October 13, 2008We spent the better part of one day of our East Coast travels visiting the Plymouth area. Driving along the colorful back roads of Massachusetts we arrived in the town center in search of the Mayflower 2. Thanks to my Aunt's Sue's numerous trips here with other out of town visitors, we had an on board tour guide that not only filled us in with the historical sites, but also - best restaurants, favorite shopping sites and photo op's.
Nothing really prepared me for the sight of the Mayflower 2 though. I don't know why, well yes I do, it is because as a child I think you get it into your mind's eye what something is supposed to look like, and it stays that way forever.......but I really thought that the ship that had brought over so many of our early settlers was going to be huge. It is very small....and the thoughts of over 100 people....men, women and children....crossing the ocean, not having any idea where they were headed, or what would await them, was awe inspiring. We wandered around reading all the historical markers, taking photo's from every angle, and at one point I just sat down on a bench facing the ship and tried to take it all in, and imagine what it must have been like, so very many years ago. The most moving tribute to the families on board was found on a massive statue that sits on a high hill overlooking the site where the Plymouth Rock is located. On the statue they list the names of the travelers that passed away that first year in their new land. The poem on the back was especially powerful, and I wish I had taken the time to write every line down.
The day would not have been complete without a trip to the Cranberry Shop, and then lunch at the Lobster Hut where Charmaine and Kathy had their first "Lobster Experience" of the trip. Over the course of the next two weeks there would be many, but nothing compares to the two of them, with Aunt Sue's expert guidance, tearing into their first "Twins" as it is called when you order a double. As for me, the vegetarian in the group, it was coleslaw and corn, but it was good coleslaw!
Tomorrow it is on to Cape Cod and the first of the antique hunts! Till then, Susan