You know how I said that it didn’t matter what the weather was because it was vacation? Well that was a big fat lie. It is so cold here! I am really missing some summer heat and blue skies!

Yesterday, we spent touring coastal towns on our way to Bar Harbor. We started by visiting three light houses in Portland. The biggest one, Portland Head at Fort Williams was a full park and had a beautiful landscaped picnic area that would have been quite nice for a romantic lunch by the sea. The problem was that it was pouring rain and I am only equipped with a rain jacket that has lost it’s waterproofing and no umbrella. We walked around the lighthouse anyway, for about fifteen minutes, and by the time we were done, I was soaked through to my knickers, which I was annoyed to find didn’t dry for most of the day.

Our next stop was the LL Bean store in Freeport, about a half hour drive away. With the aid of the car air vents, I managed to dry my pants legs enough to not drip on the floor, or generate curious stares as I shopped. There wasn’t really all that much to see, and if you ask me, the prices are too high. At least I can say I’ve been there.

We spent the rest of the day working our way up the coast, stopping in the charming little coastal towns along the way. Walking down their Main streets, one feels as if one has stepped back in time. The streets are lined with unique shops that have character. The town looks unaltered since the fifties, with quaint street lamps and brick sidewalks, and no trace of the genericization that has plagued most of America. Each town has it’s own personality and here in Maine, there are still rural areas in between.

This sight-seeing was all very wonderful. It’s just that it was raining. And cold. After a few hours of this, I was getting annoyed. “It’s cold and raining. Why do I have to get out of the car?” I thought to myself. By the last town, someone among us complained, “I’m not British!” and someone among us, being British, would never see cold and rain as a deterrent to exploring. So we spent another half hour walking in the rain, but at least part of that time was inside a coffee shop, watching the rain drip into the pond outside.

Fortunately, soon after, the sun set making it unnecessary to make any further stops.

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