Witches and Presidents

Before we left the Boston area, I wanted very much to go to Salem.  The history of the witch hunts has always been interesting to me and I wanted to set foot in the place they happened.

Big disappointment!  Salem itself is a nice enough city, but there are very few original buildings and no historic area we could find.  The visitor center did not have any reference to the witch trials at all, preferring to focus on the city's maritime history.  Understandable,  I guess, but not what I was interested in.  Sid got a chance to try on some 17th century looks.

Not sure they're really "him."  What do you think?

We made our way down a lovely pedestrian mall to The Witch History Museum, hoping for more of a witch focus, and arrived just in time for the "tour."  It consisted of life sized dioramas depicting life in the 1600s and audio tracks telling the history of the 16 months or so the citizens of Salem were obsessed with witches.

The introduction to the tour was held on this stage and is representative of what we saw in the basement of the museum.

No artifacts, although now I wonder what the heck I was thinking I would see.  I did learn a couple of things, though.  Witches were NOT burned at the stake, they were hung and men were accused and convicted of being witches along with the girls and women.

So, if you're planning a trip to Salem, don't bother.  You can learn just as much by reading a book!

But, since we were so close to Maine (only 60 or so miles), we decided another bucket list item or two could be checked off by driving along the coast, through New Hampshire and into Maine. Destination: Kennebunkport, Maine, where Presidents G.W.H. and G.W. Bush have their family home.

The Bush Compound

 

Close up of the house

I didn't think we could just drive up to it, but we turned a corner and came across these views!  I found out later that the Bushes were actually in residence after George, Sr. had been released from the hospital that morning.  Pretty cool!

And, since we were in Maine, there was no other choice for lunch but to have a Maine lobster.  Now those of you who know me well know that I don't eat anything with a head or eyes or that looks remotely like it did when alive.  But, when was I ever going to get this chance again?

We picked Federal Jack's and had a spectacular view of the harbor.

Restaurant view

I ordered a whole lobster and asked the waitress to teach me what to do with it!

Me and my lobster

It was delicious - a little bit of work, but worth it!

Sid had paella

And cobbler, made with Maine blueberries, for dessert!

The coast of Maine was exactly what I expected, with a few beaches, but mostly rocky.

It was a long day in the car, as we hit a major traffic jam coming back into the Boston area, but it was definitely worth it.  My next goal is to cook a lobster myself, when we get to Florida!

Until next time...