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Which one should you choose and why? This post is to help those who are planning a trip to Europe and are not sure which would be the best option for them. Perhaps you are traveling with young children and don’t know what would be …
There are amazing, incredible, beautiful cities all over the world but no city has as many songs written about it, films based in it or novels written about it. Half of which are practically a love letter to New York City itself. Hello? Sex and …
As soon as summer begins, my family drives to our summer mansion settled right on the cliffs of Newport…Alright, that’s not true. But that’s how it was (and still is) for the wealthiest families in America.
Newport is famous for being a city by the sea with large luxury homes and expensive yachts that people flock to during summer. Even though the most famous mansions are now toured by visitors instead of lived in by millionaires, there are people who still have spaces they visit in Newport during summer vacation.
We started off our day by riding in a small boat from our cruise to the Newport Harbor Wharfs. My mother was frantic to make sure we got on a boat to shore before the tour was meeting. We had no reason to rush though. Boats were lined up and waiting to take everyone to shore and would come straight back to collect more people when they were done.
Since we arrived too early for our tour, we decided to walk down Thames Street to checkout the different Wharfs and walk inside some stores. The stores were mostly beach themed (which I love) and the restaurants all wanted you to know they serve chowder and lobster.
Upon arrival, I could tell Newport was an easy place to get around. Especially if you don’t mind walking a few miles. GPS or a map could get you to all the top things to see in Newport. (Even if you have GPS, it’s good to grab a map just so you have a piece of paper with all the Points of Interest highlighted.)
The things we were most excited to see was Newport’s coastal beauty and architectural magnificences. We started off our tour with a stroll along the Cliff Walk trail. It’s a 3 1/2 mile trail that takes you along the rocky coastline and backyards of many Bellevue Avenue’s spectacular mansion sized cottages. We didn’t get to walk the entire trail, but the parts we did see where lovely. It’s a very relaxing place to go, listen to the waves crash and pretend you own one of the giant cottages.
After the Cliff Walk, we visited The Breakers (one of Bellevue Avenue’s most popular mansions.) It was the summer resort to the Vanderbilts, who were among the wealthiest families in America and commissioned the best and most prestigious architectural firms to build a series of homes for them on the East Coast. The Breakers is an Italian Renaissance palace with a Grand Hall and 70 bedrooms. My favorite part, however, is the view of the ocean from the cottage. They just don’t make cottages like this anymore.
Let me know if you’ve been to Newport! Also, do you have a favorite place to visit over the summer? Leave it in the comments!
-Ayla
Our first stop was Boston, Massachusetts. It was my first time in the state of Massachusetts making me excited to experience a new place and add another state to my list of states I’ve visited in the US.
Our next port stop in Nova Scotia was Halifax, where we experienced breathtaking ocean scenery and a tour around the entire city.
Our next stop on the cruise was Sydney, Nova Scotia. I desperately want to visit Scotland one day, so it was exciting to visit some cities in New Scotland (aka Nova Scotia). Sydney was our first stop in Nova Scotia.
When we arrived to the port of Sydney, we were greeted by the world’s largest fiddle. It’s a reminder of the musical heritage and Celtic music that is continuously played on Cape Brenton Island. Side note, Cape Brenton is one of the few places in North America where Gaelic is still spoken!
For our stop in Sydney, we decided to do the Fortress of Louisbourg shore excursion with our cruise line. The journey started by getting on a bus and having an introduction to Sydney as we made our way through the historic north end and back in time to 1744 at the Fortress of Louisbourg.
Louisbourg was once the capital of Cape Brenton Island and a seaport. Looking out at the ocean, I could envision giant ships sailing towards us. The history is still alive and the fortress continues to provide an entertaining experience with costumed actors reenacting the lives of specific individuals from the pre-siege era. Our guide told us we could stop and talk to the actors to ask them anything about daily life in 1744. End of June to the beginning of August is when you’ll see the most costumed interpreters walking around since it’s peak season.
Other Thing To Do Around Sydney: Village of Baddeck, Alexander Graham Bell Museum, Bras d’Or Lakes, Cabot Trail, Whitney Pier, Historical Museum, Pub Crawl
Have you been to Cape Breton Island? What was your favorite thing to see? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Any advice for planning a trip to Scotland would be nice too!
-Ayla ♥
I ventured through the icy waters of the Pacific Ocean on the popular Alaska cruise. Discover what I saw while in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Victoria, and Seattle!