For our 30th Anniversary, Liz and I booked a cruise over a year ago. Finally the day arrived and we enjoyed our first cruise ever.
I really didn't want to go to the Caribbean, so instead we headed north on a 9 night New England and Canadian trip. Leaving out of Baltimore, we made stops in Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine, then stops in Saint John, New Brunswick and Halifax, Nova Scotia. On the way back to Baltimore we spent a day in Boston.
I like cruising more than I thought I would. We really hit it off with our table-mates for dinner, which helps. We had one very rough day at the beginning as we sailed into the remnants of hurricane Katia, and one mildly rough day at the end as we grazed another that stayed well out to sea (Marie?).
In Portland, Liz and I hit the LL Bean flagship store (in Freeport, not too far away), where I got to eyeball a bunch of gear up close to perfectly prioritize potential purchases. Say that 3 times fast.
In Bar Harbor, I did a bus tour of the stunningly beautiful Acadia National Park, including to the top of Cadillac Mountain. My hike on the Ocean Trail was cancelled. Apparently not enough people are crazy enough to think walking outside is fun. Dammit. I bought maps and guide books, Maine isn't *that* far away from here.
In Saint John and Halifax, Liz and I just headed into the towns and enjoyed exploring on our own. In Boston, I took the "Freedom Trail" walking tour, where we visited the burial ground where Paul Revere (among others) is buried. Then we went to the site of the Boston Massacre, then the North Church (one if by land, two if by sea) and Paul Revere's house. Lots more along the way as well. Pretty cool.
Of course, as soon as we got home, the flu kicked my ass. I still went to work most of the week - self-quarantined - and I'm just starting to feel better.
Here are a couple watercolor paintings I did while on vacation.
A buoy in Portland, Maine:
This was inspired by a lighthouse in Nova Scotia:
Friday, September 23, 2011
Vacation Recap
Posted by Ted at 7:24 PM
Labels: Boring Stories, Clan Phipps, Lifetoys, Outdoors
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2 comments:
Your were in my old stomping grounds. I grew up in Bath, Me just north to Freeport. I've lived in both Freeport and Portland. I went to college in Orono - about half an hour inland from Bar Harbor.
It's a shame about the Hike in Acadia, you would have loved it. I've been up Cadillac twice. Once by car, once on foot. (hitched a ride back down!)
Good choice for a cruise destination. You aren't dealing with the fake cruise ship twins of the Caribbean. What you see is what you get and where the the locals live and and work.
"fake cruise ship towns"
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