The lighthouse was Nobska Point Lighthouse and it overlooks Martha's Vineyard and Nonamesset Island. The lighthouse itself was closed to visitors but we walked around the outside before climbing down the cliffs on the opposite side of the road to watch the fisherman on the rocks and the boats out in the water. Just sitting on the rocks, we both felt incredibly relaxed and calm.
We eventually headed back to Fin and headed to our destination for the night, Newport, Rhode Island.
MERTA had been meticulously planned before we left the UK. We knew what we wanted to do in each state and had pre-booked all our accommodation apart from the First Come First Served campsites and Newport. We just couldn't find anywhere to stay in Newport that wasn't $500 per night. I kept telling myself that it was because we were booking so far in advance but as time ticked on, the prices were not coming down. I eventually hit a spot of luck, I was having one last look on AirBnB 2 weeks before we were due to say in Newport when I spotted a room available. It was everything we wanted, free parking, close to town, good reviews and at a reasonable price but... it was on a yacht! We of course booked it straight away, it was going to be the most interesting and unique accommodation of the whole trip and we really couldn't wait to experience it.
As we drove through Newport, we knew instantly that we were going to like this place. We headed to the location of the free parking, had a quick ham and cheese wrap for lunch whilst trying to guess which of the many yachts out in the water was the one we were going to be staying at before heading into the hustle and bustle of the main town area.
It was Columbus Day weekend and a Saturday so the town was very busy, maybe this is why we couldn't find a room to stay in. We first headed along the waterfront to the boating area where there were lots of bars, restaurants and boutique shops. It was a very touristy area with people queuing to get on boats for tour of the harbour. The big, expensive boats were moored here and many of the people around this area were keen boaters, or at least thought they were. Whether they were the owners of one of the big yachts or a dingy, I don't know but they all looked the part in their Musto, Crew and Henri Lloyd clothing with champagne in one hand and sucking on an oyster in the other!
One of our favourite bars here was The Black Pearl. It was a lovely day so we sat in the outdoor bar and enjoyed a cold drink but inside, the bar (which they call the Tavern Room) is modeled on a Captain's Quarters.
We could have easily stayed all day in this area people watching but we needed to see more of the town so we walked away from the water and toward Thames Street, an historic street and the main shopping area.
Since it was Columbus weekend, the whole town was celebrating with a street market. It seemed to go on for blocks and blocks, with so many little stalls lining the street selling arts, crafts, food, gifts and more. Between the stalls every couple of blocks there were small stages with local artists were performing. Everyone was taking part, even the police had their own stall and a stage with a very talented Ellie Golding style young girl singing.
We debated where to go for dinner, there was just too much choice but we finally decided on trying on of the restaurant / bars back in the boating area which looked like it did really good seafood called The Wharf Pub. We had amazing New England Clam Chowder (which is different from the west coast), fresh prawns and of course, chicken wings!
At round 8pm, we decided it was time to head to our accommodation for the night. We headed back to the car, picked up just enough stuff for one night and then headed towards the dingy docking area where we met Stephen. After a quick ride out, we arrived at his yacht moored in the water.
The yacht was awesome, it wasn't a tourist attraction only used as an B&B, it was a fully working yacht which Stephen (the Captain) lived on with this crew member Jesse. They would normally be located in the Caribbean but it was hurricane season so they had headed to Newport and decided to spend a couple of months doing AirBnB. We had a brilliant evening drinking red wine with them whilst sitting out on the deck staring at the harbour both amazed at how lucky we were to have this experience. Stephan and Jesse were lovely people and we enjoyed hearing their stories in the boat, especially the trip across the Atlantic and their experiences in the Caribbean including being caught in Hurricane Erma.
In the early hours of the morning, we eventually climbed into our cabin and fell asleep rocking with the waves. When we awoke, we both headed out to the top deck and were surprised to see two huge cruise ships had arrived overnight and people were being ferried onto the mainland via little orange boats. Yesterday was busy in town but with two large cruise ships, it was going to be even busier, we had chosen the right day to do sight seeing.
After a couple of cups of coffee, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the mainland with Stephen in the dingy.
We got into the car and on the way out of Newport, decided to drive by the mansion houses. Newport used to be the summer playground of some of America's wealthiest families. Their summer houses are the mansions they built for the 6 weeks a year they visited. Some of these houses are still homes but many are now owned by The Preservation Society of Newport County and are open to the public to tour. We didn't have time to do any of the tours and given how busy it was in the town, it was probably a good thing as neither of us are fans of queues.
Driving past the mansions, there was actually very little to see. Most are behind huge metal railings or thick hedges. Maybe walking along the road would give a better view or heading along the Cliff Walk. This is a footpath that runs behind the mansions along the edges of a cliff, it takes around 3 hours to walk end of end but asides from being an adventurous walk (apparently you have to be really careful in places and its not a well kept path), it provides a good view of the mansions and stunning views of the cliffs and out to sea. I think I read somewhere (although I can't remember where) that this was how the servants went between the mansion houses.
Newport has been the most underestimated destination of our trip. We only stayed one night as we didn't think there was much to do but we were so wrong. We only managed to experience a small part of Newport and with so much more to explore, including the Mansion Houses and Cliff Walk, Goat Island, Fort Adams State Park and the beautiful beaches and shoreline that drew so many rich and famous people to vacation here in the 19th Century. We are already planning our trip back!
No comments:
Post a Comment