I’ve had a busy last couple months. Started a new role within my company and haven’t had as much time as I wanted to reflect and write, so I’ll keep this one brief. I did a work trip out to San Francisco and Napa in September that I’ll hopefully write about when I have a chance. This month, I’ve had two weekends back-to-back of good travels and good company with friends.
Newport
Two weeks ago, I went down to Newport, Rhode Island to visit the mansions and see the Christmas decorations.
1. Marble House Chinese Tea House
Marble House is pretty spiffy. It’s what you expect for a Gilded Age mansion, but what really surprised me was the the Chinese Tea House around back. I didn’t have a chance to go inside it and enjoy tea since it was close to closing time, but I will certainly be back. New England is very euro-centric and Asian architecture is extremely out of place, which made just walking around it a treat. I’m also a tea snob.
2. Cliff Walk
I’ve been to Newport many times over the years, but still hadn’t ambled the Cliff Walk. Access is not super well marked, but you can find the entrances on Google Maps. I parked near the Salve Regina campus. The Walk offers intimate views that meander in the backyards of some of Newport’s biggest mansions. It even tunnels under the corner of several properties through large dark tunnels.
Portland
Portland is starting to get over-run with bums and drug addicts, which is unfortunately a sign of the times, but it is still worth visiting.
1. Duck Fat
The restaurant called Duck Fat lives up to its rave reviews. I really liked this place. They cook everything in duck fat rather than cheap, unhealthy vegetable oils. We had poutine, milkshakes, sandwiches, and donuts. All four food groups.
2. Washington Baths
Washington Baths offers an exceptional Nordic sauna and hot tub experience right in New England. Really nice amenities and pealed many layers of stress right off. I would probably go back, but even the Europeans would laugh at how woke this business was.
First, they make everyone sign a waver acknowledging that the sauna is a “non-hierarchical” environment. Next, the attendant cleverly asks each guest if he or she would like a key to the men’s or the women’s locker room. And if that wasn’t dehumanizing enough, the door to the men’s area is only labeled as “Lockers 1-20” and the women’s “Lockers 21-40”. Mr. Orwell would like to have a word in Room 101!
I would never recommend traveling to the interior of the British Isles in pursuit of exotic food nor beach weather. What I did find on my most recent trip to Britain was rich history, scenic landscapes, and great company. I initially had grand ambitions to do this post as more of a travelogue, but it’s been almost two months since the trip so I’ll stick to the highlights.
In June, I had the opportunity to visit friends who are currently living in York, England, and I knew this couple from my life and times in beautiful central New Jersey. I flew both in and out of Edinburgh, Scotland, directly from Boston, which was a surprise because I thought I was going to have to fly into Heathrow. During my 7 days in the UK, I made several stops on my train tour, which I will elaborate on.
This was my first time leaving the US since covid, and it was mildly interesting to see what the post-apocalypse world looked like, or rather didn’t look like, away from home mostly because it seemed like things had reset back to normal much more quickly than in metropolitan US. Not a soul wore a mask outside the airport. Only place I saw masks was by a queue of people getting on an AirCanada flight, ha! I did not have to wear a mask on my flight, and my only requirement was to have a negative covid test to get back on the return flight. The negative test requirement ended up being dropped the day after my return flight.
Edinburgh
Arthur’s Seat
Best thing: Hike up Arthur’s Seat. The weather the first day was incredible, with blue skies and no clouds, which is rare in Northwest Europe. From the top of this ancient volcano, located directly in the city center, you could see the entire Edinburgh region, the ocean, and the large cantilever bridge that crosses the Firth of Forth. Open, green, treeless fields and hills as far as the eye could see.
Other highlights: Holyrood Palace, the castle, and overall architecture. I ate haggis, which despite the reputation among Americans, tasted reasonably good.
The Scott Monument
York
York Minster
Best thing: Museum Gardens and site seeing near the Minster.
Honorable mention: Gatehouse Coffee. Really cool cafe built right into the city entrance gate. York was a walled city first settled in Roman times. Not a big city in terms of population, but it’s famous among Brits for the history.
What I didn’t get to see: The National Railway Museum. It was closed on Mondays, which ended up being the only day that would have worked. I have a knack for going to famous cities and missing out on great railroad museums. I’m looking at you Lucerne Switzerland. My friends thought I was kidding that I wanted to go to the railroad museum. Trains are a priority people!
Glasgow
Necropolis
Best thing: Necropolis. I’ll admit I was shaking my head at first that my friends were taking me to a graveyard, but the view and the hilltop landscape with tomb stones in the foreground make it clear this is not your average graveyard.
Honorable mention: The food. I also tried a pornstar martini for the first time. Glasgow was surprisingly cosmopolitan, significantly more so than Edinburgh. Glasgow is the 4th largest city in the UK. Did not know. It’s slightly larger than Edinburgh. However, Edinburgh does get more props for interesting architecture and history.
Glasgow streetscape
Fort William
West Highland Railway
Best thing: The train ride between Fort William and Glasgow. The landscape of the Highlands is wild to put it lightly. The rocky unobstructed views with very few trees had some semblance to that of the western US states, albeit much greener and cloudier. The train meandered into uninhabited valleys, save a few random hikers.
Honorable mention: Ben Nevis distillery and the hot tub on the deck of our Airbnb. We had a beautiful view of the town and loch below us. Would gladly stay there again. Ft William is a well known town among Brits, and I’m glad I went to more of a locals destination in the Highlands.
I was gunning for a longer train journey to Mallaig, but 3 hours was long of enough for the rest of the crew this time. There is a famous viaduct used in the Harry Potter films just northwest of Ft William had we continued further on the train. In the future, if I go back to this area, I would also like to see the Isle of Skye.
Airbnb in Fort William
Overall, great trip. Exceeded expectations. If you were to have asked me two years ago what my first post-covid overseas trip would be, I probably would have predicted Norway or Iceland, but the timing was right to visit friends. I came away from with this trip with a much better appreciation for Britain, despite it still not being a culinary destination. My previous trips to the British Isles included Jersey and London, and were very rushed. I had more energy in my college days. This time around was relaxed and I could watch the scenery go by as we lounged on the train.
Excellent travel guide and drone scenery produced by Tampa Aerial Media in 2020. I’ll forgive them, since the drone scenes are excellent, but I want to note a couple corrections. US Rte 3 continues to the Québec border crossing in Pittsburg, NH —NOT Maine. The Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, NH, rebuilt in 2013, is not the original bridge, which was built in 1923.
My parents picked up a kevlar Ranger canoe yesterday near Squam Lake. I had never been to the village of Holderness before and was thoroughly impressed by the Squam Lake Marketplace. We got panini sandwiches and lime zest cookies. The store had many high-end local-themed souvenirs, such as: loon floats, artisan cheese, and New Hampshire home decor. This might inspire me to watch “On Golden Pond” (1981), which was filmed on Squam Lake.
The summer is flying by. I have been taking plenty of drone shots, but I haven’t been able to dedicate much time posting the photos and videos yet. I have been in touch with an NH state legislator to submit a drone bill that would allow drone pilots to fly in state parks without being hassled. A regulator decided this past year to create a rule banning drones in NH state parks, which not only goes against the ethos of NH, but is also nonsense. Far more dangerous activities, such as hunting and driving automobiles is allowed in state parks.
