taken around the Cape in style via Rebecca's jeep. To meet this wonderful lady and her two gorgeous girls certainly gave 'life' to my holiday.  To have a connection with someone close to the family while I was missing my own made me feel 'less homesick' if that makes sense.  Rebecca kindly drove up to Boston first and took me on a trip to the outlets of which I had heard many stories of how cheap things were. Well,  not on the day we went - I didn't see much at all with a price tag below $150 - $300 and me not being a 'brand name' girl, really couldnt justify spending of that kind when I still had New York to go, so happily we set off to the mall to find a $17 pair of flats to heal my aching feet which had developed blisters from my new sneakers bought earlier in the week.

Rebecca and her two beautiful girls kindly came back a few days later to our accomodation in Falmouth (pronounced Fell Myth not Fall mouth as I was incorrectly saying it lol) to take us down to the tip of the Cape as we described ourselves driving to the 'end of the earth' if you know Cape Cod at all, Provincetown is right on the very tip end with nothing ahead of it but the wide ocean.  After a fun filled day with lots of laughter and a tearful goodbye we parted but both hold special memories and valued presents until we meet again...

We had been fortunate enough to have fine weather but it was about to turn and on the day we left for Nantucket, it was raining hard.  Of course my nerves made me doubt if I really should be on the sea in the rain, however our inn keeper assured me all will be fine and I am glad we went ahead with our booked accomodation on the island. Our lovely innkeepers took it upon themselves to drive us all the way to Hyannis to catch the ferry which was a 40 min drive seeing as the weather had turned nasty.

Nantucket Island, a haven for the rich and famous or who's who in America, or maybe thats more Martha's Vineyard with the Kennedy compound, but both boast a wonderful getaway from the mainland of Eastern USA and is certainly known to be one of the premier vacation destinations on this side of the world. For me, Nantucket is the prettiest little island I have ever seen. All of the buildings are made of those classic grey sea weatherboards also a signature of Cape Cod houses.

Nantucket is an old whaling town seeping with so much history its a shame we are only here overnight as its the prettiest little town I have ever seen. When I reached the island today I was not dissapointed.  All of those pictures in my mind stood out in front of me, the weathered houses, the crisp white trim and the cobbled streets....as beautiful today as they have been for centuries. Today we walked those cobbled streets, shopped in the quaint little shops and poked our heads into some galleries.  Tomorrow much of the same, something tells me you would not get sick of walking around here for a day or three.  But sadly for us, time is ticking along...we are nearly at the end of our second week - has it gone that quickly already? Some nights when I am lying in bed missing my husband and kids I do feel I have had enough but know that I must treasure every minute as I am very blessed to have had this opportunity and really am loving my time with each little adventure along the way.

Tomorrow its back to Boston for one last night then on the train to the big apple.  The last week of our trip I know will be absolutely amazing and I only hope I dont run out of steam before I get there. Travelling is hard work, particularly carrying heavy cases around from place to place, most of the innkeeper have helped us carry them but I will be glad to stay put in one place as we will be doing in in NYC.

We are staying here tonight and I can tell from the inside of this amazing old place that it holds lots of stories of people gone by:

http://www.unioninn.com/

3 things I loved:

Inn on the sound - my very special B&B we stayed in at Falmouth, Cape Cod, take a look: http://www.innonthesound.com/

Nantucket Island - if you get as far as Cape Cod, you MUST visit
Meeting our new friends Rebecca, Katelyn and Abigail

Vermont & New Hampshire, the reason for it all...

If you are familiar with quintesential New England, you most likely have an image of a rolling farm with a big red barn, white picket fence, white church steeples in the distance of rolling hills and the most amazing fall splash of colours, vibrant reds and deep oranges, yes this is the picture of fall in Vermont...and the drawing card for this trip of mine.

Acer saccharum (Sugar Maple) is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, Apparently the vibrant colours of these magnificent trees attract people from all over the world such as myself.  The locals call people like me 'leaf peepers'. Before I arrived here I often wondered, am I hoping for something so wonderful I may be let down?  Could the colours possibly be better than some of the hues I have witnessed in our own beautiful land?

Unfortunately, it was not what I was expecting, in fact we were a week too early for the hues I was looking for. The locals say its because of all the rain they have had, the foliage was not great this year and actually we only saw the beginning of this wonderful change.  By the third day of driving across from Vermont to New Hampshire to Maine we did manage to see some brilliant colours, particularly up north of Jackson in New Hampshire, so I became a bit more content as the days went on.  All in all, we got to realise just how beautiful the whole area must look when it is at its peak and felt lucky that we were there witnessing the beginning of this amazing beauty. Of course there is plenty of other sights to see besides the leaves which I loved such as the quaint towns, the familiarity of the red barns you see in most American shows and pictures and  the covered bridges, also unique to this side of the world.

The one thing I learned pretty quickly while researching which New England state to stay in for my fall trip was how competative the Vermonters and New Hampshireans are about the 'best' fall foilage scenery.  It was quite amusing particularly when I thought my Vermont experience was all but over once Hurricane Irene swept through, I began making further enquiries regarding where to stay in Vermont or New Hampshire and innkeepers in both states never failed to let me know that in their opinion their state was so much nicer.  My opinion now that I have seen all three states is that New Hampshire offered the best in terms of beautiful scenery not only in the mountains but also the lakes around Lake Winnepesauke which was absolutely stunning and a favourite summer haunt among the people here.

I am sure when I look back on my photos and see all the colours we did manage to capture, the white steeples, red barns and covered bridges I think we took in the most of what these states offer.

My accomodation for this week was at The Fan House in Vermont and The Riverbend Inn in New Hampshire (so far my favourite)

http://www.thefanhouse.com/

http://www.riverbendinn.com/

I must add here a huge thankyou to Rima who drove approx 430 miles (she worked it out to be over 700 km!) through 3 states in 5 days so we covered a lot of ground.  Rima did splendidly driving on the other side of the road, getting used to the GPS and the traffic signals and signs aside from keeping me reassured that we were not lost only changing routes a little lol!!

So to my family - I am bringing home real Vermont Maple syrup for us to make hot steamy pancakes, just the way the Vermonters do it...

3 things I loved:


The quietness and simpleness of this end of the world
New Hampshire did not add tax to everything you buy (its a political thing)
The covered bridges and red barns we found along the way

Not so much :

We were a week early for peak colour
The driving gave my nerves a good work over for the week

Hello Boston, have we met before?

OK, I know its been a long time between posts, well actually only a week and 1 day but boy what we have done in that time is a heck of a lot.  From Melbourne it was a long 14 hours to LA.  I did not sleep one iota,  so suffice to say I was a little shaky and a bit overwhelmed by the time I arrived. My first image of America at LA airport was a little less than I was expecting.  I have heard the stories about this airport however in your mind you still conjure up an image of stars and ribbons.  Not to be I am afraid, I can only describe it as dismal.  We waited in a queue for 2 hours moving very slowly just to get our finger prints of both hands as well as an iris photo.  I was asked why I had come and replied 'to see the leaves' - 'is that it' the unsmiling attendant replied and I said, 'oh and a few other things' lol - he looked at me very strangely then waved me on to another long line where we had to check out of customs and find our connecting flight to Boston with American Airlines.  Thank God I had Rima with me as she had done this before and was far more confident than I of what we were doing, plus she had managed some sleep on the plane.  American Airlines were very good and punctual unlike V Australia who left a bit to be desired unfortunately so all in all I arrived safely and excited to begin my journey after being in the air a total of 20 hours!  I made a mental note that when Bill and I do this in 2016 we will take a week to get here with 2 stops on the way.

My first images of Boston made me feel as if I have been here before.  It must be that in my mind I have visited plenty of times, with the re-runs of 'Cheers' playing in my head as I laughed through each episode with my Dad. Also more recently another American sitcom favourite of mine 'Frasier' with a few 'Lilith' episodes from Boston and those stately mansions I envied she lived in.

Our first night was spent at the The Buckminster Hotel which was built in 1897 and was one of the first hotels built in the Boston area.  It is right opposite Fenway Park the official home of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since 1912 and is one of only 3 classic baseball parks in the States still used today, the other two being Chicago's Wrigley Field and LA's Doger stadium. (how's that for stats Matt? lol). I had fun checking this place at closer however since the games are over at this time of year I only got to get into the gift store but that in itself was fun. There may just be a Boston Sox cap coming someone's way...

http://www.bostonhotelbuckminster.com/aboutus.html


We had an amazing introduction to American food on that night at a place near Fenway Park which had lots of old memorablilia and pictures mounting the wall s of baseball. We ordered a chicken grilled burger with fries which was really delicious and decided that from then on we will share our meals as they really are massive!

Now after a week of travelling upstate we are back in Boston again, this time at a more chic area of Boston Newbury Street called the Newbury Guest House, a 19th century brownstone:


http://newburyguesthouse.com/

 This is certainly a pretty part of Boston I will be exploring more of  tomorrow.  I hope to visit Quincy Market, the Boston Public Library and all of the beautiful designer shops around this street. Mel, I popped into Zara today and bought a t shirt as it has become warm and I dont have enough summer gear with me.  The prices seem pretty cheap to me only $25.

Today I met Rebecca as well, she kindly came to my guest house all the way from the Cape and we went to the outlets we had heard so much about. After poking our noses in 2 shops which had sale prices of still well over hundreds of dollars we decided I'd be better off shopping at a local mall so that is how we spent the day driving quite a distance but chatting happily away and laughing at the different way that I apparently say things lol!

Speaking of which, you don't realise you actually have an accent until you step out of Australia, I have had plenty of people look at me very strangely and I too have struggled with what someone is trying to ask me - but its all good fun and I am getting better at it lol...


3 things I love:


The beautiful brownstones of which I am currently residing in
The fact that everything around here is open until late
The architecture on many buildings is exquisite

Start spreading the news.....Goodbye Melbourne I'll see you in 24 days!

Whew...the last few days have left me feeling slightly anxious as I have scrambled to get everything done and organised.  As I get older my brain tends to shut down if I get too stressed I have noticed and I become one big brain mushed idiot lol.  I have had to write lists for the past 3 days just to make sure I do not forget anything which is really important!

I had a wonderful farewell morning tea at work with lots of American themed food such as hotdogs, donuts and popcorn - by the end of the afternoon I was suffering with one almighty headache, not sure if it was the preservatives and sugar I have been trying to recently avoid or a mixture of the food, lack of sleep and a slight case of nerves!  Anyway no stopping to rest as I had to head off shopping to grab my last minute items.

After a whirlwind goodbye visit tonight to Bre's to say goodbye to her and Jase and give my gorgeous grandchildren a big kiss and cuddle from 'Grandma' (they are all moving to Geelong this weekend as well).  Then  it was a last minute stop to the supermarket as I nearly forgot to buy the Glad snap lock bags I needed for the on luggage small items. Its a whole other world this travel caper as I have learned today, blow up foot cushions, head rests, plastic bottles - I have already dipped into the credit card I am afraid...

Its been a long while since I have sat on a plane longer than 3 hours, lets see, the last long haul trip was 1987 - yep.... and I was a vibrant 23 year old. I am not afraid to admit that I am slightly anxious about it however I wont let it spoil my day tomorrow - hopefully once I get on the plane and settle in for the ride I can relax...after all,  seriously I will have nothing to do for the next 20 odd hours except just be and go with the flow....what?  No-one to bother me, no-one demanding my attention, no cats or dogs wanting to be fed? - what is this strange thing called - perhaps bliss? LOL only joking my darling family :)

Thank goodness I have Bill helping me with my packing and last minute lessons on how to use the camera, then its off to try and sleep before I say goodbye to Melbourne for a while....Start spreading the news...I'm leaving today.... (well tomorrow actually) I want to be a part of it - New York, New York!! Are you all singing with me?

Anyway, this party must end so I can go and try to get some shuteye but lastly, just a few rules while I am gone:

• Please don't kill each other
• All hands on deck for the working bee engagement party cleanup
• Any dramas can wait until I return
• Tammy gets fed daily
• and the only party that will be held is a clean up one in prep for the engagement lol - all hands on deck

3 Things I know I will love :)

• I get to do whatever I want for 3 whole weeks
• Seeing the spectacular fall foilage and quintessential American towns
• NYC!!

Not so much

Saying goodbye to my family for 3 weeks :(
Putting on extra pounds as I know I will eat...

Getting ready for the big trip

Who would have known there is so much to get ready for a trip away from the family!  I am only heading off for three weeks however it will seem like a lot longer for me as I have never been away from Bill for more than a week, not in 22 years. Dont worry I wont be pining...I wont have time for that - there is far too much on this trip that I want to accomplish. Bill is kindly parting with his most valuable possessions, the iphone and his Sony camera in order for me to come back with some beautiful shots which he will edit with his photographic eye I so I hope I can do the scenery justice.  I plan to frame them in black and white to place around the house eventually.

I have exactly one week until I fly off, so much still to do; I need to get an international travel licence and make sure I DO NOT forget to apply for my VISA, buy all those last minute things and book into getting my hair cut.  Must make a list as I am sure I will forget something with this menapausal brain of mine.  Thank goodness for iphone applications - which I need to spend the next few weeks learning how to use otherwise this may be the end of my blogs!. Changing money has been fun, especially with the Australian Dollar in a good position.  I only hope it stays strong over the next few years for when Bill and I go on our big trip in 4 years time.

I have painstakinly but thoroughly enjoyed researching the best inns and accomodation my budget would allow.  I wanted to capture that quintesential American feel in places I have held in my heart such as Vermont, New Hampshire and Cape Cod in New England as well as occupying an old historic 'brownstone' in Boston and an apartment in Manhattan.  From the varying accomadations Rima and I selected together we will certainly get the feel of living as Americans do, not as tourists, I didnt want that, I wanted to feel the experience and live it. I will share our self selected beautiful accomodations to those of you reading this blog.  You will get to see the different places we get to stay in as this is all part of my experience and is as exciting to me as being there knowing that each and every place will be as special as the last and will carry its own special story.

My search for the perfect accomodation did not all go to plan however, Mother nature got in my way 4 weeks out of departure and and at the eleventh hour I was racing to find alternative accomodation due to Hurricane Irene flattening a good part of the farm where we were to stay, so that experience has been altered, however we do intend to still visit Woodstock, we are just not staying there.  I wonder if there is a reason for this, if now I will see something new that was never on my radar, or perhaps avoid something that I cannot see just now? Whatever the reason was, it has moved us in order to be where we are meant to be at this particular moment in time.

I have a special thanks to put here and that is firstly to my darling husband who has seen me cancel this trip twice before and has never allowed me to let go of my dream, who will see me off and come and collect me when all is said and done, attending to the needs of the household, painting and cleaning the house in order to host an engagement party for our daughter the weekend I return!  Yes, he does deserve a medal for what he contributes to our little family. My second thankyou is for my travel partner, Rima, a dear friend who I have known for 12 years. I am sure in the three weeks of close proximity we may send each other a little crazy however nothing we cant work out. Thankyou so much Rima for sharing this trip with me; I can assure you it will be nothing less than spectacular!!

And of course a special mention to 'the kids', Matt, Mel & Trent, Bre & Jase who have always been very supportive of me taking off and never looked bored whenever I spoke to them about my trip and how many days I had left :)  I hope you enjoy my blogs as they are for you as much as for your Dad xx