Full Circle(s)
Cliff Walk, Newport, Rhode Island
We drove from Franconia, NH to Holliston, MA, near Boston, yesterday and landed for the night at the home of a college friend I hadn’t seen in 50 years. Our hosts suggested we spend our last vacation day in Newport, RI, only a 1.5 hr drive from Boston. So . . . Newport was the end of our trip, (one small full circle) and Newport was the beginning of my adult life when I was stationed there as a LTJG in the Navy Nurse Corps (a bigger full circle). The Navy no longer has a base there and the town has changed so much it was unrecognizable. I’m glad I got to experience it when it was still a ‘real town’ not a tourist mecca.
Click for more pictures >Franconia’s must-see attractions
We had a leisurely morning at the comfortable Horse and Hound then set out to see the sights of Franconia. First stop: Echo Lake. OK, it’s spring fed. I guess that’s what makes it special but I-93 runs right along it and it’s pretty small. Guess we’ve been spoiled by all the Canadian lakes we’ve seen. Then: the aerial tram to the top of Cannon Mountain. Great views of all the peaks that form the Franconia Notch. Then: the Flume. A hiking path and a series of wooden walkways take you up to several waterfalls through the narrow slot.
Click for more pictures >Fall - into New Hampshire
We took the back roads to New Hampshire, in awe of the red and gold hills all around us. On the way we stopped at a huge Benedictine monastery, Saint Benoit-du-Lac. The monks run a farm making cheese and wine and have masses daily with gregorian chanting that visitors can observe. The monks and nuns are getting old and with no new recruits one wonders what the future holds for the monastery. Arriving in Franconia, New Hampshire we visited Robert Frosts farm and then checked into The Horse and Hound for a 2 day stay.
Click for more pictures >Leaving Canada - well, almost
Lunch in Danville in this beautiful old church, now a restaurant.
Leaving Quebec City we decided to have one more night in Canada and internet shopped to the beautiful little village of North Hatley. Along the way we stopped in Danville at the suggestion of our Canadian hiking friend, John Kerr. His suggestions for the Canadian portion of our trip have been great. We had a wonderful lunch in Danville then drove on to our B&B in North Hatley, another picturesque village on a beautiful lake.
Click for more pictures >Day tripping outside Quebec City
Today we drove out of the city and over to Île d'Orleans, the idyllic island in the St. Lawrence River just outside of Quebec City. Known for it's amazing agriculture, we passed fields of strawberries (that's what a strawberry should taste like!) and trees loaded with apples. The houses were straight out of a storybook. Then on to Baie St-Paul arriving just in time for lunch. The fall colors were in full brilliance. Coming back to Quebec City we stopped at Montmorency Falls - it's even higher than Niagara Falls.
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