Lobster!

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In the little town of Alma, we found the seafood store that will cook a lobster for you and serve it with butter.  It was fantastic!  We ate it on a picnic table on Alma Beach.

C-A-N-A-D-A!

We drove through the border at Calais and have arrived in Nouveau Brunswick.  There are lots of French signs and we notice lots of French speakers.

We visited St. Andrew’s by the sea.IMG_20150710_162846765

 

And, strolled around St. John, not to be confused with St. John’s, Newfoundland.

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Already, we are astounded by how incredibly friendly the people are here.  –“Where are you from?  What would you like to see?”

Jordan Pond, Acadia National Park

We walked the trail around Jordan Pond, met an overly friendly deer — I’ve become rather tick-phobic so wasn’t thrilled.

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And, had to try Jordan Pond’s traditional tea with popovers, basically Yorkshire pudding served with jam and butter.

 

 

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Every National Park we’ve visited has the peaks/summits accessible for everyone.    We drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain, the highest elevation in Acadia.

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Acadia National Park

We spent the day exploring Acadia National Park, hiking on the granite hills and swimming in the cold Atlantic. The park has a free shuttle service which allows you to hike across the park and hop on a shuttle back to your campsite.

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Tonight, we’re hanging out at the park in Bar Harbor, using the park’s free WiFi and enjoying the view.  Acadia is an interesting park as the parklands are scattered amongst both public and private land.  Bar Harbor is quite beautiful but a wee touristy.IMG_20150708_175406257

 

 

 

 

On the road again, …

Well, we started in Washington, flew to Pennsylvania, landed in New Jersey, visited New York and stayed in Connecticut.  Now, we’ve driven through Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and now, are in Maine.  We stopped by Bob’s  for Clams.  Apparently, Bob’s was featured on Drive-ins, Diners and Dives.  I had my first lobster roll –delicious! And of course, we had to try Bob’s and Lillian’s Clams.

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We arrived at Acadia National Park at about 9:30.  The rodes have no signage & it was foggy and very misty.  We were those people you feel badly for…the kind that are tired, grumpy and have to set up their tent after dark.

 

 

Boston

We had a full day in Boston, walking the Freedom Trail and visiting the Boston Tea Party Museum.

We started the Freedom Trail at Boston Common, America’s oldest public park. Then, on to the Granary Burying Ground, an old cemetery, full of well-known revolutionaries.  Some sites dating back to the late 1600s.

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Some of the famous heroes include Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and John Hancock.  Also, I found an Asaph and Elizabeth Elliott; Elizabeth was aged, “20 something.”

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The Freedom Trail takes you through old Boston.  A highlight for me was seeing the site of the first public school.

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We stopped at the Common one of our typical picnics, bread and cheese.

IMG_20150706_123716268Then, off to the Boston Tea Party Museum.  We were each given roles and feathers to use as disguises.

IMG_20150706_140218803The kids were able to protest the taxes issued by the king and throw crates of tea overboard.

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We were all tired at the end of the day though needed a swim.  We went to Nantasket Beach on the way back to Hingham.

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Let the camping begin….

We said goodbye to our gracious hosts and left Connecticut on Sunday.

IMG_20150705_121455074 After organizing our camping gear, we got off to a late start but the roads were fine.  We drove through Connecticut, and made a quick stop to see Providence, Rhode Island.

 

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Then, off to our “home away from home” for 2 nights in Wompatuck State Park in Hingham, Massachusetts. There are wild turkeys running around the campgrounds.

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Last day in NYC…

I’m feeling sad that today was our last day in New York.  We had a great time exploring the city — the galleries, the parks and the neighborhoods.

Today, we spent a lot of time on the subway.

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We took a ferry ride to Staten Island for an incredible view of the Statue of Liberty and of Manhattan.  The best part of taking the ferry is that it is FREE!

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Then, we walked around the World Trade Centre and saw the memorial of 9/11.  There are two new fountains in place of the former World Trade Centre Towers.  The memorial lists the names of all those who died on September 11th, 2001.  Today, a small American flag or white rose was placed into every engraved name.

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After, we headed back to Cental Park.  I love it there!  We wandered through the Shakespeare Garden.  Olivia and Sophie climbed and played on rocks.  Then, back to Connecticut for mojitos,  dinner and Fourth of July fireworks, courtesy of the neighbors (though, they didn’t realize…).

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We’ve also discovered fireflies… Olivia is obsessed!