Plymouth, MA – We first stopped at a place called Plymouth Plantation. The area has been rebuilt to replicate what it was back in the 1620’s. Old homes built out of hardened mud and clay with stick and grass roofs lined the dirt roads. They had people not only dressed in the apparel they would have worn, but they also talked like them and acted like the people of old.
Plymouth is the port town that the Mayflower landed with the first group of Pilgrims. We enjoyed a picnic lunch by the water, overlooking the replica of the Mayflower ship. Also nearby was Plymouth Rock, representing the cove where the people first disembarked. Ryan and I both expected a big rock. We were shocked to find that the Plymouth Rock was about not very tall and only 4 or 5 feet across. It was engraved with the year 1620. There was also a park that sat on a hill just above the rock with monuments to the Pilgrims who did not make it through the harsh conditions of that first winter as well as to the Indians who befriended and protected the Pilgrims. This visit will certainly give new depth and meaning to our next Thanksgiving celebration.
Martha’s Vineyard, MA – After a nice morning in Plymouth we headed down to take the ferry over to Martha’s Vineyard for the day. We left our car behind since they were charging $150 a car (rip off central) to take it over to the Island. When we got there we were considering renting bikes to ride around the Island but decided that taking the bus would give us more time to visit each little town. Our first stop was Edgartown. It is a cute, small residential town, just one main street with shops and restaurants. Most of the homes were white with dark blue shutters. The roads were small, but immaculately groomed with black lampposts every 20 feet or so. Down by the water in Edgartown there is a beautiful lighthouse. We walked the sandy path to the lighthouse. This area was totally different from any place we had been. It was very serene, quiet and peaceful. The land and homes were bordered by untouched vegetation that lined the sand and the homes along the shore each had a private dock. This is the area I would want to stay if I came back for a longer visit. It is literally the perfect place to sit out on a rocking chair and read a book. You feel like you are in a different place. Simple and relaxing.
Next stop was Oak Bluffs, known as the place of “ginger bread homes”. Colorful, uniquely styled homes lined the oceanfront and a park dotted with benches and a gazebo sat in front of them in front of them. The homes are unlike anything Ryan and I have seen. They had a Victorian feel to them, but were far from classic Victorian homes. Every home had vivid, loud colored paint. Oak Bluffs is also the town with more commercial areas. However, the town was probably 65% closed because it is not peak season. Mid May is when the town really gets hopping.
Being Cinco De Mayo, we ate dinner at Zapotec, the only open Mexican restaurant. The service was slow, but it was well worth the wait. One woman does all of the cooking by hand and we sat right next to the kitchen so we could see the food being prepared. I ordered 2 chicken enchiladas, one in a green sauce and the other a red sauce with cilantro rice and black beans. Ryan ordered the chimichanga. It was the best meal we have had on our entire trip and we might venture to say it was the best Mexican food we’ve ever had. Never would I have thought Martha’s Vineyard would provide such great Mexican food. Haha. We told our server how much she enjoyed our food and she brought us key lime pie on the house and gave us a $5 discount. So if y’all ever make it out to Martha’s go to Zapotec and order the chicken enchiladas!
We waited awhile for the last bus to take us back to the ferry. We started to worry it wasn’t even going to show up but finally it did and we were the last two to get on the ferry back to the main land.
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