Terminus Portland

We’ve gone as far northeast as we’re going to go on this trip. Tomorrow morning Tofu and I will travel down the coast to Connecticut. We’ve been running away from home long enough. It’s time to head home.

Today we traveled from Brattleboro, Vermont, across New Hampshire and into Maine. It was a beautiful trip, but I didn’t take any pictures until we got to Maine.

When we got Portland we went directly to the waterfront. These photos were taken just outside the Portland Visitor’s center.

A man in the Visitor’s Center gave me a map and marked several historic sites he recommended I check out. Old Portland is like a boot shaped peninsula with bays on top of the boot, on the heel of the boot, and on the sole of the boot. First, we went to Fort Allen which is on the East end of the city.

Did you know Longfellow was from Portland?

Do you see the real live seagull on the pinnacle of the house?

The one with the bird is for sale. There are a lot of beautiful old houses in this neighborhood.

After looking around the fort, I drove through the downtown area and down to the boot heel, where I crossed a bridge into South Portland. This is another peninsula that is across a bay from the boot. We drove out the peninsula and I took some photos looking back at the old city (this place is plenty old too).

The tall building at the right of the pictures is at Fort Allen.

Oh and take note of the cobblestones with street car tracks. There are patches of these all over town. And here’s some red for those of you who are longing to see some.

We wandered the streets for awhile until we found Fort Williams, on the south east end of this peninsula. I’ve got some pictures you’re gonna like along with. Few that only history nerds will appreciate.

Wait wait keep looking. Here comes the Atlantic Ocean!

There’s more!

A fantastic lighthouse that is still functioning.

Look, a Gelato place. I’ll take some of that! Nope, closed for the season. Thankfully, they still have Wendy’s frostier out here.

Well, I’m not showing you all the photos. I want to say that part of my Portland dream, was to eat lobster at a for real lobster house in Portland Maine. I’ve never had lobster my entire life. But I got a list of great places from the guy at the Visitor’s Center. So after Fort Williams we went back across the bridge to the waterfront. I left An exhausted Tofu (lots of walking today) in the van and went across the street to Andy’s Old Port Pub. As it was 3pm 8 was the only customer in the place. I sat at the bar, and told the bartender, I needed some lobster. He recommended a traditional lobster roll. Warm lobster, buttered and on a hogan roll. It was FANTASTIC!

I got a message from Emily that Maya safely landed in NYC. And she managed the whole thing without me. It’s funny to think she is so close, yet so far away. Portland is the only major metropolitan area that I have truly entered on this trip. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about Providence and Boston. I’ll make those decisions tomorrow.

So we’re on our way home. We plan to be there November 17. Why that’s Just in time for Thanksgiving! See you soon, Love