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| Brant Lighthouse |
I know that in the last post Mark briefly mentioned that we
had been to Nantucket, but we didn’t give you the proper tour, and it wouldn’t
be fair
not to share the charms we
experienced there.
It is a place with an
intriguing past and quite a privileged present. We experienced both extremes while we were
visiting. As we made our mooring ball
reservations (much like calling ahead to an rv park to reserve a spot) we
gasped at the $75 per night fee.
The most expensive thus far for us has been $40, so the price was
an omen of what we’d encounter there.
On
shore, Elizabeth and I ventured into some of the many girly boutiques. She kept just turning over the price tags and
saying, “Mom, this t-shirt is $118!! For
a t-shirt! That’s expensive!” Needless to say, window-shopping was the only
kind of shopping we did that day.
Toto, we aren't in the Caribbean anymore! I splurged on a souvenir pin for my purse, the one item I'm collecting from everywhere we travel.
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| Nantucket Harbor view from Whaling Museum Roof |
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| PROVISIONS sandwich shop |
We grabbed lunch at a small sandwich shop that had gotten
rave reviews on tripadvisor.com
called Provisions. They had awesome
sandwiches on homemade bread. Our favorite
was the Turkey Terrific which was piled with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry
sauce with whole berries in it.
Decadent! The kids also enjoyed a
taste of Nantucket Nectar Cranberry Juice in honor of the many cranberry bogs
that are harvested there.
While we ate
outside, we eavesdropped on a group of teenagers who were obviously there for a
summer vacation. They spoke in their
“dramatic” accents (which is Elizabeth’s word to describe valley girl talk),
going on and on about all the cocktail parties they’d attended so far – such a
sad, sad life to lead. It was blaringly
obvious that we had stepped into a world of which we were quite alien. Most definitely lots of old money.
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| Nantucket Nectar Cranberry Cocktail |
One of our favorite places was the Whaling Museum. It told of the rigorous life of a whaler and the fortunes that the whaling industry bestowed upon Nantucket in earlier days. Before the discovery of petroleum, the oil from the sperm whales was used to light lanterns, lubricate machinery, and make candles. The museum was fascinating for all of us, and it even houses a Discovery Room where the kids got to do a Nantucket Mural Search, learn the nautical flag alphabet, and dress in typical clothing from the past.
The scenery in Nantucket is much like the other New England
coastlines that we have seen. Beaches
are covered in shells indigenous to this area such as quahog, mussels, and
scallops. Many shorelines are spotted
with the Cape Cod style grey homes which are accentuated by beautiful yards of
flowers, especially huge hydrangeas and lilies.
Nantucket is often referred to as The Grey Lady due to the frequent fog
and the grey homes that line its shores.
As we sailed out of the harbor to set off for Martha’s Vineyard, we saw
families wading out into the waters in front of their homes digging for
quahogs, or clams. And it again seems that we are experiencing a
whole new culture and world along these rocky shores. Luckily, the privileged still welcome lowly
cruisers such as us. It was a charming
town and a worthwhile stop.
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