Ogunquit, Maine ... where summer never ends!
That is exactly how it feels in this idyllic part of New England, where with the end of each day you feel that the summer simply will never end.
That's not true of course, for this part of the US has very harsh winters: snow, ice storms, cold slicing breezes. During the winter months, a lot of the coastal towns that are buzzing with life during the summer are literally boarded up. But during those long summer days ... it's a slice of heaven. The long afternoon light creates a magnificent sentiment in you that is both relaxing and peaceful. The greens are very vivid and there are beautiful flowers blossoming everywhere. Given that the summer is very short, it seems like nature makes an extra effort to impress with it's beauty and colour. The white-shingled homes are freshly painted and the gardens meticulously manicured. Restaurants and hotels abound thus New England is buzzing with excitement and happiness from a very yuppy looking American crowd. The only surprise ... there are a lot of Quebecois here. You will here French spoken everywhere and surprisingly you will also often see bilingual signs. Why, you may ask? Canada is only a short 5 hours away by car.
Ogunquin, which means 'beautiful place by the sea' in the language of the state's native Algonquin Indians, is precisely that. A small summer community in Maine, which for me has brought to life the landscape of many novels that I have read, that have been placed in this area. It was like stepping into a book, re-living the idyllic landscape I so often read about. It's a perfect getaway to spend four very relaxing and lazy days!
So why is this part of the US called 'New England'? I found out that New England refers to the northeastern corner of the US, for this is one of the earliest English settlements in the New World. It is also one of the most developed parts of the country, being that it was the first region in the US to be transformed by the Industrial Revolution. It is also a fiercely Democrat-voting part of the US ... thus all the more surprising to find that the Bush family has their beautiful seaside property right in Kennebunkport :-)
Oh ... you will be happy to know that wifi is ubiquitous in this region. I was even able to find free wifi at the laundromat!
HOW TO GET THERE:
> fly and drive: please don't do what we did! We went from Sydney ... via Vancouver, Toronto, Boston and drove ... to Ogunquit all in one go. Well, we tried but thanks to Air Canada being continuously delayed we missed our connecting flight in Toronto, so had to spend the night there. Actually, that was a blessing in disguise, for the whole trip was a nightmare on the body. The jetlag we had from this 14 hour time difference was one of the worst. The next day we were both zombies ... trying to slide into the Eastern time zone ... adapting totally unsuccessfully. Trying to keep your eyes open, while your whole body is tingling and trying to dip into the sleep zone is a very unpleasant feeling!
Back to how to get to Ogunquit! Fly into Boston and then rent a car ... it's an easy 75 mile drive north from Boston, up Interstate 95 / Highway 1. You venture from Massachusetts, to New Hampshire and then cross the big bridge into Maine.
Driving from Boston through to Maine, I couldn't help but notice the big welcoming boards as you entered each state ... the slogan for New Hampshire - Live Free or Die; for Maine - The Way Life Should Be! And it truly feels like that here.
WHAT TO DO:
> walk down the beach from Ogunquit to Moody Point: I've never seen anything like it. The place is packed! A sea of colourful umbrellas, with as many colourful people sprawled below them. All shapes and all colours of tan brown. Some seem like they've been sitting there for years. Kids screaming, mums reading trashy novels, teenagers posing, dads helping build sand castles, sea gulls trying to land amidst the crowds trying to snatch food from the plastic containers. Thankfully, as you walk towards Moody Point, the crowds start to dissipate ... and then you're left with the beautiful white sandy beaches, the cold sea and endless sky.
> Marginal Way Walk to Perkins Cove: what a stunning walk from the Ogunquit centre to Perkins Cove. The path takes you down the beautifully jagged rocky shoreline with little sandy coves interspersed on the way ... each filled with vacationers grabbing each ray of light while kids are building sand castles and chasing around. Above the path, stunning houses with perfectly manicured gardens. And the flowers ... oh, the beautiful flowers! It's a postcard! And when you arrive to Perkins Cove ... it's a fairy-tale town. Old New England style houses, antique stores, restaurants, cafes ... and the gentle summer breeze keeping everything nice and cool!
> See a play at the Ogunquit Playhouse: Americans can do local theatre phenomenally! This Playhouse was established in 1937 and has since then been bringing first-class productions and actors to this small sea-side summer community in New England. By chance we ended up seeing the final show of Guys and Dolls, what some call the quintessential musical ever written. It was outstanding! The story line is about gangsters in New York, however, the underlying story is the always current and complicated relationship between men and woman. The messages are still applicable today, the show was humourous, great tunes, powerful and uplifting. You cannot come here without seeing a show in this theatre. Next up? Singin' in the Rain.
> Piano Bar at the Front Porch: what a brilliant place to come for a few drinks after dinner or a play. As you go upstairs, you can already here the voices ... belting out old showtunes. As you enter the upper lounge you see the white grand piano in one corner, a pianist smiling and rocking the place with her playing, a gaggle of people sitting around the piano sipping martinis (some that have been stationed there for 30 years I'm sure!!) and the rest of us packing the place around, everyone singing to the glorious old American show tunes. If you know the lyrics or not, if you can sing or not ... who cares ... you join the cacophony and the result is astounding as you sway with the crowd, re-living memories of yester-year through all these grand tunes. Did I mention that the drinks were very cheap and very strong?
> Laundromat at Ogunquit Plaza: you may not have to do this ... but we did ... and it was fun! After traveling for several weeks, well ... there weren't any clean underwear left!! So time to do laundry. Haven't been to a laundromat in years and the whole process of buying detergent, sticking quarters into the washing machines, waiting for the washing cycle to end and then continuing with the drying ... I find it very relaxing! But best of all ... the laundromat had free wifi! This is why I love the US of A :-) Convenience at every corner!!
> Mini-golf: when is the last time you played mini-golf? Exactly! Same with us. On HWY 1 in Wells there is a very elaborate mini-golf course, with water features, caves and hills. You know we had to do it :-)
> Bicycle ride around Kennebunkport: the small and idyllic town of Kennebunkport is about a 30 min drive north of Ogunquit. As you may know, this is where the Bush family has there summer residence ... so of course we were curious to see it :-) Start off with a great lunch at The Landing Restaurant right in the city centre, which isn't very big. After lunch walk around and head off to a bike-rental place on Harbour Lane ... for this is the only way to appreciate the natural beauty of this area. On your bike, head down Ocean Avenue and follow the road down the coast. Mansion after mansion with stunning waterfront properties. And as you turn the corner ... there it is ... Walkers Point ... the summer residence of the Bush family. We weren't disappointed. Prime real estate, for they have a whole peninsula, and an imposing house designed to fit in with the beautiful natural setting. I later found out that this property has been with the Bush family for over a century. After taking a few photos, we proceeded to Cape Porpoise, and cycled to the furthest point on this cape. It was hot and we were sweaty, so perfect timing for a coke break standing at the edge of the dock ... while watching these very agile small birds literally dive into the water to catch their dinner ... fish! Amazing how precise their maneuvers were. After a short break we slowly headed back to the city centre in the late afternoon sun, which was casting beams through the leafy streets along which we were biking. What a perfect afternoon. Especially since before we departed back for Ogunquit we found this great lemon juice stand where this young girl prepared the perfect lemonade to quench our thirst.
> Trolleybus ride along the coast: if you don't feel like walking, or don't have a car, there's a trolley bus service that drives up and down the coast. The trolley's all have different names: Jolly, Molly, Wally, Rolly ... the whole family! Very cute and very convenient.
RESTAURANTS:
New England is the land of lobster rolls, clam chowder, oysters, crab cakes and more. Make sure you don't leave here without having tried all of the above! Mind you, with the amount of restaurants there are around, you won't be able to resist the temptation of eating, eating and more eating.
> lunch at Splash on the entrance to the Ogunquit beach: we started off our trip to Ogunquit by having the delicious and very traditional lobster roll, while sitting on a porch right on the beach with the most colourful scene sprawled right below us. A million colourful umbrellas with a million colourful people exploiting every square inch of the white sandy beach. You go into relax mode in no time!
> ice-cream at Scoop Deck (corner of HWY 1 and Eldridge Road in neighbouring Wells): they call themselves the old-fashioned ice-cream house ... and accept only old-fashioned payment ... cash :-) We were exhausted from our long walk and were ready for an energy booster, so when we came across Scoop Deck ... we simply ran in! The selection of ice-creams is mind-bogling and when you order a large portion ... remember you're in the USA. Large is extra-extra-large!!! I didn't complain though ... got myself two scoops of moccha toffee ice-cream on a cone and finished the 'large' in no time sitting on their front porch ... for I was too scared to move in case the scoops fell onto the ground.
> dinner at Jonathan's (92 Bourne Lane): trying to fight off jet-lag, we knew we had to eat prior to going to Guys and Dolls at the Ogunquit Playhouse. Walked into cozy and packed Jonathan's, which was a 5 minute walk away from the theatre, and had the most delicious clam chowder, baked artichokes, crab cake and an ale from Portland. WOW ... that soooo hit the spot!
> Jackie's Too: lunch place in Perkins Cove, perched right above the sea, with a beautiful vista of the coastline and Atlantic sea. Stop for a lunch and a cold glass of beer.
> Five-O: a cute small restaurant right on the main Shore Road with fantastic seafood and a great martini bar!
> MC Perkins Cove: It was our last dinner in Ogunquin so it had to be a full-sized steamed lobster! And this is the place that got recommended to us. Half-a-dozen oysters to start with, steamed lobster with fried polenta as the main dish and a delicious bread pudding with ice-cream to end. Add a bottle of Pinot Grigio ... and you've got the making of a perfect last dinner in a great location. And each table at this restaurant has a great sea-view.
HOTELS:
There are no shortages of hotels, B&B's, Inns, campsites and more in Ogunquit. But the two hotels that really stand out are:
> Beachmere Inn: located right at the end of a point, above Marginal Way Walk, with a stunning view of Ogunquit beach and the sunrise.
> Anchorage by the Sea: close by to the Beachmere Inn, larger but with an equally beautiful spot with a stunning vista.
Bojan Tercon
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