We left home Wednesday afternoon (September 14th) and arrived in Portland on Friday. That first day and a half of our trip had some frustrations with tense moments and near misses in congested traffic. The reason? We forgot to update our Garmin GPS before we left home and she hasn't been out in the world since our last major trip a few years ago. In Michigan and Ohio she knew the roads, but couldn't seem to locate our position on them; and then she very inconveniently forgot that the north eastern states even exist at all! Consequently we ended up stashing her in the glove compartment and finding our way using a Road Atlas with very small, difficult (for me) to read print. This led to the near misses, back tracking, and some tense interchanges between driver and navigator. We have now (we hope!) remedied the situation with larger, easier to read maps (like the Delorme Maine Atlas) and periodic assistance from Siri on the iPhone. Siri is definitely our friend!
If you followed our last trip out east you know that we spent most of our time exploring Vermont and New Hampshire and had only a couple days left for Maine. We made it as far as Portland, but didn't complete our itinerary for the city before having to head home. Consequently, on this trip to Maine, we came straight to Portland to start where we had left off.
When we arrived in Portland our first stop was the Portland Observatory. Built in 1807, its the only remaining historic maritime signal tower in the United States. The Observatory's telescope could identify ships 30 miles out to sea and have 2 way communication with them, as well as the town's merchants, using specially made flags. We climbed the winding stairway up seven stories (108 steps) to the top, and were rewarded with a beautiful panoramic view of the city of Portland and the harbor.
 |
Portland Observatory
 |
| The Bug Light (tiny lighthouse) can be seen out near the sailboat.
We visited the Bug Light the last time we were in Portland. |
|
 |
| Looking beyond the harbor for incoming ships. |
It can be challenging at times to find a parking place in a congested city with our truck camper. We were able to find a place to park on a side road in a residential area a few blocks from the Observatory, so we decided to leave the camper where it was and walk several blocks to our next two destinations: The Victoria Mansion and the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Home.
The Victoria Mansion, also known as the Morse Lilly Home, is an opulent and grand home built in 1858-1860 with 90% of the original furnishings still intact. It is beautifully decorated with intricately carved wood, marble fireplaces, exquisite frescoes, and gorgeous ceiling and wall paintings. You could tell that John, the docent who led our guided tour, took great pride in sharing this beautiful home with us. Sadly, indoor photographs were prohibited.
 |
| Victoria Mansion |
We also toured the childhood home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which was built by his grandfather in 1785 and decorated with original furnishings and family memorabilia. After the grandeur of the Victoria Mansion, the Longfellow home seemed quite plain in comparison.
 |
| Longfellow Home |
When these homes were built, they were located well outside the city limits, but the city grew up around them. The Longfellow house seems out of place sandwiched in among more modern downtown buildings and the Victoria Mansion is surrounded by buildings, electrical poles and wires :(
It was a lovely day and we enjoyed our time in Portland!
No comments:
Post a Comment