I have been so wiped out lately that when John suggested a weekend getaway the weekend of my birthday, he didn’t have to twist my arm very hard! When we took our driving trip up in New England last year, we both really enjoyed Portsmouth, New Hampshire – so that was where we decided to come back to. I worked right up until the time we left and actually everything was pretty well caught up for the first time in a couple of months (although that didn’t stop them from called me to work on Sunday).
Portsmouth is very charming. It is a very old city and not a huge city, so really just about perfect for a quick visit.
Our first stop was dinner, as we were hungry. I remembered the Beach Plum from last year and that really good lobster roll, so we went there again. Ladies’ choice!! 😀
These are pricey, but oh so good! John and I split this lobster roll. I think it had 10 ounces of meat on it? I was pretty happy after dinner 😀
The downtown area is where we spent pretty much the rest of our time. We stayed in a little place we booked through AirBNB, and while it was relatively inexpensive and walkable to downtown, I don’t think I would stay there again. It was a rental unit and not in great condition. The host was nice, though.
Anyway, downtown Portsmouth is full of charm. Lots of shops and eateries.
Of course, the boats.
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The city itself has tons of old buildings, which you know I love. The shopping is fun, too, with all the nooks and crannies filled with little boutiques.
Tons of breweries, too!
This sandwich board was highly amusing to me and I don’t know why.
We had to stop back at Friendly Toast!
This place is fun. I got an omelet that came with toast. I chose the cheddar cayenne bread.
I seriously could bathe in this bread – it is sooooo good! It’s a good thing we walked a lot this weekend. 😉
We found a very interesting open house at the the Moffit-Ladd house, which turned out to be really fun. I learned more about pigeons than I thought could be learned. I had no idea that people actually bred pigeons like they do dogs and there are over 500 varieties!
People used to (and still do, apparently) raise pigeons for food. This is an example of a pigeon barn.
They would put boxes up on the inside and when pigeons fly into the holes and laid their eggs you could get them from the inside.
This was one of the bedrooms in the house.
Tres cool.
There were tons of flowers in bloom in town, too.
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It’s so different being by the sea than by a lake. John was saying how the sea is just enchanting and I think he is right.
Tomorrow I will talk about the museum complex we went to called Strawberry Banke, but that’s enough for today!
What a WONDERFUL getaway!!!! Glad you had a great birthday weekend! (and the sign amused me too! 🙂 )
Beautiful!! What a great place to visit
What a pretty area! How far is Portsmouth from where you live? Love the boats on the water…ahhh. So relaxing to look at!
It’s about 4 hours away. Not too far.
What a wonderful & deserved weekend Lori!!! So quaint!!! The beauty is amazing & that last pic – wow!!!
OK, I got a kick out of the sandwich board too! 🙂
Is it wrong to say I drooled over the bread! 😉
Wow, what a lovely trip and what a lovely town to stay for a weekend. Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed it very much.
Fantastic! So glad you got away from work and stress and got to really enjoy some you/birthday time.
I am positive I would have chosen the cheddar cayenne bread as well… and possibly asked where I could buy a loaf to take home!
John is absolutely correct, the sea is enchanting. Maybe that’s why it’s my Happy Place.
The Friendly Toast bakes their own bread, so I could have taken a loaf home, but it probably wouldn’t have made it home 😀
What a fun and much-needed break. There’s nothing worse than being work-stressed over summer. That’s when I like to be more carefree and relaxed but it doesn’t always happen that way. I’m so glad you were able to enjoy a weekend away. It looks like you took in a lot of cool stuff. I can’t wait to read about the rest of the trip!
Lori is taking us on a trip!!!! YIppee!! Love the photos! Nothing like a weekend away….. and you have been so busy. I’m glad you did it! And i completely agree with John…..the sea is enchanting . It doesn’t matter whether its east coast or west…. Hugs! deb
So glad you got away and happy belated birthday (I know I wished you on Facebook, but not here!). I think that last picture may be my new computer screen saver – love the reflection off the water.
We live off a river – and each one is so different, but I love seeing the water every day. And that lobster roll? I love that it isn’t chock full of mayonnaise!
Oh, how lucky you are to live so close to the water!! I am super jealous of anyone with that proximity. I live in the Midwest and am seriously landlocked. UGH! Four hours from my house only leads to more wide expanses of land! haha Your lobster roll looks fantastic!! YUM!
What a wonderful getaway, I just love Portsmouth! I can’t wait to get back to New England next month, lobstah for everyone!
Ooh, how wonderful. Now the downtown part reminds me of Burlington, Vt, when I visited there! I guess its just that the East coast looks so different from the west coast.
Also, that last picture? Seriously beautiful!!