After 3 days in New York, we headed off early by bus to Woods Hole Terminal to catch a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. It is a small island south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts. It had been on my wish list for a very long time.
This post continues on the journey I took with my son in 2010 around the world. If you would like to see the story so far you can start it all here.
LINK: My First World Trip : Where It All Started
Once you board the ferry it takes approximately an hour to get to Matha’s Vineyard depending on tides and weather conditions. It is often just called “The Vineyard”.
and what a sight as you come into the Martha’s Vineyard harbour. Like something out of a dream. All the beautiful Cape Cod houses and sailing boats. I was in heaven.
We stayed in a little two storey place in Oak Bluffs called The Oak Bluffs Inn of course. It lived up to all my expectations. So quaint and exactly how I pictured it. Wish I could have stayed longer.
LINK: https://oakbluffsinn.com/
Across the street was the City Ale and Oyster Bar where they served meals and when you ordered a beer you got a bowl of unshelled peanuts. The locals just threw the shells on the floor. Obviously that’s what you did so we did it too.
Lots of crackling going on as you walked around. Reminded me of an old wild west movie. They tried this at steak restaurants in Australia but after the first slip and fall they stopped them throwing them on the floor.
As we were there at the start of the summer season there were not many people about and some of the businesses hadn’t even opened either. It was good for us to be able to walk around and discover so many places that would have otherwise been totally crowded later on. It’s such a really tidy place.
Most of the houses were painted in soft colours with contrasting trims and in very good condition. Others were left to weather but they still looked nice with their trim in white, and with white shutters on the windows. All the houses in Edgartown seemed to be painted white.
This I am assuming is a town rule to keep to the same theme in each area of the island. The gardens seem to match each house and they took care with maintaining them. Since this was my first big world trip I was taking photos like it was going to be my last.
I spent a lot of time when I got home clearing out all the bad ones. So many taken from moving busses and trains and planes where all I got was a blurred stream sign. I think we have all been there.
Although I loved the island and as you can see from the photos below of the houses I have seen many amazing things throughout not only this trip but my many other trips.
I think the more travel you do the more you appreciate tidy little towns where people care about where they live. This was highlighted even more when we stopped in India on the way home. There is something about a well kept house and town that reminds me of home.
The photo above of a house that is also a shop is something my son has always wanted for himself. A good use of space he calls it and a time saver for commute time. I think you may want some separation so customers don’t annoy you at all hours of the day and night. I have run a few small businesses in my time and know what it can be like.
The photo below being the perfect white picket house most people are looking for.
As we travelled the world I was not used to so much walking and eventually grew to love it but this was only early on in our trip and any chance to sit was welcome. Being a short ass and my son powering on all the time I have back then and to this day always feel like I am catching up all the time. I have many fond memories of the back of my son’s head.
As we only had one and a half days there we tried to see as much as we could. Found a post in town that had signs of capital cities around the world and seems that we were over 10,000 miles from Sydney.
Bought lots of little souvenirs, but as always thanks to my sons’ carry on only luggage condition had to take the weight in consideration. This was not easy for me and I was so glad when I could buy a full sized suitcase in Europe and deflate my packing.