Travel Thoughts

 My favorite mode of travel is train. 

My second favorite mode of travel is ferry. 

New Jersey, your highways are in good shape. 

New York, your roads suck. 

The east end of Long Island impressed me. Farms, quaint townships, and lots of vegetable stands. 

I saw a groundhog eating near a road  

Someone’s goats got out of the fence and were grazing near the road  

I saw a beaver drinking from a creek  

Jersey drivers SPEED!

There are no left or U turns in NJ. Instead they use jug handles! 

Rhode Island and Connecticut need to fix their roads, but they still aren't as bad as New York's!

I'm beginning to appreciate grab handles in tubs.

Lots and lots of tolls in the Northeast.

Always take some room spray with you.

Make sure whoever is packing the car DOESN'T FORGET THE SHOES!

I love what soft water does to my hair  

Pack a couple zip lock bags. They come in handy  

Beautiful scenery in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. 

I don’t think I’ve ever seen more morbidly obese people in one place than I saw in Atlantic City.

Sirius radio made the long drives easier. Best stations are 16, 17 and 18. The Blend, The Bridge, and The Beatles.

 

Cliff Walk, Newport

Saturday, Oct. 2

Our hotel is about 20 miles north of Newport, but we drove back to hike a bit on the Cliff Walk. It's free and has a beautiful view.

Parked near the cliff walk. Cars like this are

everywhere in Newport!

Looking back at the cliff walk from where we got on.

Here's a map of the walk. It's about 3 1/2 miles long

There are various difficulties on the walk. About half of it is paved and an easy walk. But then you will hit a rugged part, which is rocks. Then it goes to gravel and then rocks again. But here is what you can see along the paved path.

This is The Breakers (which we toured yesterday) from the walk.

Morning glories?

Walking towards Rosecliff, which you really can't see from the walk.

A downhill on the walk.

A surfer coming back to the "beach."

A mermaid, uh, photographer.

This is part of Rosecliff.

The walk winds around that curve.

Pretty flora.

It was at this point that I decided (for us) to turn back. The path turned into flat rocks, which I probably could have navigated. But to get to the third rock, my short legs wouldn't get across the gap. I tried to take a small path to the third rock, but immediately loss my balance and had to catch myself before falling. I just turned back and Paul was fine with it. People kept saying the rocks were very flat, but the problem is I couldn't reach those rocks and I wasn't going to plunge to my death today!

The rock where the lady in the blue jeans is standing is

the one I couldn't reach.

So we turned around and went back towards The Breakers, only we went further. We watched the surfers for awhile (see video on Facebook) and then moved on past where we had gotten on.

This is the campus of Salve Regina University, which is next to The Breakers.

This is Ochre Point (which is the name of the street)

There's a resting spot just above those rocks.

This is the top of the wall (to keep people off it)

Cute little arch we had to pass through.

Historic 40 steps, recently restored.

Two hardy men climbing out of the water.

At this point, I sent Paul back to get the car and I waited at the corner for him. My toes were really hurting (ahem, my walking shoes were left behind when "someone" put the box aside while packing). But really, he can move faster without me. So I sat near the bus stop and watched the traffic go by. Some very neat cars!

We went back to the waterfront and found a parking spot after driving in a circle about 4 times. We walked back to the Brick Alley Pub. This time I had a burger and boy, was it good! 

This was on the stairway to the restrooms!

Here I am, toasting with a chocolate martini our wonderful trip to Newport.

Tomorrow we will visit Providence (probably have lunch) and then we are going to start our way back home. We're going to try to take I-84 to Scranton, PA and then catch I-81 to Roanoke for a visit with our sister-in-law, whom we saw in March. We should be home by Friday, if not before.

I may not blog for the rest of the trip as I don't anticipate sightseeing much and what I do see, I'll probably just post on FB.

Hope you've enjoyed our trip along with us!

Newport, RI: The Breakers

As we drove into Newport, we ended up along the waterfront, which was very busy. Lots of shops and cafes and restaurants. We looked up where one of the Newport mansions was located and headed down Belleview Avenue. Shortly, we found a sign to The Breakers, probably the most famous of the mansions, so we found street parking about 2 blocks away (although there was free parking right across from the entrance, but we saw it too late).

Admission was $26 per person (no senior discount) and you could download your own tour on an app that's free. So that's what we did.

When you first enter the mansion, you walk into the Great Hall.

Parties and balls were held here. (This is one end)

This is the other end.

The grand staircase. Apparently President and

Mrs. Kennedy once ate at a table next to

the grand staircase at a party.

Under the grand staircase there is a

small fountain and a place for contemplation.

Double crystal chandeliers, electric. But check the bulbs

below the chandeliers. They could be used with gas if

the electric went off.

The ceiling is that of Aurora.

The dining room panoramic.

Decor is in country French style for the most part.

Billiards room.

Looking up at the balconies that surround the great hall.

Another great fireplace.

More of the French country style

This fireplace was brought over from France. It's about 500 years old.

These types of panels were set around the room.

That's not silver -- it's platinum!!

Another ornate ceiling.

The music room.

For the ladies.

The card room.

The library. Bookshelves on either side

of the fireplace.

Up the staircase

One of the daughter's bedrooms. 

Much simpler decor.

The bath tub. There are four faucets. Two for hot and cold water.

Two for hot and cold SALT water!

Mr. Vanderbilt's room

A beautiful marble fireplace.

His bed.

Another restroom. The small tub on the right is a

sitz bath.

Mrs. Vanderbilt's bedroom.

Mrs. Vanderbilt's call buttons are next to her bed.

A guest bedroom.

The loggia.

The original home. It burnt down in 1892.

Mr. Vanderbilt did not use wood at all in the current house.

Interesting lounger.

Looking down on the grand staircase.

The skylight above the staircase.

The servants' staircase.

The servants could be summoned or could answer

calls using these speaking tubes at the

bottom of the staircase.

The kitchen. There are no burners on the stove.

The entire thing heats up like a big hot plate.

The butler's pantry. It was huge!

Keeping an eye on who is in need of service.

Outside on the grounds.

Nice lawn for croquet!

The lawn ends at the Cliff Walk (which we plan to do tomorrow). There are many other mansions you can tour, but we picked this one.

The tour stated that Mr. Vanderbilt was really a "down to earth" guy who taught Sunday school, but also referred to him as one of the most powerful men in the nation. 

I have to say that walking through the house did put me in mind of the several chateaus we visited in France, although the French were, overall, much more elaborate. 

The tour was definitely worth it.