First of all, I'd like to apologize for not keeping this blog updated over the last few weeks. I've been very busy with summer activities and the preparation for our vacation. That brings us to this weeks blog, "Maine-ly food."
My husband and I just got back from our anniversary trip to Maine. What an experience! I've traveled to many places in my lifetime. I've been most places out west and all through the south, even Canada, but I have to say that this trip to Maine outshines them all! I will do my best to share with you this great experience but it's hard to find the words. It's something you just have to see for yourself to understand.
For anyone reading this blog who lives in Maine, thank you for providing such wonderful memories for your tourists. For those of you who have been to Maine, I'm sure you know exactly how I feel. And for those of you who have never been to Maine, I strongly encourage you to go if you ever get the opportunity. I promise it will be a trip you will NEVER forget. So, with that being said, here is a post a little off the normal subject matter, but one I think you will enjoy. Let me share with you the adventures of my trip, tips on great places to stay and things to do, and of course I will share with you all the edible delights Maine has to offer.
Day One:
Day one began with an early morning flight into Portland, Maine, arriving at 11:30am. Upon arrival, we discovered that our luggage had not yet arrived, but was scheduled to be there on the next flight in. So, we went ahead and picked up our rental car and drove to Cape Elizabeth (just a few miles down the road) to see the lighthouses. We found a great little restaurant called "The Lobster Shack" right on the water. Not only were the lobster rolls and clam burgers fantastic, but they also serve mouth watering desserts. We shared a raspberry creme turnover while we listened to the waves crash on the rocks beside us. What a view!
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Our view, while eating at "The Lobster Shack"
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After retrieving our luggage from the airport, we drove three hours further up the coast to our bed and breakfast in Deer Isle, Maine. We stayed at "The Pilgrim's Inn" for the first two nights of our trip. I would recommend this quaint, cozy cottage to anyone. It's got all the modern amenities while holding great old-fashioned charm. They have their own restaurant on the grounds, "Whale's Rib Tavern" with great food and a full bar.
Day Two:
Day two started with a breakfast that was so delicious, my husband and I are still talking about it a week later!
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Eggs Benedict with Ham
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It was two triangles of toast topped with ham, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. All I can say is WOW! I have never had eggs that were so fluffy, it was like eating whipped cream! I would also like to mention that "Pilgrim's Inn/Whale's Rib Tavern" has won multiple awards over the years for their delicious food.
After breakfast, we explored the island in search of sea glass. Sadly, we did not find any, but came across some other great things instead. Such as:
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This is the view from the backyard of the "Pilgrim's Inn"
There are beautiful gardens and plenty of relaxing chairs.
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This hammock is on "Pilgrim's Inn" grounds.
After a full belly, my husband decided it was time to relax!
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This rocky area is right across the street from the "Pilgrim's Inn."
Very relaxing. This is me posing for a picture (I put this picture
on here so you can the beauty of the area in the background).
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We drove a few miles down the road to the beautiful harbor town of Stonington.
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| Stoningon, Maine |
This charming town holds many delights: bright colored boats reflecting off the water, lobster buoys bouncing in the waves, beautiful flowers, shopping and fantastic seafood!
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Flowers like these are found everywhere in Stonington, Maine
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Stonington, Maine from another angle. I apologize for my finger
in the picture. |
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This is a lobster pillow from the "Fisherman's Friend" restaurant
in Stonington, Maine. It's lobster and mushrooms in a cream sauce
wrapped in a puff pastry. Isn't it beautiful? Another meal we're still
talking about!
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We ended the day with a good book in bed while snacking on these delicious cookies and coffee provided by the innkeeper.
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Molasses Cookies, fresh baked every morning. Cookies, coffee
and water are provided to all guests of the "Pilgrim's Inn"
24 hours a day!
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Day Three:
Day three started with a sourdough french toast breakfast served with bacon and coffee. Then we drove a few miles down the road to see "Pumpkin Lighthouse."
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Pumpkin Lighthouse is privately owned.
This is as close as you can get. |
We checked out of our bed and breakfast and drove further up the coast to Bar Harbor, Maine where we did a little shopping and visited Acadia National Park. At Jordan's Pond Restaurant (located in the park) you can have one of their famous popovers served with butter and jam or with your choice of ice cream.
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This was my popover, served with Wild Maine Blueberry ice cream.
So delicious! It hit the spot.
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This is Jordan's Pond. Isn't it gorgeous?
It took my breath away!
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That evening, we checked into our next bed and breakfast in Prospect Harbor, Maine "Acadia's Oceanside Meadows Inn." Located right across the road from Sand Cove, you can hear the ocean surf through your open window at night. It so relaxing!
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Acadia's Oceanside Meadows Inn
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Day four:
Day four began with a three course breakfast: Summer Peach Soup (which was so good I forgot to take a picture of it, sorry), pear-almond bread and stuffed strawberry french toast. Served with Sunrise juice (a blueberry/orange juice mix) and coffee.
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Pear-almond bread
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Stuffed strawberry french toast
(again, sorry for my finger in the camera lens)
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After breakfast we explored the Inn's private beach. Again, looking for sea glass with no luck. To our delight, we found several heart-shaped rocks which we later discovered is a hobby for some of the locals. I can see why. I became engrossed with it myself.
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| The Inn's private beach. |
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| A view of the Inn from the beach |
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| The pink granite shoreline, famous in this area |
For lunch, we stopped at a local deli and grabbed sandwiches and chips and drove to "Schoodic Point", a part of Acadia National Park just a few miles down the road. Here, we had a picnic on "Little Moose Island". You can only gain access to this island during low tide, by walking across the ocean floor. The view was indescribable! We also hiked some trails on this island through the wild blueberry bushes.
Next we toured Bartlett Winery, famous for making grape-less wines: peach, pear, blueberry, strawberry, raspberry and our personal favorite, Loganberry (part blueberry, part raspberry).
For the last adventure of the day, we drove to Lubec, Maine to see Quoddy Lighthouse. This was a two hour drive from the Inn, but well worth it!
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| Quoddy Lighthouse |
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| The majestic Atlantic Ocean |
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| So beautiful! |
Quoddy Lighthouse/Lubec is as far east in the United States as you can possibly go. Lubec was by far our favorite part of the trip for many reasons. The beauty of the Atlantic Ocean is indescribable. The water was so cold it almost made your heart stop (I got splashed by the waves a few times while looking for more heart-shaped rocks). The wind blowing off the water was so cold. We were in shorts (it was 78 degrees at the Inn) and the temp at the lighthouse was in the 40's!
On the way back through town (Lubec), we stopped at the "Water Street Inn and Tavern" for dinner. This restaurant held a nice surprise for us. While enjoying our dinner, a group of seals came into the cove to play and eat! You can't ask for better dinner entertainment than that!
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For an appetizer, we had the Tavern Nachos. Delicious!
This was my husband's dinner: Blackened Haddock with
mashed potatoes and vegetables. |
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This was my dinner: Salmon with a brown sugar glaze, mashed
potatoes and vegetables. |
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Our dessert: Chocolate Cake.
This was the best chocolate cake I've ever had in my life.
It was nice and chocolaty but not rich or sickening. |
We also got the pleasure of seeing Lubec, Maine at sunset. A true delight!
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Lubec at sunset. New Brunswick, Canada can be seen in the distance.
We were right at the U.S./Canadian border.
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Day Five:
Day five began with another three course breakfast:
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| Summer Strawberry Soup |
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| Lemon-Blueberry Bread |
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| Eggs Florentine with toast |
After check out, we drove to Tidal Falls, better known as the reversing falls. During low tide, the falls rush over the rocks very rapidly. During high tide, all the rocks are covered up and the water is rushing the other direction.
We drove to Bar Harbor where we did some more shopping. For lunch, we ate at the "Thirsty Whale Tavern." This was our second time eating here. Our favorite appetizer being the fried pickles!
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| Fried pickles. Yum! |
After lunch, we headed back to Acadia National Park to see Cadillac Mountain. To our disappointment, it started raining and there was a fog so heavy that you couldn't see anything once you got up there. So, we went back to the Thunder Hole to see it at a higher tide. This was amazing! The force of the waves crashing on the rocks is unbelievable.
Lastly, we stopped in Freeport, Maine on the way back to the airport. This is a great shopping district. Name brand stores and outlets for several blocks. Plenty of restaurants too. Here, we shopped at the 24 hour L.L. Bean Store (at 1 am).
As you can see, we had a fantastic time! We saw lots of things we never thought we would ever get to see. I saw the ocean here like I've never seen it before. The best way to plan a trip to Maine is to go online and order a Maine Travel Guide. This guide is helpful for traveling to Maine during any season. Hotels and bed and breakfast's are MUCH cheaper during their off peak season (Oct-Apr). Keep in mind that not all locations are open year around. There are not many fast food restaurants along the coast. It's all local shops and restaurants so be prepared to spend some money. It's well worth it! You can't get fresh seafood like that unless your on the coast of cold waters.
I know this post is different from my normal subject but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. Now that I'm back home and the summer is finally winding down, I will be back to baking so stay posted. This trip had inspired me to study new aspects of cooking/baking and as always, I'll be sharing it with you.
Happy Baking!!
