Maine to Cape Cod, MA

After Belfast, we meandered our way down the rocky East coast of New England, through many sleepy and quaint fishing villages with stunning scenery, and enjoying the remainder of the fall foliage which is in its last throws of color.

Boothbay Harbor

Pemaquid lighthouse

There are many lighthouses dotted along this stretch of coast and in particular we stopped at Pemaquid lighthouse which features on the Maine quarter dollar coin. In the stunningly tranquil Boothbay Harbor we had an unexpected doggie fix when we met four black labs in the"Two Salty Dogs"  pet outfitters - it's friendly owner having acquired two more dogs since opening his shop !

Continuing south we visited the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, at the site of the former Percy and Small shipyard on the banks of the Kennebec river. We learnt about the Victorian era of boat building on this site, wondered at the skill and sheer effort it took to build these huge trading ships, and took a short boat ride on the river to see more lighthouses, bald eagles nesting in the trees and wild seals swimming and fishing in the river estuary.

Full size representation of the six masted schooner
"Wyoming"at the Maine Maritime Museum

South of Falmouth and another lighthouse fix at Portland Head, we passed through or near towns with names like Wells, York, and Portsmouth, Dover, Exeter and Newbury. It's not hard to understand why this area is called New England. We stopped for several days at Marblehead, a small peninsula just north of Boston, in a charming little B and B where we met some great people as well as Mulligan, the lovely Golden Retriever.

Bewitched in Salem !

From here we visited nearby Salem, which trades extensively on it's well known history of witch trials in the late 1600's. It was interesting to learn about the hysteria that happened here though there is much more to Salem with its rich maritime history of trading with China and the East Indies. It became the port of choice during the Boston Port Act and is also the birthplace of the National Guard, so there is plenty to see and do here.

A 15 minute car journey south followed by 20 minutes on the metro and we were in the city of Boston for a day trip. Founded in 1630, it is one of the oldest cities in the USA and the scene of several key events in the American Revolution. The weather was not kind to us but despite the rain and driving wind we walked the full length of the Freedom Trail. Its a 2.5 mile long brick path weaving its way through the city past many significant buildings and places of historical interest.

Selfie from the water taxi, with Boston skyline in the background

Starting at the site of the Boston Massacre, where in 1770 five colonialists were killed by British soldiers, we walked the trail to the monument at Bunker Hill where we climbed the 294 steps to the top for a great view over the Boston Skyline. Continuing onward we visited the Charlestown Naval Yard - one of the oldest shipyards in the USA, and the USS Constitution - the oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat. After all that we took a short water taxi ride back to Faneuil Hall and the Quincy Market - we'd have liked to have seen the site of the Boston Tea Party but time was against us and our legs had just about had enough for the day too.

So onto Cape Cod, where we have just arrived for the weekend. We have plenty planned in the coming week or two so please do check back for our next update.