LET'S GO EXPLORE BAR HARBOR MAINE

Today we will continue our tour of the New England States.

Our next stop was to Bar Harbor Maine. Again, we had to tender in to the shore.


This photo gives you an idea of how big the ship is. Along the side are the life boats. I am not 100% sure how many each life boat holds but it is over 100 people.

Those are the boats we tendered to shore in.

I decided I wanted to get some walking in. So I booked the Victorian Walking Tour.

This was our guide for the day. She was so nice, funny and full of knowledge of the history of Bar Harbor. I loved that she showed up in costume also.

As we started off our walk from the pier, the first thing I noticed was this great building and all the colorful buoys hanging on the outside.

Maine is famous for their lobsters, which of course means lots and lots of fishermen go out to catch them.

This pier area made you feel like you were in a movie. It was so quaint and wonderful.

As we walked along the streets, our guide told us the stories of the people who lived in the houses over the years.

I knew right away I was going to love this town. It was full of history and the houses were so charming. Many big, big homes were built in this area.

The streets still had gas lamps. I would have loved to have been able to see them lite up at night.

It was very interesting to hear about the people who originally had these homes built over a hundred years ago.

I wonder if they are just as lovely inside as they are outside.

The sidewalks still were the old style from way back when. Cobblestones and bricks.

Just being here felt like you had stepped back in time.

As we walked along I could almost hear the swish swish sound of the long dresses worn by the ladies as they walked along the streets.

I loved how several homes had lace curtains and fences built of stone that were lined with cheerful flowers.

Can you believe this was once a home? No one lives here now. It was turned into office buildings and a perfect place to hold events such as weddings.

But one time, long ago a family lived here. Do you think they were in awe of it as I was when I saw it? Or, were they used to having so much money that it was just another one of their many homes?

They had a fantastic view from the back of the house. A large rolling green lawn that leads right to the water.

I have a feeling the kids would have had a lot of fun times out there. I'm sure they ran around the big yard playing tag or kicking a ball. I also bet there were several times they had to be told to step back from the waters edge.

I don't know if there was fishing in this water or not. I should have asked.

Not all the homes were huge. Many were just normal family size homes. I loved these homes just as much, if not more then the big mansions. I think it's because I could actually picture myself living in these homes.

The one thing that really stood out to me was all the homes were built of wood or bricks. No stucco.

I grew up in an old wooden house with hardwood floors and a big porch. So these homes reminded me of my childhood.

Funny thing is, when I was growing up I hated the house we lived in. I always wanted to move to a "new" home. I had no desire to live in a old house made of wood.

Now I would love to live in an old historic house. I guess we always want what we don't have huh?

A lot of the big old homes have been turned into Bed and Breakfast or Inns.

Someday I hope to go back and do a land tour of the New England States. If I do, I'll stay in places like this.

The bad thing about a cruise is that you only have a short time to explore the places you stop at.

I've discovered many places I would like to go back to and spend more time getting to know the area better.

I guess every historic town has a ghost story or two to tell. Bar Harbor was no different.

This is the house that we were told was haunted. The original family that lived here had a daughter who was in love and was going to be married. Shortly before the marriage was set to take place, her love decided he wanted to be with someone else and left her.

She was not only heart broken but also humiliated. Now everyone knew she was dumped.

Sadly, she killed herself.

There have now been many people who claimed to see a lady in white walking the halls late at night. Crying sounds have been heard. It is said to be the cries from her as still aches for the loss of her love.

This is another pretty old house that was turned into the Thornhedge. Isn't it pretty.

Another thing I noticed about the New England States was, there are so many beautiful churches.

This one had authentic Tiffany Windows.

Next to the churches, often old cemeteries could be found. Of course, every time I saw one I wanted to break off from the tour and spend time there.

But, I couldn't. So I took a few photos and quickly had to leave as I wondered who all the people were.

Each headstone represents someone who lived, worked, had a family and has a story to tell.

Everywhere we looked was just picture perfect. I loved this town. I really hope the people who live here enjoy it as much as I did.

Sometimes, we take for granted what is in our own backyards. I know I'm at fault for doing that here in CA where I live.

I often read other blogs where someone has come to visit where I live and I think to myself "I need to really get out and appreciate all that I have around me".

This little shop made me smile. Bark Harbor is a play on the towns name of Bar Harbor. What a cute store for all the pet owners in the neighborhood.

There were several sweet shops I didn't get a chance to go into. After all, we were on a walking tour, not a shopping tour.

I really did want to dash into this antique shop to see what I could have found to bring home with me though.

Here is another stone fence with flowers planted on top. Such a warm and cozy feel to it.

Everything was so green and pretty. The leaves had not changed yet but I could picture the golds, reds and orange colors in my head. I'm sure the Fall is just as pretty, if not more so.

The coast line is rocky and has character to it. It's not like the sandy beaches we have here in CA. I could stare out at the shore line forever here.

The day was wonderful but, the skies turned over cast.

There was something about the grey colors that was forming that made me feel almost a bit sad. I'm not sure why.

Perhaps it was from hearing all the stories of the people who are no longer with us. Or perhaps it was because I knew my time here was almost over.

This is where we ended our tour. We all said our good byes and wished each other well.

I still had time to roam on my own a little while before I had to catch the tender back to the ship.

I had learned that not only is the lobster famous here in Maine but also blueberries. So I found my way into a charming looking resturant and quickly decided on what I was going to have.

A yummy slice of blueberry pie! I know, I know. It's not Weight Watcher friendly. But, it is my vacation. Plus I had just walked all over the town.

Excuses? Yes but, I have to admit I ate every last bite without any guilt! It was really good.

As I walked back to the pier, to catch the tender, I took one more good look around.

This really is a pretty place. I know in my heart that I'll be back. One day, I don't know when but, I do know I will be back.

I had to click one last photo from the balcony of my room on the ship and said then I said good bye.

I was sorry to have leave but at the same time I was looking forward to what the next day would bring, when we would be in Canada.