Enfield was only a stop off point, no time to look around before back on the interstate heading south for the Connecticut River Valley, which on the map looked like it would be a nice drive by the river. Unfortunately there are lots of trees between the road and the river - none of which had started to turn for the autumn/fall.
So what did we do today:
East Hadden: A short stop by the river and a quick look in the opera
house.
Gillette Castle: Closed for renovation - still we had a little walk
about.
Ferry across the river: This was unplanned but turned out to a really
nice little ride.
Connecticut River Railroad: Another unplanned stop but, again, was worth
the visit. Steam train old carriages and a buffet where we had lunch. Val had a
BLT sandwich and Andrew had a B sandwich.
Essex: Another smart place with a neat little marina and interesting
looking shops.
Mystic: Ditto to Essex, really, with the added bonus of a lifting bridge.
We didn't bother with Mystic Sea Port, though if we were here for several days I
think it would have been worth a trip. This place is very busy - its Columbus
Day weekend.
We have coffee and doughnuts here, but Val's coffee was scalding and she managed
to spill it on her. The cafe attendant was very concerned (possibly in feat of
litigation), but we got some ice on it pretty quick and it didn't get as bad as
it might have been.
With a couple more scenic route diversions we arrived at the hotel at our
usual 6.30/6.45.
The room was pretty awful - very small, crowded out by the two double beds and
single chair, lit by a single 60W table-lamp and the ballroom air-conditioning
unit outside the miniscule window. Even as a single room this would be too
small!
Despite complaining they wouldn't change the room - none available being holiday
weekend, but will change us tomorrow night. I don't know how these hotels
allocate rooms but we always seem to come off pretty badly! One small concession
they made was that we got a second lamp in the room, although that took some
persuading, too, because there were no spare lamps available because other
guests had got them because of under-lit rooms. Perhaps they should take note.
One amusing aspect was that where the main room light was in the ceiling is now a smoke detector installed during refurbishment of the room. The light switch was left on the wall operating nothing!
Have a walk around the town in the evening - its nice to stay somewhere where you can go for a walk in the evening!
Goto Day 12: Newport
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