I was very fortunate to receive a voucher for Patriarchy Tours for my birthday. The provided chauffuer seems very nice (good thing since I have to sleep with him) and even carried my bags out to the car.
It was about a 2 hour drive to our B&B in Portland, the Morrill Mansion House and I did have to ask for a pit stop. The chauffeur obliged and got my picture with this very friendly Maine moose
The B&B is delightful! The chauffeur unpacked my bags and I enjoyed a nice lounge on the couch. We Ubered to the Portland Observatory which is open for self guided tours Thursday evenings. The docents there were excellent and the story behind it is fascinating. It was built by an entrepreneur to provide services including primitive communication between ships coming into the harbor and the town. As an example, he had a powerful telescope and, for a fee, would fly the flag of the appropriate merchant when he saw their ship approaching so that they could make preparations for unloading
104 steps to the top and fantastic views over the city and harbor. We then took a walk to Fore street, planning to dine at Central Provisions. We saw this sculpture in a park along the way
Discovered an hour long wait to get in to Central Provisions so we bailed on that and grabbed a cold beer and fantastic Quinoa and Kale salads at B-Good. Seeing as how we B’d so good, we followed that up with Gelato Fiasco which is just insanely delicious
Rain came in during our gelato feast so we Ubered again back to the Morrill Mansion and tucked in for an evening with our books. Tomorrow is city tour, Saturday is bike ride and Sunday is Ogunquit.