Monday, May 29, 2017

Sunday, May 28, 2017, Middletown (Newport), RI
Day 17

A morning visit to Ma’s Donuts where the malassadas were hot until noon. Our first experience with the Portuguese donuts was in April in Hawaii. Instead of a spherical shape, Ma’s were more saucer shaped but delicious nevertheless. Next a couple of short hikes to try to walk off the malassada including to the Purgatory Chasm, a 120 foot long split in the earth along the coast about 50 feet deep and 10 feet wide at the top. After lunch we headed back to Providence for the RISD Museum which included a couple rooms of impressionists works. Then a good dinner with Kathy, Bob & Jamie at Joe Zarilli’s Old Canteen in the Italian section on Federal Hill.







Saturday, May 27, 2017, Middletown (Newport), RI
Day 16

We began at the Saturday Farmers Market at the Newport Winery and bought some goodies. A conversation with one vendor as to things to do in Providence resulted in the discovery of Waterfire scheduled for that night. Our last mansion tour was Rosecliff, another remarkable palace. After a walk on the Cliff Walk, we headed to Providence for dinner and Waterfire.  Dinner at Sura was good Korean cuisine. A short walk to Waterplace Park where 3 rivers come together and we stopped at a vantage point at the top of a pedestrian bridge over the river. A few minutes later music filled the air, live Asian drummers began to beat and torch boats began to light over 80 braziers in the rivers. The fires roared and provide warmth to the cool night air. The torch boats continued to add wood to the fires which we were told stayed lit until 12:30 a.m. We walked all of the lit rivers. Food trucks and other vendors added to the spectacle. People everywhere drawn from all over the area including other states. A real happening event.
















Friday, May 26, 2017, Middletown (Newport), RI
Day 15

Another rainy, cold day which leads us to indoor activities such as mansion hopping. First up is the Breakers, the “summer cottage” of Cornelius Vanderbilt, II. A massive 138,000 square feet of ornate beauty with a great hall 2 ½ stories tall. The most amazing thing to me is it was built in only 2 years with completion in 1895. Unfortunately for Cornelius, he had a stoke in 1896 and died in 1899 so his enjoyment of the Breakers was short. Next was brother William Vanderbilt’s Marble House with nearly every surface of marble, over 500,000 cubic feet of it. For lunch we headed to Long Wharf for lobster rolls virtually right off the boat at the Lobster Shack. The wharf was cold, windy and wet so we had our delicious lunch in the car. The afternoon was spent at the Chateau-Sur-Mer and the Elms, two more mansions preserved by the Preservation Society of Newport County. The conspicuous consumption of these mansions is beyond belief. And people think there is a wide gap today between the haves and the have nots! The “Gilded Age” (1865-1914) came to an end with the passage of the income tax in 1913. I guess that’s one good that came from this otherwise insidious tax.  There are mansions just about everywhere even with about 20 demolished prior to preservation efforts.












Thursday, May 25, 2017

Thursday, May 25, 2017, Middletown (Newport), RI
Day 14

Another rainy day and after an hour and 15 minutes, we arrived at Meadowlark RV Park in Middletown, RI. An afternoon visit to the Newport Winery for a tasting. Then a drive along the Ocean Drive to view the Castle Hill Lighthouse. A most unimpressive lighthouse not worth the stop. On the way back we drove by Fort Adams and viewed it from the outside as it was closed by the time we got there. Not to be disappointed, our next stop was the Newport Storm Brewery. Sampled 4 beers and bought a six pack.


Wednesday, May 24, 2017, Old Mystic, CT
Day 13

It turns out that one of the sites we wanted to see in Groton was open after all, just not on Tuesday. So we drove back the 8 miles to the U.S. Navy Submarine Force Museum, Home of the USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear powered submarine. Commissioned in 1954, the Nautilus was the first vessel to cross the North Pole in 1958. The audio guided tour was pretty cool. Our tour was interrupted by an announcement which drew us up onto the deck to watch a Navy sub being escorted down the river to begin its mission in open waters.  The adjacent museum informed us of everything one ever wanted to know about submarines. There is even a replica of the “Turtle” which roamed the waters during the Revolutionary War. Next was a stop at Holmberg Orchards for some goodies including strawberry rhubarb cobbler. Then a walk around downtown Mystic again, this time with a stop for latte. We even got to experience the drawbridge in action. Walked by Mystic Pizza but alas, no Julia Roberts sighting. The weather was perfect, slightly cool, and made for a very enjoyable day.