Rio de Janeiro – Part 1

Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, Rio de Janeiro was a domain of the Portuguese Empire. In 1763, it became the capital of the State of Brazil, and in 1808, the Portuguese Royal Court moved to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro became the seat of the court of Queen Maria I of Portugal. She subsequently, under the leadership of her son the prince regent John VI of Portugal, raised Brazil to the dignity of a kingdom, within the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil. Rio remained as the capital of the pluricontinental monarchy until 1822, when the Brazilian War of Independence began. Rio de Janeiro   served as the capital of the independent monarchy, the Empire of Brazil, until 1889, and then the capital of a republican Brazil until 1960 when the capital was transferred to Brasília.

Over the years we have all heard about Rio de Janeiro what with the beautiful beaches, the annual Carnival and of course the statue – Christ the Redeemer on the mountaintop.   Our visit was only for a day and we had booked a jeep tour taking us to Tijuca National Park and the Botanical Garden along with a motor trip through the City, past stadiums used for the 2016 Summer Olympics and along the vast beaches.

The Tijuca National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is an urban national park in the mountains that ring the city of Rio de Janeiro. The park is part of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Preserve, and claims to be the world’s largest urban forest covering some 15.28 square miles.  With several beautiful waterfalls and an abundance of birds and other wildlife it was a beautiful spot to visit. The mountain air and the sounds of nature filled Janeen with good chi, she said. 

The views during our visit to the Tijuca National Park were wonderful. It truly was a beautiful day to visit this area of Rio.

We stopped at the Chinese Overlook – so named in order to honor the Chinese who brought the cultivation of tea to Brazil in the nineteenth century.  The gazebo was built in the early 1900’s in an oriental style and is strategically located in a clearing some 1250 feet high above the City.

While we were off “jeeping”, Sally was taking the Sugerloaf Mountain Cable Car.  The Cable Car is said to be the third-oldest cable car and goes to the top of the 1300 feet high mountain.  She took a couple of nice shots for sure.

Sally, taking a short break during her adventure of the day.

Our adventure in Rio was only one day, there is so many beautiful pictures that I will continue our trip on the next blog.  

Búzios – A very Lovely Beach Resort Area

Armação dos Búzios (or Búzios) was our stop on day 10 along our adventure.  Búzios is a Brazilian resort set on an ocean peninsula east of Rio de Janeiro. It’s known as an upscale vacation destination with numerous beaches. However, it has a long history going back to 1000 CE when the first indigenous population settled and created a small community.  In the 16thcentury, the first Europeans arrived.  The next several hundred years had fisherman, pirates, African slaves, and various Porgugues, French, English, Spanish making inroads to the area.

Here we are on the pier getting ready for our tour.

Whales were also hunted to extract their oil, which was used both for lighting the city of Rio de Janeiro and for export. The bones of the captured animals were buried on a beach located next to Praia da Armação and has become one of the most famous beaches in Búzios today. Later, the area was used for farming and cattle raising as fishing has been prohibited on this stretch of coast. After prohibition ended, the local economy remained based on fishing and small-scale agriculture for a long period, until the middle of the 20th century when a famous actress, model and activist who started her career as a model, Brigitte Bardot took refuge in Búzios to get away from all the paparazzi who followed her everywhere.  

Búzios was a perfect spot to get away from them and while she had a very enjoyable stay, her presence soon spread around the world and tourism began to become the most important economic activity in the region.

Three Fishermen Statues just offshore of Armação Beach is a perfect tribute to Búzios’ long history as a fishing community. At high tide, the full-size figures are knee deep in water as they tug together on a fishing net.

Today Búzios has a stable population of about 30,000 but during summer the population more than triples.  It’s not easy to get to the area as you have to fly into Rio De Janeiro and transfer to the city. 

 Our ship was anchored off the city so our first views were of the beach areas and lovely city as it moved up the hillside.  Once ashore, we joined our tour group for a bus tour of the area with stops at various pictures spots and lots of information from our guide as we travelled along.

Our home Marina for over a month during our South American Adventure

Santos Brazil

Santos, our port of call on day seven.  As we cruised into the dock, it was very clear this is a port with lots of shipping going on.  There were a number of freight terminals, what appeared to be grain towers and lots of ships waiting to get in and unload. 

Some of the buildings and terminals along the Harbor – plus the skyline in the distance

Founded in 1546 by the Portuguese nobleman Brás Cubas, it is located mostly on the island of São Vicente, which is harbor to both the city of Santos and the city of São Vicente, and partially on the mainland. It has a population is 433,656.  

Before we event started our scheduled adventure, which was after lunch, we decided to go ashore and take the shuttle bus to the Praiamar Mall.  This shopping mall is huge and not unlike any other big mall we have been in over the years.  

Of course, there was a Starbucks and a Calvin Klein, Sleep Doctor, IPlace (really an Apple store) Lacoste, Levis and many more.  Our goal was to find some band aides for Janeen and a computer cable for David.   Without a location map and anyone speaking English it was a challenge but we were able to accomplish both tasks and get back to the Ship for lunch.  

After lunch we walked of the ship, found our way through the dockside throng of people and finally boarded our bus for the afternoon excursion.  Our guide Bianca gave some highlights about the city – seems all the grain silos we could see were for soy beans and a very large refrigerated building was for orange juice!  Santos is one of the largest shipping ports for coffee and there is a long history of coffee production and sales going back several hundred years.  The orange juice just struck me as being strange – large tanker trucks and ships are specifically designed to support the transportation of this juice from inland to the harbor.

Our first stop was to the Coffee Museum.  The Coffee Museum is housed in what used to be the Coffee Stock Exchange, where Brazilian coffee was weighed and traded before being sent through the Santos Port and overseas.  

The museum was Inaugurated in 1998 and quickly became one of the main touristic attractions of the City.  The concept was to preserve and make known the history of coffee in Brazil and in the world. Originally the building was the main auction house for coffee beans that would be shipped around the world.  

Lovely stain glass ceiling above the Auction floor.

The evolution of the coffee culture and the political, economic and cultural development of the country are closely connected to coffee since the second half of the 18th century and up to current time.  Our group of  explored the  building at our leisure and of course had the opportunity to purchase coffee and other items at the end of the tour.

After the Coffee Museum, we walked through the old section of the City – many of the buildings having been abandoned and left to ruin – while others are being restored maintaining the historic fronts and building all new structures inside.  Our next stop was The Pele Museum.

The Museum takes up the entire building but the public area is just the first floor.

One of the most highly regarded football players (soccer) know around the world is Pele.  It seems he has a connection to Santos and said if they (the city) would create a museum in his honor, he would donate all of his vast collection of all things football.  Opened in 2014, the site aims to highlight the success and the memory of the ” king of football.” For this, it exhibits a collection of items that tell Pele’s history.  The museum is filled with photos and various trophies and cups of the football star.  

After our visit to the Pele Museum we went to the botanical gardens which are located in the center of Santos.  This botanical garden covers more than 22 acres and has more than 300 catalogued plant species, divided into 20 botanical collections, such as Amazon and Atlantic Forest, hardwood, 65 species of palm trees and endangered species.  Work on the park began in 1925 in the old Municipal Nursery Gardens, located beside Santa Casa hospital, where City Hall gardeners planted the first seedlings and cuttings. In 1973, this work began to be carried out in the current grounds, in Bom Retiro, which then became the Botanical Gardens in 1994, when it started to offer conservation programs, especially for native Atlantic Forest species.  

Janeen at the entrance to the Garden

Along with the various plants, there were a number of enclosures of various animals. While there were not many orchids in bloom, we did find a couple that were very beautiful.  

On the way back to the ship, we drove by the vast beach area – covering some 3 or 4 miles with various parks and biking paths.   According to the Guinness Book, Santos has the longest beach garden in the world.  It was a beautiful day and there were lots of people enjoying the beach and the various attractions along the way. During the summer season, Santos population increases by thousands because of their beautiful, well maintained beaches.

Three ports of Call  Uruguay and Brazil

After our fun filled adventure in Montevideo, we sailed overnight to Punta Del Este – the final port for Uruguay.  Punta del Este is a seaside city and peninsula that started as a small town, it later became internationally known as a resort for the Latin and North American jet set and tourists. The city has been referred to as “the Monaco of the South”, “The Pearl of the Atlantic”, “the Hamptons of South America”, “the Miami Beach of South America”, or “the St. Tropez of South America”.  Surrounded by mountains, the city is built along the coastline with many tall buildings.

As you can see, the weather didn’t make a good view of the city.

The beaches are said to be some of the best in the world with lovely sand and gentle breezes.  Generally, a resort town, it has several film festivals, wonderful restaurants and a growing art colony.   

We didn’t make it ashore here – way too much relaxing happening on board the ship.

Itajaí was our first port of call in Brazil. The city was founded on June 15, 1860, but the colonization of Itajaí had started in 1658 when the Paulista João Dias D’Arzão arrived in the region. In 1750, Portuguese colonists coming from Madeira and the Azores made this region their home. By 1823 it became a prominent region for Portuguese settlers and, at the end of the 19th century, received a great number of German immigrants.   Unfortunately, the seas were rough (I could certainly agree, as sleeping was less than wonderful due to the conditions) and as we had to use the tenders to go to shore ,the decision was made by the Captain that there would be no shore excursions.  A little disappointing as I had been looking forward to visiting the Bavarian Biergaten Pavillion where the biggest annual beer festival outside Germany happens every year.  

However, we had to stick around for several hours as everyone’s passports had to be checked and stamped.  After getting all the required clearances, the ship continued on to our next port – São Francisco do Sul.

São Francisco do Sul is another village founded by the Portuguese (1658) and has become quite an important part of the Brazilian infrastructure. It provides large bulk shipping facilities and is served by the major container shipping lines connecting with the South American east and west coasts, Africa, Asia, North and Central America, the Caribbean and Europe.  However, as we arrived on a Sunday there wasn’t much happening and we had not signed on for any excursions.  The 30 minute tender ride was the most exciting excursion of the day.

 

Interesting location for some potted plants.

Montevideo and River of Silver

After our tour of Buenos Aires, and now onboard the ship, we moved into our cabin and immediately made-a-mess of the place.  Clearly it doesn’t take me long to spread out over every available surface.  However, once most of our stuff was put away, we gathered with the Bells and had a dinner at the Terrance Café.  Once back to our cabin we finished unpacking and put together our first load of laundry – as the clothing we had been wearing on the Iguazu Falls adventure never dried, and then, early bed.

While we slept, the ship headed out the Rio de la Plata estuary for Montevideo. Montevideo is the capital and largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country’s total population) in an area of 78 sq miles. Montevideo is situated on the southern coast of the country, on the northeastern bank of the Río de la Plata.

A Portuguese garrison was established in 1723 near the place which is the city of Montevideo. The Portuguese garrison was expelled in February 1724 by a Spanish soldier, Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst the Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region. There is no official document establishing the foundation of the city, but the “Diario” of Bruno Mauricio de Zabala officially mentions the date of 24th of December of 1726 as the foundation, corroborated by witnesses. The complete independence from Buenos Aires as a real city was not reached until the 1st of January of 1730. Montevideo was also under brief British rule in 1807, but eventually the city was retaken by Spanish criollos who defeated the British invasions of the River Plata. Montevideo is the seat of the administrative headquarters of Mercosur and ALADI, Latin America’s leading trade blocs, a position that entailed comparisons to the role of Brussels in Europe.

The city has preserved European architecture, being considered one of the cities with the most art deco influence. It is the hub of commerce and higher education in Uruguay as well as its chief port. The city is also the financial hub of Uruguay and the cultural anchor of a metropolitan area with a population of around 2 million.

Our first adventure of the day, City Landmarks, Wine & Dance Performance, was via bus to a winery.   Upon arrival in the Cuchilla Pereira wine district, we stopped at Bodega Spinoglio.

  This winery is currently being operated by the 3rd or 4th generation of the family who are working towards improving the overall quality of the product and enhancing the property.  Now we have been to a lot of wineries in our travels and this was similar in design and character to many we have visited.  Of course, they had a number of older pieces of equipment on display and some interesting concrete/stone wine vats (that are now being turned into B&B style bedrooms). 

Situated with lots of vines around the Bodega, we were first offered a lovely chardonnay as a refreshing treat upon arrival.

Once we had all gathered together, our guide gave a quick tour of the vineyard and brought us into one of the large rooms where we took our seats around various tables. 

Harvest is very close for these grapes

Then began another Tango presentation along with various wines and tasty snacks!  It was a authentic and interactive presentation and the wines were quite good.  They have a number of varieties including Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Tannat.  

It was an interesting presentation of dance, wine and snacks.  Naturally, once all the entertainment was complete there was an opportunity to buy a bottle or two to take home.

The birthday girl, Janeen, with the Dancers

Once back on the bus, we headed back into town and stopped in the main square to view the various significant buildings and afterwards did a drive through several significant districts of the city.  As we took in the key sights during our panoramic drive through downtown, we saw a number of landmarks including the Solis Theatre, Legislative Palace, historic Centenario Stadium (The stadium was built between 1929 and 1930 to host the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup).  

An impressive equestrian statue of José Gervasio Artigas , The Father of Uruguay , was one of the most significant ‘freedom fighters’ during Uruguay’s struggle for independence.   

Once back on board the ship, we relaxed for a bit and then met up with Sally and Jim at one of the specialty restaurants on board, Jacques – a French themed eatery.  

The dinner was clearly set to celebrate Janeen’s birthday with all the trimmings and attention to her needs as one could hope.  For dessert, a special cake had been ordered (thanks to Jessica our travel advisor!) which came as a wonderful surprise at the end of dinner – along with a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday to You sung by the wait staff. This was a lovely reminder of the song in German, Spanish and English which our grand girls serenaded Janeen earlier.  

When we returned to our cabin, after dinner, another birthday surprise greeted Janeen with balloons and ‘towel’ art on the bed.  All-in-all a very nice day to celebrate Janeen’s birthday.

Buenos Aires

While we had spent the previous night in Buenos Aires, we really didn’t tour much beyond the bus ride from the airport.  Buenos Aires is the capital city of Argentina having gained independence from Spain in the early 1800’s.  It is the largest city in Argentina, and has become quite cosmopolitan. Its center is the Plaza de Mayo, which is lined with stately 19th-century buildings including Casa Rosada, the iconic, balconied presidential palace (from which Eve Perón would wave to the people below). Other major attractions include Teatro Colón, a grand 1908 opera house with nearly 2,500 seats, and the modern MALBA museum, displaying Latin American art. 

Teatro Colón, a grand 1908 opera house

It is known for its preserved eclectic European architecture and rich cultural life.  It is a multicultural city that is home to multiple ethnic and religious groups, contributing to its culture as well as to the dialect spoken in the city and in some other parts of the country. This is because since the 19th century, the city, and the country in general, has been a major recipient of millions of immigrants from all over the world, making it a melting pot where several ethnic groups live together. Thus, Buenos Aires is considered one of the most diverse cities of the Americas.

The following morning, back on the bus for a highlight tour of Buenos Aires, our first stop was to visit The La Recoleta Cemetery.  This cemetery holds the remains of many notable people including, several presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize winners and lots of others. However, the tomb that is visited the most often, is for Eva Perón, the former first Lady of Argentina who died in 1952.   Her memorial isn’t grand or excessive but part of a Duarte family vault within the cemetery. She was revered by the lower economic classes and helped enact a number of reforms and policies to their benefit.  She also helped bring about the passage of Argentina’s women’s suffrage law. 

Eva was a Durate thus added to the family Crypt.
Eva Perón

 There are many elaborate marble mausoleums, decorated with statues in a variety of architectural styles, including the honeymoon bride.  The Bride died while on her honeymoon and this was done to memorialize her for all time.

They had to put a barrier around this as the dog’s nose was polished by hands.

After the visit to the cemetery, we stopped for a coffee and pastry at La Biela – a historic eatery specializing in salads, sandwiches & classic Argentinean mains.  It was a nice stop under the old trees with delicious croissants. 

From there onto the bus for more highlights of the city.  Our first stop was at ‎Plaza de Mayo to view the various buildings including the presidential palace and Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires.  

If you look closely, below the horse statue there are hundreds of stones. These were placed there by loved ones as remembrance of those who died during the Pandemic.

You may recall that this was the home church for Pope Francis – who was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires prior to his elevation to Pope. 

After walking around and taking in the sites, went to La Ventana for lunch and a Tango Show.   The La Ventana is clearly the place to go in Buenos Aires to see a tango show. The cellar restaurant was packed to capacity with long family style tables (although we scored a table for four) and waitstaff juggled pasta, beef or chicken brought from stacking carriers. A dulce de leche was finished just as the lights dimmed and the curtain to the side opened on a grand piano, double bass, guitar and an accordion like instrument which set the rhythm for the dancers. Three pairs of dancers appeared with opening moves, gliding and twisting. When the tango singer set the mood, one couple at a time began their play of seductive moves to the music. 

Our guide, Sol, said that the beginnings of the tango are thought to have been brought over by African slaves, and then adapted to the favelas and brothels of the city. The arms and legs of the dancers twist and turn spin and kick as they glide together across the floor.  

 At the sound of drums, El Gaucho came on stage stamping his heels and eventually, both he and his companion Gaucha swung the bolos in rapid wheels, tapping the floor in a rhythm with the drums.

A solo male singer shared the songs of the barrios, and a single spotlighted woman shared “don’t cry for me Argentina” in Spanish. 

After the show, we motored around looking at various neighborhoods before heading to the harbor to board our ship, Oceana Marina!

 

Iguazu Falls – Bucket List

Several years ago, Janeen mentioned that seeing the Iguazu Falls was on her ‘bucket list’.  Iguaçu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of Argentina and Brazil. Together, they make up the largest waterfall system in the world.  Not having been in this part of the world I had no ready reference to how to get there or how to coordinate the trip.  After looking at a variety of tour options, my travel agent found a land excursion as part of an ocean cruise that would work out wonderfully.  So, we signed up – the trip, started in Buenos Aires and ends 30-plus days later in Miami, Florida visiting several countries along the way.

After connecting flights from Dulles via Houston we arrived in Buenos Aires, the final flight of 10 plus hours connected us with our friends Jim and Sally Bell and we overnighted at the Hotel Emperador.  We have been friends of Jim and Sally for the over 40 years – and when they heard about our upcoming adventure, they signed on to join us for the trip.  We had previously travelled with them when we did our Panama Canal transit in 2020 – just before the world changed and cruising become impossible for a while.  

The Lees and Bells on another Adventure

Our first night was at a lovely hotel – Hotel Emperador where we crashed early.  Following breakfast, at the hotel, we transferred to the domestic airline for our 90-minute flight to Iguazu.  After arriving, we boarded the bus and headed into the Iguazu Falls National Park on the Brazilian side.  The Falls are located within the Park as was our Hotel for the evening.  After lunch, the fun began.

The afternoon adventure was to be a “motorized Boat Cruise” a Zodiac adventure.  

However, prior to getting on the boat there were 240 steps down from the parking area to the river.  Going down, not so much of a problem, climbing back up was a bitch.

We were repeatedly told that “You will get wet on this trip” and they weren’t fooling around.  Once down the steps, we donned life jackets and climbed aboard the boat for the trip.  Our first views, of the Falls, was from quite a distance but they take up a good amount of space and are maybe two or three distinct sections – each several hundred feet wide with LOTS of water flowing.  

After getting in the boat, I am fairly certain the skipper was aiming for the big waves as we headed towards the falls as several times I was slammed with a big wave of water – yes, I got wet repeatedly!  

After getting close to the falls, we then motored directly into them and through the downpour!  If you could get any wetter, I would be very surprised.  No wonder they gave us dry bags for our shoes and other stuff before leaving the dock!  Fortunately, I had the foresight to get a waterproof case from my iPhone and was able to take a bunch of pictures throughout the adventure.

After the trip through the St. Martin falls (twice!), the boat headed back to the dock where we got out and headed back up the 240 stairs.  Needless to say, Janeen and were the last to get to the top and it was not an enjoyable climb, particularly after using up 150% of any adrenaline during the boat ride.  Once we are at the top, we climbed into the ‘truck’ to take us to the Hotel.  As we got closer to the hotel and the drop off point, it started to rain.  Nothing like getting wet all over again! But as all guides repeated “It’s a Rain Forest!”

Once in the Hotel, a truly lovely place with a fantastic view of the Falls from our room, we changed into dry clothes and tried to relax for a bit before going down for dinner.

The following day we gathered for a walk along the lower walkway that traverses through the Park with spectacular views of the falls.  All of the Falls have names and our guide was able to tell us a bit about each of them and how they got their name. 

 In many areas, where the mist was rising from the Falls, there were rainbows. 

 Along the elevated walkway there were lots of different plants and some wildlife – it is a jungle after all.  

While I did see some monkeys after the boat ride, I wasn’t able to get any pictures – and the Toucan that several people saw flew away before I got to see him.  All very beautiful and wonderful adventure for sure.  After our walk, we returned to the hotel for some lunch and the final bus trip back to the airport for the flight back to Buenos Aires and the Hotel to be reunited with our cruise luggage. 

November Christmas Market Cruise

It is not too late to sign on for this Christmas Market Cruise in November and be part of our continuing adventures.

We are going on a Christmas Market River Cruise next year with UniWorld called Christmas Cruise – Rhine Holiday Markets.  So far there are 9 cabins booked for our group with limited availability if you want to join the adventure.  If you are at all interested in joining our group, a reservation should be made ASAP as there are only 6 or 7 cabins left!.  The current cost for a French Balcony cabin, which is where most of our group are booked, is $4,299 which reflects the group rate discount, the normal rate is $5,099!  As this will be a Group Rate, you need to speak to my travel person (Jessica listed below) for specific costs and savings available. Travel arrangements would be on your own, but Jessica or your travel agent can make those arrangements.

The dates are November 25, 2024 departure from Cologne Germany going to Basel Switzerland, ending December 2, 2024.  

There are limited number of cabins still available as this is a very popular river cruise.  Information about the ship and the cruise are available on the link below. Just a reminder, the river cruise is pretty inclusive with excursions, meals, beverages onboard, including fine wine, beer, spirits, specialty coffee and tea, soft drinks and mineral water are all included.

Right now, we have 9 cabins and 18 travelers – the more the merrier and the greater the fun we can have together.  If anyone wants to join the group, please Jessica Causer at 703-762-5053 or email jcauser@mccabeworld.com at McCabe World Travel in McLean VA.  This way you can take advantage of the group discounts.  Jessica can also help with any travel arrangements.  Be sure to say you are part of the David Lee group. A deposit needs to be placed ASAP with final payment not due until July of next year.  

More information about the cruise, and cabin locations and descriptions is at:  

https://www.uniworld.com/eu/river-cruise/central-europe/rhine/rhine-holiday-markets/2024-basel-to-cologne

Hope you can join the fun!

David & Janeen

A New England Color Tour and Adventure – Lake Winnipesaukee

Our adventure for today, was to set sail for a journey across Lake Winnipesaukee on what has been called the “most beautiful cruise in New England.” Sail from the home port of Weirs Beach aboard the M/S Mount Washington to Wolfeboro, known as the oldest resort town in New Hampshire. Along the way, the fully narrated trip across the lake was one of the most enjoyable adventures during our Fall Color Tour.

Mount Washington getting ready for our adventure.

Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in New Hampshire.  It is approximately 21 miles long and from 1 to 9 miles wide covering 69 square miles square miles and reaches a maximum depth of 180 feet. The shoreline is approximately 288 miles with many lovely homes dotting the shore. Lake Winnipesaukee is the third-largest lake in New England after Lake Champlain and Moosehead Lake.

On board the Mount Washington there was an abundance of deck space to enjoy the views – and it was a beautiful day for sure.  The original Mount Washington, unfortunately, had a fire and was destroyed.  This ship, the second ship with this name to ply the waters of the lake started its service on Lake Champlain in Vermont and was built in 1888.  To move the ship to Lake Winnipesaukee, it had to be cut into sections, transported by rail and re-assembled on the lake – it started service on the Lake in 1940.  After many years, and new ownership, the ship was again modified in 1982.  At that time, it was again cut in half in the middle extending the length of the ship by an additional 25 feet.

With various lounges and benches to relax, plus snacks available it was truly a wonderful time on the water.

There were spots of color but not a lot – another week or two will work wonders for color around the Lake.
This makes 76 pictures with a life ring we have taken.

After landing in Wolfeboro, we all had an opportunity for lunch and a bit of shopping and a chance to experience this lovely spot on the lake.

After we boarded the bus, we continued to Kennebunkport, one of Maine’s coastal jewels and the summer home to many of America’s rich and famous. Adorned with stately homes, Kennebunkport seems to wait breathlessly for its captains to return from sea.

This is the Bush Family Compound – yes, the President’s place.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to explore – just watched as the town slipped by out the windows of our bus.

This is a partial map of the route we took on this adventure.

As this was our last night of the adventure, we gathered for a farewell dinner to share memories with our traveling companions and get packed for our flights home.

We had a lovely time sharing this adventure with our neighbors and fellow travelers with Mayflower Tours.

This completes our New England Fall Color Tour. It was an enjoyable time with lots to see. Not as much color as we had hoped but there was certainly sufficient to cover our needs. If you missed any, you can look back anytime and see where we have been. Stay tuned for future adventures as we look forward to visiting Iguazu Falls and a cruise on Oceania from Buenos Aires to Miami next March and a Christmas Market Cruise in November of 2024. Of course other adventures could happen at any time and a blog could be happen so stay tuned.

A New England Color Tour and Adventure – Boston and Plymouth

Several years ago, we moved into a 55+ community in Williamsburg VA.  As part of this community, the HOA has a Travel Club.  This Club provides travel adventures for the residents year-round and this year we chose to hop on the New England and Cape Cod Autumn Foliage trip.  We had discussed going to New England to see the fall foliage and this trip solved all the logistic problems – no driving, no hunting for places to sleep – all travel included.

The trip was set for the end of September when, hopefully, the fall colors in New England would be in abundance. So, with 30 or so of our neighbors we set out for this adventure.  Our adventure started off by driving all of a mile over to the HOA Clubhouse where we all boarded a couch and headed to the Richmond Airport.  

After a short flight we landed at Boston’s Logan Airport and found our way to Boston Park Plaza Hotel.  Once at the hotel we were met by our tour director, Debby Swope.  

Boston Park Plaza Hotel – lovely.

Once settled into our room, we ventured across the street to Boston Common and explored a bit of the area.  Having lived in Cambridge (across the river) and Janeen having worked on Newbury Street (which ends at the Common) it is an area we had visited in the past.  Unfortunately, the Swan Boats were not on the pond so no boating today.  However, it was a lovely day and lots of views to take in.

Finally, she got all her ducks in a row!

The following morning, our first tour was an overview the oldest part of Boston – a place we have visited by many years ago.  Our “step on” guide (local guide who joined us on the bus) was very knowledgeable of Boston and did a great job of pointing out significant places along our trip.  

The majority of the ride focused on the Freedom Trail – The Boston Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile-long path through Boston that passes by 17 locations significant to the history of the Boston and marked with a red brick line in the sidewalk. It winds from Boston Common, to the Old North Church in the North End and the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown.

Copp’s Hill grave yard from the 1660’s.

Stops along the trail include simple explanatory ground markers, graveyards, notable churches and buildings, and the USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides.  The USS Constitution is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy and is the world’s oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to Bucker Hill or Old Ironsides but it was a good overview of the City and the historical significance of many of the places.  

We ended the tour at Faneuil Hall where we had time for lunch and a little exploration of all the markets around the place.

After rejoining our group, after lunch, we boarded the Couch and headed towards Plymouth and Cape Cod.

Plymouth Rock’s Home – it sits in the hollow where the tides can still sweep in and cover it with seaweed.

Plymouth Massachusetts is the home of Plymouth Rock, the traditional site of disembarkation of the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony in December 1620.  We are all familiar with the story about the Pilgrims and their establishment of the colony here but it wasn’t until a hundred years or so later there is a written reference to the “rock”.  In 1741, 121 years after the Pilgrims arrived, there is a written documentation about the landing place when it was described in the town boundary records as “a great rock”.  Regardless, the establishment of the colony in this location is significant and the story of the rock is a good timeline marker.

We all took advantage of the time off the bus to explore and take some pictures.  In the Park around the “rock” is the Mayflower II, a reproduction of the original ship which brought the Pilgrims across the Atlantic.  So, back on the bus and off to Cape Cod.

Chuck and Sally – our Neighbors were also on the adventure.

While in Plymouth, we also visited The National Monument to the Forefathers, formerly known as the Pilgrim Monument.

This commemorates the Mayflower Pilgrims and was dedicated on August 1, 1889, it honors their ideals as later generally embraced by the United States.  It is thought to be the world’s largest solid granite monument.

On the main pedestal stands the heroic figure of “Faith” with her right hand pointing toward heaven and her left hand clutching the Bible. Upon the four buttresses also are seated figures emblematic of the principles upon which the Pilgrims founded their Commonwealth; Morality, Law, Education, and Liberty. 

After our visit, we headed towards South Yarmouth where we were booked in for two nights.