NEW ENGLAND BLOG September 29th, 2023 - MONTPELIER, VT

 

9/29/23– This motel is not the best but it did its job. We check out at 10:30am and hit the road for the hour and a half drive to Montpelier, Vermont.

The day is very cloudy, which makes me happy for the great weather we’ve had so far on this trip. It would be great if we could enjoy more of the fall foliage during our drive with a bright blue sky, but can’t win all the time I guess. The good news is we arrive at the State Capital around noon with not very many people around.

We park our car at the meter and view the stunning grounds leading up to the Capital Building. The colorful leaves and lush flowers really do bring out the best look, and we don’t have to wait long for any people to clear the way either.

Once inside, we opt to explore on our own, using their handheld devices, and can’t believe how small this building really is. The Representatives and Senate rooms are upstairs and empty for us to take all the random photos we want, but it is weird to tour around a working building (I wonder how much they really detest tourist every single day).

We return to our car just as the time expires and drive around the block for souvenirs. We contemplate what else to do and search for a winery nearby but it appears to be closed. A few months back, a major flood hit Montpelier and tore up the town quite a bit. There’s much construction going on now and wonder how much of it is due to the damage.

Not far away, we drive to the main Ben & Jerry’s factory in hopes of catching a tour, but as we arrive we find the next slot would be 3 hours away, which is much too late for us to stay around. With this in mind, we decide to keep driving to our next hotel in Cooperstown, New York.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ITALY BLOG SEPTEMBER 9th, 2025 - PORTOFINO

Image
  9/9/25– I wake up to the sound of thunder rolling outside. Thankfully, we have nothing to do this morning and able to sleep in. We check the weather and see it should clear up around 1pm, so we decide to go ahead with our Portofino plans. Our hot water stopped working yesterday and our AirBnb host stops by this morning to check it out. Unfortunately, the issue is broader than what she can handle and calls a maintenance person that won’t be here until later. Good thing is, we ask about how we can call a taxi for the day we leave and she offers to take us herself. Wow, didn’t expect that and greatly appreciate the hospitality. Shortly after noon we notice the rain beginning to let up. I check the ferry schedule and see a 1:15pm time that goes to Portofino so we get ready for our day out hoping the weather holds up. It takes ten minutes to walk to the port (everywhere here seems to take ten minutes), purchase our tickets and take a few photos around the pier before we embark. ...
Read more

ITALY BLOG SEPTEMBER 2nd, 2025 - ROME

Image
  9/2/25– Another day, another timed ticket in the morning. This one is for the Galleria Borghese Museum and gardens at 11am. We’ve missed on previous trips and made sure to include this time around. We eat our pastries for breakfast (that we purchased yesterday) and called an Uber around 10:30am. I am a bit nervous for a moment wondering how close one would be, but only took a few minutes and we arrive at the Borghese ten minutes early. Upon entering the museum, we are asked to check our bags before continuing on. We oblige, get our check item number and proceed to the first room of the gallery. Wow! The room is decked out in marble from ceiling to floor with sculptures in every corner. I don’t know what I was expecting, but this is definitely better. We continue to the next room and it’s more of the same, with beautifully painted fresco on the ceiling and gold radiating throughout. Every attention to detail is present, including the elegant chairs and mosaic flooring. The...
Read more

HAWAII BLOG FEBRUARY 6th, 2026 - HAWAII BIG ISLAND

Image
  2/6/26– Wake up, eat breakfast and get ready for our day out… same-o, same-o. Except for one minor detail. We need to get Sharece some long pants and a jacket. Hmmm Jeff, why would you need that in Hawaii? Well, apparently their mountain, Mauna Kea, can get pretty cold and windy and we didn’t think about this coming in. No worries, we leave a bit earlier and Wal-Mart is on the way so Sharece runs in for her warm clothing and presto we are on our way. The drive takes an hour and a half. We can’t ask for a better day as there’s hardly a cloud in sight (unusual for this side of the island). By the time we reach Waipio Valley Lookout, we jump out the car and dart down the short hill to see an incredible view of the valley and coastline. All the greenery is lush, the sky nice and blue and our cameras can’t get enough. It is a touch warm at 80 degrees so we escape to the shade every now and then, but the view is simply amazing. Next up is Akaka Falls which features a 442 foot wat...
Read more