The sun came out and the rain stopped and today was beautiful! We left the hotel and took UBER back to the airport to pick up our car, a Subaru Outback. After loading our bags and inputting the route into Google maps, we were on our way. We headed north from Boston and got onto Highway 1 north. Our first stop was in Lynn, MA to have a nice view back at Boston.
We walked out onto one of the fishing piers and saw a large stack of lobster traps. Tobey started chatting with one of the local fishermen who told us that fishing had not been good all year. He was fishing for flounder, but not having any luck. He was friendly and we enjoyed his humor.
Tobey checked out the water temperature and proclaimed that it was COLD! We took his word for it!
We continued on to Salem, MA, where we spent time sightseeing. Our first stop was The House of Seven Gables. Designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2007, The House of the Seven Gables is best known as the setting of world-renowned American author Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel which bears the same name. The house which is located on Salem Harbor was built In 1668 by merchant and ship-owner John Turner.
We took the guided tour through the house. We enjoyed learning about the history of the house, the additions – then parts that were taken down – then later rebuilt. It had a complicated history, but was remarkably restored. We were able to climb a secret stairway built into the chimney to the attic and back down another narrow passageway to the ground level. We weren’t allowed to take photos inside, but will remember the beauty of the Georgian architecture.
After leaving the House of Seven Gables, we walked a few blocks to the Salem Common where they were having a “Food Truck” festival. Since it was lunch time, we all decided to try the famous "lobster rolls.” They were okay, and maybe it was because it was just a food truck lobster roll, but I don’t think I can be converted to becoming a lobster roll fan. I think I prefer my lobster hot with drawn butter to cold lobster mixed with mayonnaise and celery and served on a grilled hot dog bun. Maybe I need to try it again … It was fun to walk around and see all the people and the large variety of food offerings.
Just across the street from the Commons was the Salem Witch Museum which we had planned to tour. It is the Number 1 rated thing to see by TripAdvisor and all of the tour books so, of course, we all agreed we should go. What a disappointment! The historical information was interesting, but the presentation was poorly executed. We were all disappointed with the place and would not recommend the stop. Oh well …
We continued north and made our way to Portsmouth, NH to see the lighthouse. The 48-foot tower of Portsmouth Harbor Light, built in 1877, overlooks the entrance to Portsmouth Harbor from historic Fort Constitution and the U.S. Coast Guard Station. The lighthouse tours are operated by volunteers and we were able to go up to the light and look out. 
From the shore, we were able to see the fifty-foot high Whaleback Lighthouse which sits in the middle of the Piscataqua River, at the entrance of the Portsmouth Harbor. It was interesting that the Portsmouth Lighthouse was originally taller than the Whaleback Lighthouse, but should have been shorter to indicate it is closer to shore. They built the current lighthouse inside the old one, then tore down the outside shell of the old one, leaving the remaining white lighthouse that stands today – 2 feet shorter than the Whaleback lighthouse!
After our stop at the lighthouse, we continued to Kennebunkport, ME where we are spending the night at the King’s Port Inn. 
We walked to The Hurricane restaurant and had a lovely seafood dinner before returning back to the hotel. This is a view over the river. Tomorrow we will spend some time touring along Ocean Drive before continuing north. Who knows, we may even see some of the Bush family on our way!
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