Newport, Rhode Island
Our first excursion actually took us out of not only Boston, but Massachusetts, to Newport, Rhode Island.
(Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
The draw of Newport is the Cliff Walk. It took us a while to park the car, get coffee and breakfast, and find the beginning of it.
Cliff Walk
The Cliff Walk has spectacular ocean view on one side, and an array of gilded-age mansions on the other. The first one to greet us, modest by Newport standard, was the Chanler.
Chanler
If I could forget about the mansions for a moment, the Cliff Walk really offers wonderful natural beauty -- the rocky coast reminded me of the Maine Coast, which we visited many moons ago.
Cliff Walk
Cliff Walk
Cliff Walk
Cliff Walk
Cliff Walk
The mansions are also very grand and tasteful, if pretentious.
Ochre Court
The Breakers
Mansion
Rough Point
Many swallows were flying along the coast, I was a little bit disappointed to find out that they were Northern Rough-winged Swallows, not Bank Swallows I had hoped for.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
After spending a couple of hours completing the 3.5-mile Cliff Walk, we took a stroll through town.
Church
Newport
Then we drove along the Ocean Drive to take in more of the view. The road took us to the Portuguese Discovery Monument at Brenton Point State Park. Thus concluded our day of sun and ocean breeze.
Ocean Drive
Portuguese Discovery Monument
Brenton Point
Newport boasts itself as the "Sailing Capital of the World", it would not be right if I did not take a few pictures of the sailboats. We stopped at Fort Adams State Park, which was closed at this time, but there were many sailboats in the harbor.
Sailboat
Sailboat
