WEEK ONE: Boston to Lunenburg
Day 1: Monday 22nd September 2025
At last the day of departure was here and we were ready and waiting for David who picked us up at 10.15 to take us to the station for our train to London. The platform was very busy, so we should not have been surprised that the train, the Golden Hind, was equally busy. There was no obvious place to store our suitcases, so we abandoned them in a wheelchair space, but a very nice GWR man came and threw them on the other side of the coach!
There was a particularly bonkers lady cabin steward on the train, who delighted in long amusing, though only for the first time, announcements. These related principally to the food on offer, but she strayed into the realm of general travel information, advising us to all take our emotional baggage with us when we left the train!
We were 25 minutes late into Paddington which prompted most of us old fogies in first class to eagerly log onto our phones to claim our refunds! Apart from that, the journey had been rather enjoyable, with lots of drinks, snacks and sandwiches provided to sustain us.
We opted to travel on the Elizabeth Line to Heathrow, accessing via the new link at Paddington, which was very convenient from the main station platforms. Unfortunately, the escalator was out of action at Heathrow and we all piled into the lifts which delayed us a little, but we were soon in the Central bus station and onto the 111 bus out to the Premier Inn.
After a rather mediocre supper, but a very welcome large glass of Rose for me and a beer for Geoff, we retired for an early night.
Day 2: Tuesday 23rd September 2025
Neither of us slept very well last night, too excited and nervous. I was keen to be up and off to the airport, but having agreed we would aim for the 6.55 Hotel Hoppa bus to Terminal 3, Geoff was not inclined to go any earlier. We had checked in online yesterday morning, and had our boarding cards on our phones, so we just had to drop our bags off today. There was a disorganised crowd of people around the bag check machines, but we didn’t have to wait long and it was pretty straightforward to print the labels, more difficult to work out how to fix them on the case handles!
We were soon heading to security and were surprised to find no queue and a very organised and sophisticated system with full body scanners, even accommodating Geoff with his ICD, in fact we realised that from arriving at the Terminal at 0708, we were through security by 0728!
Shopping time, and some perfume and new air pods were on the list, the latter being an early birthday present as mine kept packing up on me. We just had enough time for coffee and toast before the gate was shown and not knowing how long it would take us to get there we decided to go straight down. We were some of the first to board, and we were delighted with our Premium Economy seats – quite luxurious for us, with wide seats, generous leg room and large TV screens. It was a good job we didn’t have big breakfasts as they served lunch with a glass of bubbles at 10.30am!
We enjoyed the flight, watching films, eating and drinking rather more than we normally would, and catching a wonderful view of the west of Ireland. We arrived 30 minutes early and again were very impressed with the speed and ease of getting from the aircraft, through passport control and collecting our bags.
A free Silverline bus took us from the Terminal to Downtown Boston, where the final leg of the journey was through tunnels not unlike the London underground, but on a bus! We emerged on South Street at one end of the Greenway, a swathe of garden running parallel to the waterfront, on top of a road system, route 93. We planned to walk to the hotel, but one of the wheels on Geoff’s suitcase was damaged and it was very warm and humid, so we spied a taxi waiting outside a posh hotel and asked if they could take us to our hotel, which was decidedly not as posh. In fact we were rather disappointed when we arrived, as it did not look very special at all. Our room was not ready, which was not really surprising as it was only 1pm, Boston time, so we stored our bags and set off for an explore.
We stopped first at Boston Public market where we opted for an ice cream, we sat and enjoyed that whilst perusing a street map and working out a walking route. Our first unexpected experience was that of a holocaust memorial garden. This consisted of a series of glass towers with stories from survivors and family members of those who were killed, it was very moving. This was located opposite the Union Oyster House, situated on a cobbled street and clearly a busy tourist venue. We were both quite tired, so after taking in Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market with its impressive central rotunda we walked towards the waterfront and watched a local ferry depart, a trip we think we might do when we come back to Boston at the end of our tour.
We walked back to our hotel and were pleased to discover that our room was much nicer than we feared, with a large bathroom and plenty of room for our cases, sadly no kettle so no cup of tea to look forward to tomorrow! At the time of writing it is now 5.30pm and our body clocks think it is 10.30pm and we have been up since 5.30am so we are both fading and think we will give in and go to bed hoping we are bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning….
Day 3: Wednesday 24th September 2025
Inevitably we were awake very early this morning, in fact I saw every hour from 1am, but we eventually got up at 6 and set off to find some breakfast soon after. We purchased our Charlie smartcards at the Haymarket subway station, known locally as the T. We were very excited to get a plastic smartcard which was loaded with a 24 hour travel ticket and our first journey was on the orange line, just 2 stops to Chinatown, the closest station to South Street Diner. We had wanted to sample an authentic diner type breakfast, and this one was small but equipped with booths and bottomless coffee. My blueberry pancakes with strawberries were delicious, Geoff was less happy as the sausage was a bit spicey!
Suitably refuelled, we headed to the waterfront and the walkway which fringed the harbour, with a view across to the Boston Tea Party museum and ship. The walkway wound its way around hotels and apartment buildings taking us to the New England Aquarium, the starting point for our pre booked Duck Tour of the city centre and the Charles river. It was a brilliant trip made so by the commentary given by our guide, Hotwheelz617, a bonkers name for an absolutely bonkers man, who started with a Dr Seuss type poem and had us all in stitches within seconds of leaving. He was very knowledgeable and I was fascinated by all he told us about the history and social activities of the city, which he clearly loved and was very proud of. At one point we passed the Fairmont Plaza hotel which he described as the best hotel in Boston, we were thrilled as that will be our hotel for the last two nights of our trip, and it looked amazing. Further on the duck drove past our current hotel, and it looked a lot better than we had thought when we arrived yesterday.
The transfer from land to water was exciting and we had an alternative city view from the wide Charles river, and the salt and pepper bridge. Children were invited to take the drivers seat with an opportunity to steer the boat, when the invitation was extended to any interested adults – Geoff couldn’t wait to take a turn!
After a drink and a snack in the Samuel Adams Taphouse, we went back to the Faneuil Hall, which we visited yesterday, but this time we went upstairs into the Great Hall. The hall is known as the ‘Cradle of Liberty’ being the first town hall in Boston and during the years leading up to the American Revolution it was the scene of many meetings against the oppressive policies of the British Parliament! In this same area, we found the Old State House, site of the Boston Massacre in 1770.
Our plan for the afternoon was to visit Harvard University, location of many films we have seen over the years. We caught the subway green line and then the #1 bus, travelling through the Cambridge suburbs to Harvard Square. We had coffee and cake in Tatte Bakery (Note to Karen: gorgeous cheesecake!) before wandering through the gates into the Harvard campus. We were amazed by the buildings all around us, the Harry Elkins Wedener Library, Memorial Chapel, University Hall and numerous others, all interspersed with grassy areas and many trees, all just starting to turn.
We returned to our hotel via the bus and subway, stopping en route at TJ Maxx to buy another suitcase to replace the one with a faulty wheel, we just cannot manage through three weeks with a faulty one. After a rest and a much needed cup of tea (the hotel very kindly supplied a kettle and a jug of fresh milk) we walked around the corner to Blakes Kitchen and Bar for a very nice supper with a necessary glass or two of wine, before returning to The Boxer for an early night. All in all a fabulous, sightseeing day packed with memories.
Day 4: Thursday 25th September 2025
Well, we were warned! The weather forecast predicted heavy rain all day and it was true to its word. We watched the traffic passing by as we ate breakfast in the hotel café, splashing through swathes of water which the drains could not cope with. We had booked a taxi for 9.30 to take us to the car hire office and although there were a couple of people ahead of us in the queue, we were dealt with quite quickly and were soon introduced to our car for the vacation. We had a rather smart looking maroon Nisson Altima, very reminiscent of the gorgeous Cavalier SRi saloon which Geoff had when we first met! It is a really lovely car, drives like a dream and has apple CarPlay so we can easily access google maps on the large display screen.
We picked the car up from floor 7 in a multi storey car park, so after negotiating this large vehicle down the numerous ramps we emerged into a deluge of rain and had to battle through the city out onto route 1. We made it, without upsetting too many other drivers (I was driving!) and headed north. Our first stop was a large indoor shopping mall. Having noted that the weather from tomorrow is much sunnier and therefore warmer, with temperatures in the low to mid-twenties, I realised that I needed some lighter cotton shorts or crops. There was a huge sale in Macy’s, so I managed to pick some up at a bargain price. After a coffee we headed back onto route 1 and were charmed as we drove through some delightful towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine. It was like driving through England with familiar names of Portsmouth, York, Biddeford, Brighton, Reading, Ipswich, Salisbury, Falmouth, Scarborough. Wells and Newbury as well as new names like Kennebunk and Ogunquit, this latter one, was very pretty, even in the pouring rain.
Even though the rain affected the visibility we decided to adhere to our plan to visit Portland Head Lighthouse. This was located at the entrance to Portland harbour in Fort Williams Park. We got soaked in the short distance from the car park to the lighthouse, but it was worth it, that is our first lighthouse of many we expect to see during this trip.
On to our hotel, the Fireside Inn on the outskirts of Portland. This is a large resort type Inn, rather dated, but well laid out with the benefit of an indoor pool and we are pleased with our room which has everything we need and a microwave, which we used to heat water for our cup of tea! Once we had settled in, we decided to go and find some supper and do some provisions shopping. We opted for a McDonald’s and then wandered around a huge supermarket, browsing mostly and buying some essentials like water and milk!
The rain has impacted our day, but we enjoyed the drive and seeing the commercial activities fringing the roads as well as the variety of residential property. We saw some lovely houses, many already decorated for Halloween, with pumpkins and skeletons at every turn, and it is only the end of September! No doubt we shall see a lot more evidence of this during our trip.
Day 5: Friday 26th September 2025
We were up and away by 8.30 this morning as we have a ferry to catch today and there is only one at 3pm, so we must catch it! We opted to go for the freeway first off, it is a toll road, but apparently all tolls are charged to the car and then invoiced to us after, so we will go with the flow!
We stopped for breakfast just off the motorway in a Dunkin Donuts café. We only wanted coffee, but I was impressed with the range of foods on offer, so we may use this chain again. We drank our coffee sat on a seat in the sun, eating muffins offered by our hotel as their ‘grab and go’ breakfast!
We followed google maps across country, which proved a fascinating journey, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but populated with cabins, shacks, and some nice-looking country houses, all with the mailboxes fringing the main road. In some places there were more than 10 in a line, very reminiscent of inland Western Australia. There were more familiar sounding places again today, including Bangor, Bath and Windsor.
We reached Belfast at 11 and parked up on the opposite side of the Passagassawakeag River – yes that is how it is spelt – and walked across a pedestrian bridge on the Rail Trail. This boardwalk took us into the town where we stopped for a drink in the Front Street pub. It was very warm by now, around 22oC, so after watching a sailboat being trailered out of the water, we walked back to the car. Google maps told us that we would arrive at the ferry terminal at 1.30pm, so we pressed on, stopping to top up the petrol as prices in Canada were apparently much higher. We eventually arrived at 1.45 only to discover that check in was 60 minutes before departure so we were only just in time. As it turned out, the boat left early at 2.30, presumably because all who had booked were on board. Actually, it wasn’t a boat it was a Catamaran, with the very original name of CAT!
It was a very good journey, with stunning views from the back of the CAT and plenty of seating with food options and live entertainment provided by a couple of aging hippies, playing 70’s classics: Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, Billy Joel and Carol King, they were very good and it helped to pass the 3.5 hour journey.
The last part of the journey into Yarmouth, Nova Scotia was amazing, the approach through granite islands glinting in the evening sun was impressive, and the subsequent sunset was fabulous, although we were stuck in the queue for customs and immigration, so were not able to fully appreciate the splendour of it all. We were quickly through with no questions asked, only good wishes for an enjoyable vacation, and then in 2 minutes we were checking into the Rodd Grand hotel. I had booked this one independently and it was lovely; we even have a view across the town and the bay.
After quickly dumping our bags, we headed out for supper at Rudders brewery and restaurant. There was a short queue, but we got chatting to a couple from Cape Cod, who had lived in London, and were soon seated at our table with a very welcome glass of wine/beer. Our first proper Nova Scotia fish supper was excellent, including scallops, prawns, oysters and haddock, and we returned to our hotel replete and excited that we had made it here. and we returned to our hotel replete and excited that we had made it here.
Day 6: Saturday 27th September 2025
After a good nights sleep we were not so pleased with breakfast as we had a long wait for it to be served. Still, we only have a small ferry to catch today which runs twice an hour so no real rush. We left Yarmouth after seeing the CAT disappear in the distance on its way back to Maine, and headed on the main road towards Lunenburg. For the most part this was a very straight boring road, but it was largely fringed with autumn colours looking brilliant in the bright morning sunshine and interspersed with lots of bright blue lakes.
After an hour and a half driving we stopped in Liverpool, a riverside town, with its own port, albeit very small. Geoff perused the tourist information office and came away with lots of leaflets and maps before we walked along the edge of the river which was the most glorious dark blue reflecting a cloudless sky.
On the way back to the car we stopped off at the Hell Bay brewery, every town seems to have one! We asked for a coffee, which appeared an unusual ask, and we turned around to see that the ladies world cup rugby was on the TV, with England playing Canada – half the pub seemed to be supporting England, so we were in good company. Whilst we were watching, a lady called Claire came over and sat next to me and asked what we were doing, she was delightful and gave me a hug before we left! By the way, England won 33-13.
We continued via the coast road to LeHane ferry, a chain link ferry, a modern version of our King Harry ferry provided a link across the river of the same name. We expected to pay, but it was free, an excellent service. We had stopped to pick up a sandwich at a bakery near to the ferry, recommended by a man in the pub, so after disembarking we looked for a picnic spot, which, as is always the case when you want one, we could not find! We ended up finding a picnic table in a car park next to a sports centre just a stones throw from our B&B.
We checked in to the Rose and Thistle B&B and were delighted with the traditional homely feel that Rosalie and George had created, just what we were hoping for. Our room has a four-poster bed and is furnished in a style appropriate to the property – I love it. The only downside was struggling up the stairs with our suitcases.
After a cup of tea we headed off on foot into Lunenburg. The walk took us along the edge of the water, through the 250th anniversary park with comfortable seating taking in the view. This is one of the top tourist destinations of Nova Scotia and it was quite busy, we caught the tail end of a craft market on the quay, but they were just setting up a stage for evening entertainment. One of the key attractions was the Schooner, Bluenose II, apparently the name Bluenose originated as a nickname for Nova Scotians from as early as the late 18th century. It was moored up for visitors to clamber over, so we did just that and were very impressed with the highly polished wood and brass, Geoff took his place at the helm, but they weren’t planning on sailing today. Another, slightly smaller boat did offer an evening sail, but when we saw how busy that was, we were glad we gave it a miss. We found a table in the Fish Shack, overlooking the waterfront, initially for a drink, but then we decided to stay and sample our first lobster roll, it was the first of many we hope as it was delicious. we wandered down onto a quay which had several Adirondack chairs dotted around, so we opted to sit and enjoy the remains of the day, watching the sun set behind the hill (Jean: another fab sunset!).
Day 7: Sunday 28th September 2025
Breakfast was a special experience this morning and a leisurely affair. We shared the dining table with two couples, one from Texas and the other from Frankfurt and the conversation was brilliant, as was the food. Strawberries, omelette, zucchini bread, tea biscuits (scones to us) and plenty of tea, coffee and juice – it was excellent. Whilst we very much enjoyed chatting with our fellow guests, George, the host, was rather over powering to say the least!
Whilst I had a plan for the day, there was always room for change. We started our day by driving down to Blue Rocks as recommended by our hosts. We were charmed by the granite rocks and coastline which would be perfect for kayaking, they were available to hire, but with no experience and more importantly … no spare time today, we turned to our next port of call, Mahone Bay. This had been recommended to us by a Canadian couple we had met in Ireland earlier in the year and we are so glad we included it in our itinerary. To add to its charm there was a scarecrow competition on this weekend and all the properties had entered into the spirit of it. After taking lots of photos we continued on along the Lighthouse route, which followed the coast, to Chester, where we stopped for a coffee at the Seaside Shanty restaurant with a lovely view over the bay. We were very impressed with the menu, but we were too early for lunch and still full up from breakfast.
Our next destination was Peggy’s Cove and lighthouse. This is one of the top tourist spots in Nova Scotia and our fellow B&B guests had visited yesterday and warned us how busy it was so we were forewarned. As it turned out, it was very busy but we timed it just right as we missed the morning cruise ship passenger visit and were before the arrival of the afternoon batch. The Cove, so named after a girl was shipwrecked en route to marry her fiancée, and her rescue prompted the name. The lighthouse itself was not significantly attractive, but its location on large smooth granite rocks, indeed at the extremity of a boulder park, was lovely. We sat with a coffee in yet another Adirondack chair, and watched 4 lady dancers in a photo/video shoot. They were lovely and it provided an interesting watch for 10 minutes.
We moved on to Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia. Originally, we had planned to stay here for a couple of nights but we changed our minds to be in quieter areas, and we are so glad that we did. We drove into the city quite easily as it was a Sunday, passing the Citadel and the Clock Tower before parking near the boardwalk on the Waterfront. Walking along the busy touristy front, we spied the huge cruise ship, Mein Schiff 1 moored up, this must be where all the coach loads came from which we saw en route to Peggy’s Cove. We stopped to just watch the world go by for a few minutes and realised that the same dancers we saw earlier were on the walkway near us, Strictly comes to Canada! We joined in with the applause as quite a few onlookers, like ourselves, enjoyed the show.
After 45 minutes we both decided we had had enough of Halifax boardwalk and we drove on to Fairlawn Cemetery. This is where those who died in the Titanic disaster were buried in 1912. Having seen Titanic exhibitions in Perth, Cobh and Belfast we wanted to see this, and it was very moving.
We were feeling hungry by this time, and decided to return to the Seaside Shanty for supper. What a great decision that turned out to be, it was still warm enough to sit outside, and we watched the sun set reflected over the bay in front of us while we enjoyed an excellent supper and equally good glass of wine for me!
It really was a wonderful day in perfect weather.
WEEK TWO: Lunenburg to Saint John
Day 8: Monday 29th September 2025
Bad news this morning … poor Geoff had toothache all night and was feeling very sorry for himself this morning. We did a google search for Dentists and with some assistance from George, our host, we telephoned 10 different surgeries and they all said that they had no emergency appointments available. We decided to press on to our next destination and hope that we might get lucky with a cancellation. Breakfast wasn’t quite as much fun this morning, our fellow guests were not as chatty or as interesting! We bid farewell to the Rose and Thistle having had a lovely stay here. The accommodation and food were excellent, the host, less so!
We headed first to Windsor, where we thought we would ask a pharmacist if he could sell us an antibiotic. Sadly, he would not do so and referred us to a Dentist, but alas we still could not find one. We carried on, stopping briefly to view the tidal Kennetcook River and then on to Burntcoat Head on the Bay of Fundy to see the area at low tide, some 9 metres below high tide! The maximum range was 16 metres. This is one of the largest tidal ranges in the world and it was amazing to see Flower Pot island seemingly stranded high above the ocean floor.
Our next port of call was the Millbrook Cultural and Heritage centre, where first we had our picnic lunch then spent some time perusing the exhibits which detailed the history of the Millbrook reserve for the Mi’kmaq people. As with the Maoris in New Zealand and the Aborigines in Australia, they were a persecuted race, but it seems that there is more recognition of their place in Canadian society today.
Millbrook is on the outskirts of Truro and we thought it only right that we see a little of this town, but then we had the idea of going into one of the Dental surgeries and asking for an antibiotic. Geoff played the Truro card and laid it on thick and the very nice young Dentist helped him out and prescribed the antibiotic, thank goodness. Along with some additional ibuprofen, we are hoping this stems the pain until he can get the problem sorted at home.
After 3 hours in Truro, and to be honest that was probably 2 and half hours too many, we pressed on to our motel for a couple of nights, The Cove Motel and Restaurant, Aulds Bay. The Trans Canada highway took us straight there, on a fast, straight road. We were soon checked into our very nice, large room, equipped with coffee machine, microwave and fridge, with the car parked right outside our front door. My first mission was a glass of wine sat outside watching the sun go down, slight problem was that alcohol was not technically allowed outside, but a very nice helpful waitress brought us a bottle and advised us to be discreet! We then enjoyed half an hour in the setting sun before supper in the restaurant with an incredible view. We really have struck it lucky here.
Day 9: Tuesday 30th September 2025
Geoff woke me at 4.30am in terrible pain from his toothache. He was in a really bad way, so after debating what to do we looked up the nearest Emergency Department, which was 25 minutes away, and set off in the car. The nurse who checked us in and her successor, Pauline, were amazing, and once the Doctor had seen him and prescribed a morphine shot, Geoff started to relax. We left the hospital three hours later, with 6 precious strong pain tablets and advice to buy Tylenol extra strength to supplement them. When we got back, Geoff managed a bowl of porridge (oatmeal) before climbing back into bed!
As you can imagine, Geoff was quite groggy all day, but I managed to get him outside into the sunshine for a coffee. I achieved my steps around the perimeter of the motel grounds, it sits on a small promontory in the strait between the south of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton island with 360 degree views, it has proved an ideal place to spend a day recuperating. I also managed to do a load of washing, so that has set us up for the remainder of the holiday.
Geoff tried to eat some supper, choosing a seafood chowder, but could only manage a few mouthfuls unfortunately, but I managed mine! We are hoping to pick up our itinerary in the morning, fingers crossed.
Day 10: Wednesday 1st October 2025
We woke early to a magnificent sunrise and as this was going to be a special driving day we decided to leave the motel and have breakfast en route. I found an interesting looking café, Sandeannie’s Bakery and Tea room just half an hour down the road, a quirky old fashioned place, but with a very friendly lady serving. I was given Skirlie with my French toast, apparently it is a Scottish delicacy, but it didn’t appeal to me and I had never heard of it before!
Geoff was still in a lot of pain with his tooth. The painkillers were helping, but not to the degree he would have liked. We contacted the Dentist we had visited in Truro and lovely Wendy (originally from Dorset) arranged for the Dentist to prescribe a stronger antibiotic and telephoned it through to a pharmacy near to our hotel for this evening, we were overwhelmed with the service they offered and at no charge.
Our next stop was Inverness, a seaside town with a stunning beach, backed by a boardwalk. We enjoyed a short walk around the harbour and onto the beach. Further on we drove through Cheticamp where we found a French boulangerie selling sandwiches and cakes, perfect for a picnic which we ate sat at a picnic bench in the grounds of the Highlands National Park Visitor Centre. This was well presented and a very nice French speaking lady sold us two day passes for the park.
Within minutes of entering the park, we were amazed and excited by the scenery, ‘dramatic’ hardly does it justice. The road wound ahead of us up and down the mountain, with phenomenal autumn colours made even more stunning by the brilliant sunshine. We really could not believe our luck to see the Cabot Trail at its very best. We stopped at numerous look out sites to take photos and just drink it all in. One hike I had researched and had looked forward to doing was the Skyline Trail. This was a relatively level 3 hour walk, through woodland and emerging on the top of the mountain onto a boardwalk with stunning views up and down the coast. As we approached the trail we saw signs saying it was closed, but we could see clearly from the other side of the valley that there were hordes of people up there. We decided to give it a miss, not only because it was clearly very busy (apparently the signs were part of their plan to minimise the numbers of visitors) but also a 3 hour walk for Geoff was not a good idea after spending most of yesterday not feeling very well.
The pharmacy at New Haven looked like a door in the back of a warehouse from the outside! I could not believe that Geoff would walk in and pick up a prescription but that is exactly what happened! To be fair there was a 15 minute wait, during which we went and had a closer look at the lighthouse in Neils Harbour, which was a beauty. From here it was just 15 minutes further along the Trail to our home for the next two nights, the Castle Rock Country Inn. We were delighted with our room, which was on the corner giving us a dual aspect view over the sea, just perfect.
The lady on reception advised that we seek dinner early, so we set off at 6pm. Our first choice had a queue out of the door, so we reckon that was good and will book for tomorrow night, but for now we carried on to the Keltic Lodge which had amazing views north and south just as the sun was setting. We had to wait a while but I had a lovely meal of haddock and vegetables, while Geoff managed another chowder.
It wasn’t quite the day I had originally planned but the weather was perfect and we were blown away by the Cabot Trail views, and are delighted with our Inn, more pics of that tomorrow.
Day 11: Thursday 2nd October 2025
After a good nights sleep for us both, thank goodness, we opened the blinds to a beautiful sunrise. Geoff went and collected a pot of tea from the breakfast buffet and we sat in bed enjoying it and the view of the sea! The breakfast was excellent, so we took our time as we have decided to have a leisurely day today, enjoying the locale.
First port of call was the Atlantic Canada Gondola, just 5 minutes down the road. This was built in 2021 to replace a former chair lift on a small ski slope. It is being extensively redeveloped with a new ski village under construction, albeit it all looks rather an eyesore at the moment. The ride to the top was fun, as the vista opened up before us of the coast north, following the Cabot Trail which we drove yesterday. We wandered around at the top taking a lot of photos and playing a round of crazy golf! Unfortunately, the walking trails were closed, so we descended, and I enjoyed a hot chocolate in the café, Geoff did not enjoy his coffee!
A walk was next on the agenda. We parked at Ingonish Beach, which was just gorgeous, and did a circular hike (which sounds so much more energetic than just a walk!), along the Ingonish spit, and around Freshwater Lake. It was 4 miles overall, but mostly flat and quite lovely, especially on the lake edge. We saw several red squirrels and some cheeky chipmunks.
We drew our usual holiday date memory in the sand and I had a paddle, but the sea was quite rough this morning, so it caught me out a little, I was very aware of the strong undertow, so a swim would have been dangerous. By this time we were feeling hungry so we went for a late lunch to the Main Street Restaurant, not a very original name, but a very nice local eatery. We had a delicious lunch, including oysters and lobster bruschetta (Karen …. yum!) and I had a delicious glass of sav blanc, I wondered why I kept yawning for the rest of the afternoon.
We returned to our Inn and had a cup of tea sat in the garden, with that view, on a couple of Adirondack chairs in the late afternoon sunshine. Then to complete the day we returned to the Gondola as our tickets included as many rides as we wished in the day, to view the coast again in the golden sunshine of early evening.
Another fabulous day ….. sorry to rub it in, but my goodness me we are a lucky pair! Lots of pics today as I took several panoramas of the Castle Rock Country Inn, which is a real gem.
Day 12: Friday 3rd October 2025
We opted for an early breakfast and were away from Castle Rock before 9am. It was another glorious morning and the early sunshine was a delight as we drove down the coast on our last section of the Cabot Trail. We made a slight detour from the trail across the River Bennett on another cable ferry. This was a real treat with views back to the Cabot Trail and the hills draped with autumn colours against the deep blue of the estuary.
A little further on we stopped at Baddeck, a lakeside town, on the edge of the enormous Bras d’Or Lake. We had to sit on the Adirondack chairs (again) located on the end of a jetty into the lake, the view from which overlooked Kidston lighthouse. We wandered down the main street and had a coffee at the Bean There café (the best I have had since Boston) before doing a spot of souvenir shopping at The Flying Kite gift shop. Geoff was impressed to find a memorial to the first aeroplane flight in the British Empire made by McCurdy from Baddeck, assisted by Alexander Graham Bell on 25th February 1909.
We were mindful of the time today as we had another ferry to catch. We made one more stop at another gift shop, I was looking for a Cabot Trail hat, before we said goodbye to Cape Breton. If anyone is contemplating whether to visit this area, then just do it – it has been absolutely brilliant.
We crossed the Canso causeway, stopped briefly for fuel and to buy a sandwich before continuing on the Trans Canada highway. After 20km we stopped, and didn’t move for over 30 minutes, due to roadworks. We were clearly in a massive queue, and the same was coming the other way, heading to the Cape for the weekend. We were starting to become a little anxious as we only had 15 minutes in hand to catch the ferry. I ramped up the speed, and we made it to the ferry terminal, checking in and driving straight onto the ferry! It left bang on time and we had fabulous views from the deck; whilst it is slower than the CAT from Bar Harbour to Yarmouth, it was more fun to be able to be outside and walk around the ship. The journey was 75 minutes so we had time for a couple of rounds of cards and an ice cream.
Once we disembarked on Prince Edward Island, we had an hours drive to our hotel at Dalvay on Sea. It was an interesting drive through largely agricultural land, Geoff called it one big farm. We were blown away as we drove up to the hotel, it was much bigger than I had expected and very grand in style. There was a big event on in the dining room this evening and guests were encouraged to eat early, so we decided to have dinner straight away. It was a lovely meal after which we walked out to the coast to see the last rays of sunset.
Our room, with a view over the lake and the sea beyond is lovely, with a chandelier …. we are delighted ….. more about the hotel tomorrow.
Day 13: Saturday 4th October 2025
Beautiful sunrise this morning, with a stunning view of it from our bedroom window. We had tea in bed looking over the sea before I went for a walk around the hotel grounds while Geoff got ready. Breakfast was a little disappointing in that there was a limited menu which didn’t really appeal to us, but the experience of eating in the dining room overlooking the lake was a memorable one.
After our leisurely day in Ingonish, which we very much enjoyed, we decided to not stray far from home today, so just 25 miles up the road, we visited Greenwich, a PEI (Prince Edward Island) National Park. The park was officially closed, but it was still possible to walk the trails and the boardwalk, and lots of people had the same idea as us. The trail took us through woodland to begin with, where we got up close and personal with another red squirrel, and then onto a boardwalk, initially through the woods, full of Autumn colours, and then onto a floating bridge. This wound its way across a lake, full of Canadian geese, and in the middle was a rest area with two bright red Adirondack chairs, with our names on them (well not literally!). A very kind lady took a photo of us, which I normally refuse as I am terrified of my phone being stolen, but it seemed churlish to do so.
At the end of the boardwalk there was a sandy walk up and over the dunes and onto the beach, with its characteristic red sand. It was another lovely day and I had another paddle! On our walk back to the car we had a picnic sat at a table, but I heard rustling in the trees and wary of the signs warning of coyotes, we decided to keep walking! Another 4 mile hike today, an easy flat walk on well made up pathways which was excellent. We saw another lighthouse on the way home, this one was the Covehead Harbour lighthouse.
We returned to our hotel, wanting to make the most of its many attributes, to enjoy a cup of tea (joy of joy, Geoff was given a teapot!) and snatch a snooze before dinner. Aperitifs in the lounge, accompanying a game of rummy preceded our dinner in the restaurant, which was very popular tonight. We had reserved a table and opted to have two starters each rather than a main course, and they were delicious, unfortunately Geoff’s scallops were cold, so he complained, and by the time he got them served hot, I had finished my mussels. We therefore did not tip, and considering I had over tipped for breakfast, we did not feel that we were out of order. Tipping is something we are not used to, but I have come to realise that the tipping culture here definitely results in consistent positive service.
A note about the historical significance of this hotel: originally built as a private summer residence in the Queen Anne style by the original owner in 1895, it was subsequently sold several times and became a hotel before ownership was transferred to the federal government when the PEI National Park was created. Currently it is operated as a hotel under a lease agreement with Parks Canada. A key point of interest for us is that Prince William and Catherine visited here in 2011 as part of their Royal visit to Canada.
Day 14: Sunday 5th October 2025
A second gorgeous sunrise woke me early and I was up and ready to go long before Geoff! I took the suitcases to the car and had a wander in the sunshine before settling our bill and then we were off. We had decided not to have breakfast at the hotel but to press on to Charlottetown, the capital of PEI, for breakfast at the Maid Marian’s diner, located in Sherwood (honest!). I love these diners with their booths, these were green, I felt as if I was starring in another Jack Reacher show!
We finished breakfast by 9am and drove down to the waterfront for a walk around the boardwalk and the town. We discovered that there was a big event on today, ‘Farm in the city’ and the main street was closed to cars and full of stalls selling pretty much anything. There were some baby animals, including a very young donkey – so cute.
After a few selfies, we made our way back to the car and took the long way round to exit the town to avoid all the road closures. It started to rain a little, but with all the amazing weather we have had thus far, we really can’t complain. Our next excitement was the long bridge back into mainland Canada, New Brunswick, over the Confederation bridge. This is the world’s longest bridge over icy waters, built in 1997 it is 8 miles long and curves over the Northumberland strait. I was worried we wouldn’t see anything over the edge as we are very low in this car, but we could see the sea and the curve in front, and there were road works in the middle with traffic lights, so we had plenty of time to look!
We headed then for Amherst, the location of the official Welcome centre to Nova Scotia. I had seen photos of this and I wanted a selfie with the lighthouse sign, it was worth the slight detour as I got my selfie and we did some souvenir shopping. We enjoyed our picnic lunch next to some giant Sandpipers, we were near the Bay of Funday and apparently it is a favourite fuel stop for them before flying south so we did the same before continuing south on the freeway to Saint John.
Our hotel tonight is the Hilton and we were delighted to open the door of our 8th floor room, which had a fabulous view over the river and the bridge. After settling in we headed off in the sunshine along the Harbour Passage, which we thought would take us to the Reversing Falls, or River Rapids. It would have done so, but it ended up being much longer than we thought so we bailed part way, intending to drive that way in the morning. We returned to the centre and enjoyed a sundowner Prosecco before watching the cruise ship, Crystal Serenity, depart on its way to New York. Dinner was at Grannans Seafood restaurant, and we had been promising ourselves a lobster supper throughout this tour so tonight was the night and delicious it was.
WEEK THREE: Saint John to Boston
Day 15: Monday 6th October 2025
We could just about see the sunrise from our window this morning, but the best view was of the port bathed in morning sunlight. We breakfasted in the hotel, a buffet style, and it was OK, but definitely not the best we have had.
After checking out and manoeuvring out of an underground car park, we drove up to a viewpoint, known as the Saint John, which was a large sign, similar to Hollywood, but far less grand! The view of the waterfront was worth the trip, but this is not necessarily a place to come back to. However, the view of the Reversing Falls, albeit that it overlooked a big pulp and paper mill, was worth a look, the strength of the water increased while we were watching, and it was indeed an impressive sight as the speed of the incoming tide was intensified by the funnel effect of the opposing river.
We had a long drive ahead of us today, so we got going on the freeway south, but opted to stop off at St Andrews, a seaside town in Canada just north of the border. This was an unexpected surprise, as an Irish lady we met yesterday said they were going to spend a few days here. It was a charming little town with an interesting waterfront and very good coffee.
From here it was just 25 miles to the border and we joined a queue of 4 cars and were through in less than 5 minutes, with the most interesting question being ‘do you have any potatoes’!! We had forgotten that we would gain an hour returning to America, so it meant we had longer to get to our next hotel. It was a much nicer day today, with clear blue skies and we noted that the temperature was creeping up, the highest it got to was 28oC, fortunately the car’s air con is very good. We had a 300 mile journey, the longest of the trip, so we stopped one more time at Camden, which was clearly a very upmarket seaside town with some expensive looking shops, but we just bought an ice cream, which was delicious.
We eventually reached the Boothbay Harbour Inn at 5.20pm and after checking in, and changing our room to one with a waterside view, we went next door to the Harbour Resort Hotel for a Sundowner on the deck. There was just 20 minutes left before sunset and it was lovely and warm in the fading sun. We unpacked and settled in, enjoying a picnic supper in the room, we are conscious of too much eating big meals, so a more frugal day was called for.
Day 16: Tuesday 7th October 2025
After a long tiring travel day yesterday, our plan was not to use the car today but to explore this lovely seaside town on foot. Our hotel is very well placed for this, indeed that is its best attribute! We have fabulous views from the deck outside our door, but this is probably the least appealing accommodation of our hotels thus far.
There was no restaurant in this hotel so we were recommended several breakfast options and we selected Mama D’s bakery which was a short walk around the bay. This was a real find. We have used the word quirky several times this trip and this was another recipient of such a description. It was as though we were eating in someone’s home, and the food was excellent.
We continued the walk around the bay, taking in the Opera House, the Methodist Church and a bus, called a trolley, adapted as a tourist vehicle. We did some souvenir shopping before returning across the footbridge (built in 1901) to our hotel. Geoff had discovered a timetable for a mailboat service operating to Squirrel Island, so we booked seats for the 12.30 departure. While we were waiting, we enjoyed a coffee on the wharf in the sunshine and checked out a few dining options for later.
The boat trip on Novelty was brilliant. It was only an hour long, but we had great views of the coastal area, which is made up of long ‘fingers’ of land stretching out into the sea, interspersed with lots of small islands. We were amazed by the number of grand, stylish and elegant homes which seemed to cover the whole coastline. This is a very popular area for summer homes, and it appears they are only used for about 6 months of the year. Squirrel Island is essentially a summer only island with only a few homes being occupied all year round.
We returned to the harbour and enjoyed more delicious ice creams before boarding the free trolley bus for a land tour of Boothbay harbour. We got to see some of those homes up close, as well as the Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church which apparently was visited on several occasions by John F Kennedy himself.
Home to the hotel for a rest and a sit in yet another Adirondack chair watching the world cruise by for an hour or so in lovely warm sunshine, working up an appetite for dinner. Sadly, the sunset wasn’t as good this evening, so we decided to go and look for some dinner earlier than planned. We went back to the Tugboat Inn Restaurant, and we were so glad we did as it was full of locals, and the food was excellent. We had to wait a while but fuelled with glasses of wine we didn’t mind one bit!
This has been an excellent couple of nights in this little seaside town. It is clearly a classy destination for those with money. The shops were expensive and everywhere had an affluent feel about it, Geoff described it as being rather like Scilly now.
Day 17: Wednesday 8th October 2025
Rain this morning! Very wet rain, but honestly – we are not complaining as this is the first proper rain we have seen since leaving Boston. It carried on all the way to Bath where we stopped for breakfast at Maes Café and Bakery. I had found this on google (our very best friend on this tour) and it was clearly a popular venue for locals.
We had a great breakfast before heading off towards New Hampshire. The further west we got, the less it rained, and we could spy blue sky in the distance. We stopped briefly in Naples, by Long Lake, where we saw a seaplane and what looked to be a Mississippi paddleboat, but this one was called Songo River Queen I. We needed the rest rooms so went into a pub and ordered a coffee which had clearly been stewing for quite some time, so no tip there!
We diverted via North Conway on our way to Jackson, and it was absolutely buzzing. We had driven along a strip of familiar big names like McDonalds, TJ Max, Staples, Subway etc, and were rather deflated, but then we drove into the main centre where a huge station with a hooting train in it caught our attention. We parked up and wandered over to where an enormous queue of people, mostly coach passengers, were waiting for the Conway Scenic Railway ride to Crawford Notch. Geoff was quite taken with the train which I had avoided following my research as it was a 4.5 hour ride, but there was a shorter ride to Conway and back this afternoon, so we booked that. We just had time to drive to our hotel in Jackson, Christmas Farm Inn, check in and dump our bags, before returning to the station and our train.
The ride was more about the diesel hauled train and less about the scenery, albeit we did cross a couple of rather impressive looking rivers, and I should note, that by now the sun was shining and the sky was blue. We felt it was a good addition to the day, unplanned, and therefore great fun. We stopped off at the Tourist Information centre for New Hampshire on the way back to Jackson and a very informative helpful lady confirmed that our plans for tomorrow and Friday are workable, although she did deter us from driving up Mount Washington as it is a hairy drive!
The restaurant at our hotel was closed this evening, so we stopped in Jackson, a nice little village, and went to the Wildcat Inn and Tavern for supper. It was very chilled and full of locals which we loved, a simple but excellent meal was enjoyed before we finally made it back to our Inn to unpack in a rather nice suite of rooms, in which, joy of joy, we have a kettle! After that much needed cup of tea, we had a wander around the ‘estate’, I am not sure what else to call it as this is a collection of different buildings including an indoor pool and hot tub. The latter looked very appealing, so if we are home early enough tomorrow …..
Day 18: Thursday 9th October 2025
Happy Birthday Madz!
A long, exciting day was planned for today, indeed there were so many different places I had marked on our map that we had to watch the time. We were away from the hotel after breakfast by 9.15am and heading towards Conway and the Kankamagus Highway which is one of the principal routes on this trip, along with the Cabot Trail. We stopped first in Jackson by the covered bridge to take photos in the sunshine, it really was a superb building over the Ellis River.
The lovely weather had attracted a lot of other road trippers today which was immediately evident at the first stop off on the highway with access to Albany covered bridge. Geoff drove round the car park several times while I got out to take a photo, but we gave up trying to park and carried on to another stop off at Lower Falls where we did park, bought our all day Park pass for $5 and gained our first really good view of the Swift River.
There were numerous stop offs along the highway, and we did stop a couple more times to photograph the vistas and especially the autumn colours, but we felt that we had missed the best of the colours as many trees had lost their leaves already. In fact, we felt that the colours in Nova Scotia had been far more widespread and brighter. Mid-October is supposed to be the peak of the Fall here, but not this year. Having said that, when the sun shone on the yellows, oranges and red leaves still on the trees, they looked stunning.
At the end of the highway the suburbs of Lincoln were spread along the road, and we found a Spar type store, 7/11, to buy a sandwich for a picnic lunch. From there we turned north and headed for the Franconia Notch State Park (we think Notch is our Gorge) and Flume Gorge. This was a 2 mile hike up and down (as we discovered) for which we had to pay $21 each to enjoy. It was well and truly worth the effort as we walked on a boardwalk, with many steps up inside a narrow steep sided gorge. It was amazing and I have no idea how many photos I took, it was magical. We kept an eye out for bears, as there were warning signs everywhere, but none appeared, thank goodness.
By this time it was gone 3pm, so we pressed on to Cannon Aerial Tramway to purchase our tickets for the 8 minute ride to the top. This revealed a fabulous 360 degree view to New Hampshire, Vermont and into Canada. It was jolly cold at the top so I was glad I purchased a new bobble hat at the Flume visitor centre. We had come equipped with gloves and scarves, but more insulation was required! We had a brief wander around, during which time Geoff managed to fall over on an icy path.
On the way back down we got chatting with the cable car operator, who was called Tom. The subject was their President, of whom Tom was clearly ashamed and frustrated that he was continuing in office and how he deplored all that was happening. It was an illuminating conversation, and in a similar vein to that I had with a lady from Boston in the queue at the train station yesterday.
By the time we returned to our hotel it was just about sunset. We were tired but happily so, probably suffering from what our friend Al would call ‘sensory overload’. Nature was just at its very best today, and we have loved it. Dinner in our hotel was a perfect end to the day.
Day 19: Friday 10th October 2025
Our last day in rural parts and it was another glorious day, we keep pinching ourselves that it continues to be so. To make the most of the daylight, we left the hotel just after 8.30am this morning and headed to Mount Washington back up the Crawford Notch. This was a stunning road last night in the evening light, and it was equally so in the reverse direction in the morning light.
As we were so early we decided to go to the Omni Mount Washington hotel, a huge white edifice, very reminiscent of the Fairmont hotels in British Columbia which we visited, albeit did not stay in, during our last holiday to Canada in 2010. There were several restaurants but we only really wanted coffee and toast this morning, and a very nice young lady directed us to Morsels, a coffee bar with pastries and we enjoyed our excellent latte and croissant overlooking the said mountain on very comfortable seats! We thought we would come back here for a late lunch after our train ride up the mountain, but more of that in a moment.
We knew that the Conway Scenic Railway was operating its long trip up the Crawford Notch, arriving just before 11am so we headed back to the station to see it arrive. We watched the engine be uncoupled and moved to the other end for the return journey and then Geoff boarded the posh carriage for a quick peek before we jumped back in the car and headed to the base station for the Mount Washington Cog Railway.
Our departure time was 12 noon, but we had been advised to arrive by 11.15. This we did, but then it took us more than 15 minutes to find a parking spot and in the end we were shown to park in what we thought was a rather dodgy place, but conscious of the time, we dumped it and charged up to the ticket office to collect our boarding passes. I had booked this online months ago, and we were very glad that we did, because all trains were full on this amazing blue sky day, one of the very few good visibility days they get a year.
The railway was the world’s first cog mountain railway opened in 1869, the first rack railway being the Middleton railway in Leeds in 1812. There were signs everywhere to that effect and they are justifiably proud of their very well managed company. Mount Washington is the highest peak in the northeastern United States at 6288 feet (1916m) and the ascent, in a pink carriage, at 5 mph was great fun and increasingly cold. It was 6oC at the base and only just above freezing at the top (much colder than Val, John and David were experiencing in Kirkenes in Norway!). However, the sun more than made up for the cold and we soaked up the 360 degree views for an hour before descending in our purple carriage. Our carriages were pushed/pulled by diesel engines, the steam engine only hauling up part way at this time of year.
The whole trip took 3 hours, which sadly meant we missed lunch at the Mount Washington hotel, so we returned to Jackson around the north of the mountain through Pinkham Notch. Our last visit was to Jackson Falls, on the Ellis river, and they were lovely, no one around, in stark contrast to the Kancamagus highway yesterday, but very appealing in the evening sunshine. Having missed lunch we returned to the Wildcat Tavern for an early supper before heading home to the Christmas Farm Inn for our last evening in the White Mountains. One interesting geological fact we learnt from the commentary on the train was that the mountains were so named after the Mica Schist in the rock, which when caught in the sunlight, sparkled white! (hope that information pleases our son and son in law!).
Day 20: Saturday 11th October 2025
We left Christmas Farm Inn at 8.30am, while there was frost on the ground. As we drove through North Conway we were amazed by the number of stalls set up on the green opposite the station and became aware of hordes of people all around and flooding into the town by car. I remembered that it was bank holiday weekend, or Columbus weekend. Columbus Day is on Monday, and it officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas in 1492!
The temperatures improved slightly by the time we stopped for breakfast at Beas café in Conway and we enjoyed another ‘diner’ experience, accompanied by lots of locals. We continued across country through the towns of Tamworth and Meredith, the latter being a pretty lakeside town, full of people and as we drove out of the town, a queue of cars was pouring in. We were keeping off the main roads, wanting to experience small towns and villages, where real people lived. We drove through Bristol and Boscawen on our way to Concord, the capital of New Hampshire. Our first impression was that it was a bit of a dump, but when we got to the centre on main street, the State House with a golden domed roof and an eagle on the top was a lot more appealing.
After taking photos and grabbing a coffee, we decided to press on to Boston and chose the freeway toll route into the city. It was a bit of a hairy ride, with cars undertaking those twits who wanted to cruise along in the centre lane(s). Our google sat nav, which has linked to the car via carplay has been a real bonus, and today it guided us safely into the centre of Boston, in the right lane at the right time and we were relieved to find our way back to the 7th floor of the multi storey car park and surrender the car, intact after completing 2,441 miles!
The handover was quick and efficient, and we were soon in a taxi heading to the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel. The entrance hall and reception rooms were stunning, with gold ceilings, chandeliers and comfortable chairs. The place was buzzing, and it turned out there were a couple of weddings going on as well as lots of other tourists. Our check in clerk was brilliant, and we were delighted with our room, much bigger than we expected and very well appointed.
After a cup of tea we had a tour of the hotel to get our bearings and then set off on a wander around outside. We went into Boston Public Library with its lovely courtyard, lavish marble staircase and huge study rooms. It also had a tearoom where they were serving afternoon teas, we tried to book for tomorrow but they were full!
We did, however, have a booking for The View, the observation deck of the Prudential Building. We enjoyed an ice cream in the Italian food hall on the ground floor before taking the elevator to the 51st floor and those views, all 360 degrees of them, over the whole of Boston. We spent nearly 2 hours there taking in all the vistas, enjoying a glass of prosecco and revelling in the sunset, which was fabulous. Back to the Fairmont, and we had booked dinner in the hotel this evening, because we thought we should ….. it was OK but not amazing, and the music was overpowering, not what we would have expected in such an establishment! Mind you, we were clearly in the minority being over 30!
Day 21: Sunday 12th October 2025
Our last full day in America and the weather forecast was a mixed bag today, dry this morning with rain coming in later in the day, so forewarned, we set off early to grab breakfast at a Tatte coffee shop, which we liked at the beginning of this trip. We were not alone in this ambition, lots of Bostonians clearly like Tatte coffee and pastries so we had to queue, but the atmosphere was jolly and we enjoyed the experience. A lovely family from Miami were sat opposite us and asked us where we were from and a lovely conversation ensued.
Boston Public Park and Boston Common were next on the agenda. We had driven around these on our Duck tour but it was pleasant to walk through them. We found the duck family and then, weaving in and out of many Sunday morning runners on the common, we found Embrace. This is a memorial to the love and leadership of Dr Martin Luther King and his wife, Coretta. The huge artwork was inspired by a photograph of them embracing, and it was wonderful to see close up.
We walked back across the park, dodging several tour groups which we think were off the cruise ships, to the Massachusetts State House, with its golden dome. This one was bigger than its New Hampshire counterpart, but it didn’t have a golden eagle on the top! The State House sits on top of Beacon Hill, and we walked behind it through a series of tree lined streets of large, mostly terraced, brownstone buildings. Clearly this is where posh Bostonians reside, as some of them even had gardens! We found a wonderful communal railed garden, similar to those found in central London residential squares.
After stopping at a subway station to buy our Charlie cards, sadly we could not add another one day pass to our existing cards, we opted to walk over a smart footbridge to the river walk as it was still dry. We felt the wind pick up and knew we didn’t have long before the rain came, but we managed a quick sit down on a couple of Adirondack chairs chained to a pontoon in the river!
Google showed us where another Tatte coffee shop was close by, so we aimed for that and found ourselves in Beacon Hill suburb, full of eateries and rather stylish shops. Suitably refreshed and refuelled we decided to catch our first subway of the day, and the red line took us over the Longfellow bridge to Harvard. Being close to the start of the new academic year, it was buzzing with stalls and excited students, we had another brief walk through the campus, where we were amazed by how the grass had flourished since our last visit when it had just been reseeded. The number 1 bus was about to depart so we hopped on that to Hynes Convention centre (familiar from our visit 3 weeks ago) and caught the green subway and then the blue to the Aquarium. This was the departure point for the Charlestown ferry, and we couldn’t believe our luck to find the ferry just about to leave so we jumped on. The view of the waterfront from the water was fabulous, even on such a dull day, and we really enjoyed the short cruise. Our plan was to photograph the USS Constitution, which we spied from the back of the ferry, but we discovered the bus back to Downtown was about to leave and we would have to wait another hour for the next, so we ran for the bus instead! Geoff got quite excited when he saw a WWII destroyer, USS Cassin (793), having already seen a WW1 mine on Boston Common and a 10.5mm Howitzer on the river walk!
By this time we had been on the go for 6 hours, so we returned to the hotel for our favourite beverage and a rest before going back to the Prudential centre and the EatItaly food hall we discovered by chance yesterday. We ate in a restaurant contained within the hall, a perfect menu fixe of 2 courses, small and just enough for us. We had some delicious wine and then chose some tiny cakes to take back to our room for dessert. What a fitting end to a great last full day in Boston.
Day 22: Monday 13th October 2025
Time to go home! As our flight was not scheduled till 8.15pm, we had arranged a late check out and intended to spend our last morning travelling around on subways and buses in the rain. However, after walking around the corner to another Tatte coffee shop for breakfast and practically being blown over and soaked through within minutes, we retreated to our hotel to play cards, redraw our route map and finish the diary. This weather makes us realise just how lucky we have been to have had 21 days (out of 23) be sunny and warm.
If anyone has been reading this diary, we hope you have enjoyed our adventure with us. It has been a brilliant experience, exceeded our expectations in terms of the scenery we have seen and the activities we have enjoyed.
To our children, thank you for reading!
