Day 2 - Typically New England

The summer takes a final sprint. The temperatures are still rather high during the second half of September. After somewhat cooler temperatures earlier in the month, they now rise again to 25 ° C during the day. The nights, on the other hand, cool down considerably. This is the perfect recipe for an Indian Summer. These are the last times of the year that the sun squeezes everything out and allows the temperatures to rise during the day. But as soon as the sun disappears, the warmth also disappears to make way for thick coats and sweaters. You feel fall in the air while you breathe in the fresh evening air. And it won't be that long before the first snowflakes fall over the higher areas of New England.

Today, Salem in Massachusetts is bathing in sunlight. 

This rather picturesque village about half an hour from Boston, however, has a terrible history. Because no matter how picturesque the town may be, Salem will forever be associated with the witch trials that took place here in 1692. And saying that it all started innocently with two nieces who had found no better way than to read a book (which they were forbidden of course) about witches and especially how girls who are bewitched behave. They clearly had paid attention, because their behavior caused everyone shivers. When asked who had bewitched them, they pointed to one of the servants as a witch. This servant, in turn, blamed someone else. And so the ball started rolling. The hysteria made its appearance and the consequences were unforeseeable. About 150 people were arrested. Whoever confessed to be a witch ended up in prison, those who shouted their innocence were hanged. That's how 20 people lost their lives. In Salem itself a memorial park was inaugurated for all these innocent victims of a misplaced joke. A serene piece of green to reflect on what someone can do to his fellow man.

What a beautiful morning to start our tour. A blue sky, the sun that burns on my skin. Perfect to wander around in Salem for a few hours. I go immediately to the home of author Nathanial Hawthorne. He is best known as author of the books ‘The Scarlet Letter’ and ‘House of Seven Gables’. And for the inspiration of the latter he did not have to go far. Because he loved his home so much, he used his colonial house as the location for his book, the ‘House of Seven Gables’. And that house is just next to the port. It can be visited, but not that early in the morning. That is why I take a limited look through the fence, looking for the seven façade points. On the waterfront I take a break to enjoy the serenity of the rippling water. In front of me, pleasure boats are waiting for their owners for a trip on the water. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the sailing harbor that now exudes  so much tranquility was one of the busiest ports in New England. 

Salem is my real first introduction to New England. A first introduction to those wooden houses in all colors. All that wood gives the city a warm, cozy feeling although the city has not always known that figurative warmth of course. As mentioned earlier, the famous witch processes have seriously cut into it. Nathanial Hawthorne changed his name to disguise his descent from witch trial judge John Hathorne. Nowadays you can find remnants of the terrible past at museums and memorial places everywhere.

This town is already alive weeks before Halloween. People like to dress up in creepy witches with pointed noses and giant pimples, casting spells while gesticulating with their scary fingers with dizzying nails. Houses are decorated into real haunted houses with rattling skeletons, zombies rising from the grave, hands trying to grab you from the earth and ghosts lurking behind the corner. Halloween is of course celebrated all over the US, but they are happy to add a little extra. And with their past, they get away with it too.

When I think of New England, I think not only of those cute wooden houses but also of the many lighthouses along the ocean. They are also necessary, because the rocky coast is a danger to shipping. One of those 63 lighthouses along the Maine coast is located near Old York, the Nubble Lighthouse or Cape Neddick Lighthouse, as you wish. It was built in 1879. The lighthouse itself cannot be visited, but it must be the most photographed lighthouse on the east coast. It is a certified winner on postcards, souvenirs and photo albums and even today the tourists are taking their snapshot. In 1977, NASA launched Voyager II into space to take photos of the outer edge of our solar system. Voyager carries all kinds of photos and objects from the earth, should the spacecraft encounter alien visitors. One of the photos on board the Voyager is that of ... the Nubble Lighthouse. It says something about the popularity of the lighthouse.

Kennebunkport has always been a lovely fishing village in Maine. Not for everyone's wallet because all that sweetness, tranquility and beautiful houses come with a price. If you know that the houses in this village are mainly summer residences, then a simple calculation shows that the owners belong mainly to the upper class. 

While Kennebunkport was for years an exclusive affair for the rich and famous, a place where that richer class could relax, Kennebunkport instantly became famous when US President George Bush Sr. during his presidency received, among others, Margareth Thatcher and Michael Gorbachev in his private residence. 

Unlike other presidents who used the official Camp David presidential summer residence, he used his own beloved country retreat at Walkers Point. And son Bush also received many  world leaders here. There is something to be said for it. Bush's ancestors made an excellent choice for the location of their country retreat. Located at the end of a peninsula, the gigantic complex is surrounded by water with beautiful and distant views of the surroundings. And the picturesque center of Kennebunkport is a stone's throw away. A picturesque center with beautiful shops, tasty fish restaurants, cozy coffee shops and pleasure boats on the water. Who doesn't want to have their summer residence here?

Portland is the largest city in Maine. It was once one of the most important ports. Today mainly tourist boats leave from the harbor looking for whales or lobsters or just for fishing. 

 

In the old part of the city the streets are still paved with cobblestones and you need too navigate between the terraces of the cozy pubs. It looks like a piece of Europe in Maine. But the city also exudes a modern atmosphere with cute signs and artistic shop windows of trendy shops and popular antique stores. In the harbor there is also a piece of the Berlin wall. 

A successful introduction to Maine, New England's largest state, which further comprises of New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts and smaller Rhode Island. There is still a lot on the program, and so far it has met all my expectations. Off to more.