Backing up, D & I tied the knot in September, but chose not to honeymoon right away. We’d planned to go to Lake Tahoe this month, but hadn’t made plans or reservations. We just knew we wanted more time to plan it out, save a few more bucks and do it right. We wanted to do an active vacation with possibly hiking, biking, kayaking and other fun, outdoor things. Unfortunately, when D got hurt in December, that wrecked any idea of planning since we couldn’t be sure he’d be well enough for that type of excursion.
Luckily, in mid February we got a postcard in the mail from the bed and breakfast we’d stayed at the weekend we got engaged. It offered a deal we couldn’t refuse, so we made the best of the situation and took our mini-honeymoon to Maine.
We drove to Boothbay Harbor on Friday afternoon. It was cloudy and drizzled at some points, but was an otherwise ok drive. Well, except for the lunch part of things. We’d left the house at noon and decided we’d stop for sandwiches at Subway somewhere along the way. I knew there was a Subway on the highway about 30 minutes from home, but wasn’t sure which exit. When I saw the sign on the highway, it was too late for D to switch lanes, and since it was so early in the trip we figured no big deal, we’ll see another one. We continued traveling on I-495, and then eventually I-95, and ultimately I-295. And wouldn’t you know there wasn’t a damn Subway anywhere? To be honest, we had gotten to the point where we didn’t really care if it was Subway or something else, but really, we drove for hours without seeing anything suitable for lunch. Finally, we got close to Freeport, ME, and I saw a sign for a Subway, a half mile from the exit to the right(ish) (it was one of those arrows that wasn’t actually pointing in a direction you can describe—halfway between right and straight, but the street didn’t have that many options). So D went that way, but I guess we picked the wrong right(ish) road, because we ended up driving through downtown Freeport.
Now, if you’re not familiar, Freeport is your typical small Maine town, except for the fact that it is home to L.L. Bean company headquarters and its massive outlet store, around which a village of outlets sprung up. Despite this, the town is still very cute and cozy (at least the parts I saw of it)—very Maine. D did ask me if I wanted to stop anywhere, but I resisted and we actually didn’t go into any stores. (My credit score is proud of me.) We eventually came across a Friendly’s and decided that was good enough, so we parked, grabbed a bite to eat (about 3 hours after we left the house), and resumed our trip (which was less than 45 minutes). Of course, on the way back, I was able to locate about 5 Subways.
We got to Boothbay Harbor and pulled into the parking lot at the Welch House Inn, a beautiful bed and breakfast with the most wonderful view of the Harbor. When we stayed a year and a half ago, our room was on the top floor, overlooking the roof deck that overlooked the Harbor. This year, our room (which was bigger) was just underneath the roof deck, but still had a great view. We checked in and got settled into our room. Then we took a quick walk down the hill for some beer, and started our vacation. We decided to unwind with a beer before figuring out where to go for dinner.
For the record, part of the reason we chose this weekend to visit Boothbay Harbor was the events planned for the weekend. The Fisherman’s Festival was taking place, which is basically a lot of hokey, fishing-related events that the locals get really excited for as one last hurrah before the busy summer tourist season kicks off. It’s sort of like the unofficial end of winter for them. So as we walked around town, we noticed a few businesses were opening for the first time for the season, while others were still closed up. And there were few people milling about on Friday night. This may be because they were all at the high school for the Miss Shrimp Pageant. Our decision to go to McSeagull’s for dinner was based in part because our deal at the inn included a $50 gift card for the restaurant and because we figured the locals would swamp the place after Saturday’s festival events.
We wandered down to McSeagull’s which is a good sized pub and restaurant catering to the beer drinking public specializing in local favorites—any kind of seafood, especially lobster. They had a live band that night and we got a seat right on the water (the restaurant is on a pier). The food was great. We ordered drinks and nachos; I had a pulled pork sandwich and D had “popcorn lobster” because he’d never had it before and was curious. For those of you who want to know, I renamed the dish lobster tenders because these suckers were huge. Big pieces of claw and knuckle meat, deep fried and served with French fries.
Now, I don’t eat seafood. I’ve tried different kinds on many different occasions, and I just can get past the fish-flavored aftertaste (yes, I know good fish doesn’t taste ‘fishy,’ but the general flavor of the ocean/seafood is too much for me) and oftentimes the texture. But I was feeling adventurous, so I asked D if I could have a bite. I tasted it, really waited for the flavors and can honestly say it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever had. It was, in fact, the best fresh seafood I’ve ever had. But I didn’t really like it. (D gave me points for trying, though.)
Saturday morning we woke up and were anxiously looking forward to our breakfast. The Welch House is known for two things—the gorgeous view of the water and their a-MAZE-ing breakfasts. They start with a wonderful spread of fresh fruits, pastries (Saturday was cranberry muffins), cereal, yogurt and their homemade granola that is so good and different. D and I call this spread the breakfast appetizers. As we sat on the deck enjoying the beautiful sunshine and warm weather, Michael, the husband part of the husband and wife owners, came over to offer us the day’s breakfast—quiche with crabmeat. Still feeling adventurous, I decided to give it a try. We joked with Michael that I didn’t have to finish it, but it was worth tasting.
Michael brought out our dishes and I must admit it looked very pretty with a little baby green garnish and finely chopped crabmeat you could barely tell it was in there. I took a bite and did ok, but noticed the seafood undertones much sooner than in the lobster tenders from the night before. But I couldn’t decide if I didn’t like it. So, yes, I had another bite. Ultimately, I decided it really wasn’t my thing, but I was proud of myself for testing the waters since that’s something I don’t normally do. I guess that’s part of growing up—I supposed that since I’m 30 I ought to at least try things I’m not sure about before I turn my nose up at them.
D was proud of me too, but I think he was also happy I didn’t eat my breakfast. Michael came over to check on us and asked if I was going to finished it or let D eat it. I told him it was ok, but I was going to give it to D. He thanked me for trying and D definitely finished every bite.
There’s definitely more to the story, but I think the Festival activities deserve their own post. And I have pictures that are currently being held captive by the camera, so I’ll stop here.
No comments:
Post a Comment