Hey everyone, well this Summer we stayed a lot closer to home, didn’t take as many of our famous “day-trips” because we were saving and planning on a trip to US Virgin Islands – St. Thomas! America’s Caribbean Paradise – words such as Exotic, Luxurious, Beautiful, Romantic are used to describe this tropical paradise – WhooHoo right, we were excited and couldn’t wait until August 30th to take off!
It was 4:00am Monday Aug. 30th when the alarm went off as a signal of the start of what was supposed to be our dream vacation. We leave the house at 5:05 headed to Newark Liberty International Airport for the 1st part of our journey a short flight to Charlotte, NC. The thing we didn’t know was that at 5:26am we received both a voice mail message at home and an email informing us our connecting flight from NC to STT had been cancelled due to hurricane Earl.
Upon landing in NC is when we learned our connecting flight to STT was cancelled. The airline didn’t assume any responsibility for providing us with lodging for the night so we were on our own. At that time the next day’s flight to STT was still on schedule according to the airline so they re-booked us for the following day’s flight to STT. We found a hotel for the evening, had a quiet dinner and watch the weather channel all night keeping a close eye on Earl and its path. It was early evening when my cell phone rang – it was the owner of the villa in St. Thomas advising us not to continue on – she said the airport was closed, power lines/tress were down, and rain was fore-casted for the entire week!
The next morning we headed over to the Charlotte airport and explained we needed to re-book our flights again, this time back to NY. Long story short, the airline was not helpful or understanding but we finally made our way back to NY. We picked up our car at about 4:00pm on Tuesday August 31st (by now we have lost 2 days of our vacation). We looked at each other and said well our bags are packed and in the car. . .let’s go somewhere / anywhere to salvage the remainder of our week’s vacation. We agreed we needed to head north as Earl was projected to hit the east coast and move up later in the week – we needed to stay ahead of Earl (if possible).
So we were off, not sure where to, but we were off and looking forward to finishing our week better that we started.
As we crossed over the Massachusetts border on the MA Turnpike we pulled over for a slice of pizza (not the tropical dinner we were supposed to be enjoying) and started surfing the Internet looking for a place to stay. We knew we wanted to be along the coast but wasn’t sure where to go and still being out of Earl’s lingering path. We called a couple B&B’s that were booked when we were then referred to Above the Bay at The Thornton Adams B&B in Plymouth.
Never having been to Plymouth, therefore not realizing its close proximity to the ocean / Cape Code, our initial thought was okay we’d stay the night, maybe two but then move on to either Hyannis or somewhere that we knew (meaning someplace that we’d heard more about other than historically) was close to ocean.
Once we arrived at Above the Bay at The Thornton Adams B&B and meeting Sandy we knew we were not going anywhere else! This was exactly where we were intended to finish our vacation. Sandy is absolutely wonderful; she is warm, friendly, inviting and most helpful. The Thornton Adams house is perfect, a great location, clean, spacious, and Sandy’s breakfasts are top notch!
Of course Plymouth is rich with history but I’m not certain I would have enjoyed or appreciated as much if we actually planned a trip there. I think there was something about Sandy providing us with tips on places to go, things to do, restaurants to enjoy dinner and of course the greatest shops to shop and the fact that like the pilgrims we set out on our journey not knowing where we would land and we landed in Plymouth – both elements made our entire visit more special.
The ever famous Plymouth Rockwas not what I expected – it was smaller and incased in a portico – none the less, once there and learning more about it’s history I have a new appreciation for this very special time/place in history. From the Leyden Street (the street stretching from Brewster Gardens to First Church is Leyden Street, named for Leyden in Holland, a refuge for Pilgrims during their persecutions. This is the original Plymouth Street) to Mayflower II (replica of the ship that carried The Pilgrims to the New World). 
Jenney Grist Mill (first mill built in the United States),
1640 Richard Sparrow House Pottery and Museum (Plymouth’s oldest house), 
Burial Hill (A must stop along the historic Pilgrim’s Path. This site is one of the first forts of the Pilgrims and the burial place of William Bradford 
and other first settlers. Set high atop the hill, the Pilgrims placed their cannons facing the harbor for protection), and of course the Plymouth Plantation – 
Situated along the Eel River wetlands overlooking Cape Cod Bay, the 100-acre main campus is a stunning setting for the recreated historic Wampanoag Homesite, the 17th Century English Village, and the Crafts Center. Truly a great place to visit and learn – their gift shopshave very unique gifts many still made by original crafters and in the same manor of the Wampanoag Indians and first settlers (trust me, you know me, I’m a shop-a-holic so if I say it’s unique its unique LOL). We purchased one of the very special pottery items – a mug with three handles. According to Sandy (our very special innkeeper) history or legend has it that the purpose for multiple handles was that when drinking with friends, the mug could be easily passed from one person to the next without have to worry about turning in a manor that the handle was easily available for the next person.
These are just a few of the many places to visit and learn the fascinating history of this beautiful area. Now you all know me and my honey do love our waterfront dining and Plymouth Harbor offer many wonderful restaurants to enjoy both a great view and great food. We enjoyed dinner at the 14 Union Dockside Bar & Grill– service was good, location/view was great but for me, the food was a little pricy for what was offered. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of a selection of seafood on the entrees. As our first course, we shared the Lobster & Crab Rangoon – Lobster and crab rangoons golden fried and served with an orange ginger soy sauce which was absolutely delicious! As my entrée I had two appetizers: Coconut Shrimp which was golden fried and served with an orange ginger soy dipping sauce. and the 2nd was Crab Cakes which was a wonderfully light blend of lump crab meat with panko breadcrumbs. Served with a remoulade sauce. both were great! My honey enjoyed the Seafood Bouillabaisse which was Shrimp, Mussels, Scallops and Fish steamed in a savory saffron flavored tomato broth with an herbed crostini. Yup, we do know how to dine well LOL! We also enjoy great dinners at the East Bay Grill and Pebbles and others!
Then there is Cupcake Charlies– OMG – WOW are just a couple phrases that come to mind LOL, Let’s just say that their slogan is “Life is short, eat a cupcake” that should give you an idea how serious they are about cupcakes – every flavor, combination and topping you can imagine – yes, we indulged in the triple chocolate something or other–it was hmmmm hmmmm good! If your taste buds are looking for something a bit less sweet you have to visit Blue Blinds Bakery! You’ll be amazed with the wonderful murals on the walls and be delighted with great cup of locally roasted coffee and a white chocolate chip raspberry scone. They sell fresh-baked artisan breads, pastries, pies, cakes and more. Everything is made from scratch — okay okay, yes, here were treated ourselves to a wonderful cranberry biscotti and coffee! Hey, cranberries are from this region so we had to support the local economy (he he he).
I could go on and on about this wonderful village. Visit “more pictures of our visit in Plymouth.” While we were able to see and do a lot, there is much more that we didn’t have time to do on this trip so Sandy, be on the look out because we can’t wait to come back! If you too have visited Plymouth I’d love to hear from you what some of your special places were-leave me a comment below.
As always, I wish you days filled with happiness and “wonder” – take the time to “wonder” what it is that made you smile today! 
