Day 118: Massachusetts & Rhode Island (Part 1)

by | February 2015 | 2 comments

Day 118 (9/26/14): Boston, MA | Newport, RI | Providence, RI

Justin and I had a fight last night, and I’m not ashamed to admit that it wasn’t our first fight on this road trip (nor was it our last). When you spend literally all day every day together for weeks and months on end, you tend to need some space. So we took a break from each other today and went our separate ways. Justin went back to Boston to finish the Freedom Trail while I spent the day with my mom and stepdad in Newport, RI. Here are Justin’s photos from his extra time in Boston . . .

I had been to Newport with my mom when I visited her before and really enjoyed it. We decided to go back to tour The Breakers, a Vanderbilt mansion and one of the many estates Newport is famous for. While the house is expansive, the exterior is rather plain compared to the fancy facade I was expecting. However, as soon as we entered the residence, I knew why The Breakers is considered to be the grandest of the Newport mansions. Tragically no photos are allowed to be taken inside, but believe me when I say that the interior is pure opulence.

My favorite part of the mansion was the Billiards Room with its ornate mosaics formed by semi-precious stones. There were even platinum-covered walls in the Morning Room – yes, platinum walls! And The Breakers was just the Vanderbilt’s summer home, not even their main house. When you have enough money to cover the walls of your summer getaway in a precious metal like platinum, you know you’ve done okay. Haha!

Driving through Newport, I noticed that the streets were really narrow, and the drivers were rude as we tried to get through. I was glad I wasn’t the one navigating the tight roadways as we made our way to the Hotel Viking to have afternoon tea. My mom introduced my sister and I to tea parties when we were little girls. Ever since then I’ve loved tea and any chance to have some. Tea has become a special tradition for us, and every time we’ve had tea together has been a memorable occasion.

IMG_9706Tea time is a leisurely indulgence and something I believe everybody should experience at least once in their lives. Everyone can enjoy having afternoon tea, even men. My mom converted my stepdad, and I’ve won Justin over to the tea side. While seemingly dainty and feminine, they can’t deny the deliciousness of tea and its accompanying edible delights. Plus, Justin has a massive sweet tooth and loves all the dessert items involved with the tradition of tea. Too bad he missed out on tea today!

The afternoon tea at the Hotel Viking included each person’s tea flavor of choice along with an assortment of petite tea sandwiches, pastries, scones and chocolate truffles. IMG_9707After we started sipping our tea, all of the food items were brought out on a three-tiered platter. When the food first arrives, you think, “Is that it?” Everything is practically bite-size and doesn’t seem like it would be enough for a filling meal. But between all the cups of tea and the variety of finger foods, you’ll be full before you know what hit you. That’s one of the reasons why it’s nice to relax, take your time and savor every sip and bite.

After having our fill of tea and delectable treats, we took a short stroll along the Cliff Walk. The partially paved walkway borders the Atlantic Ocean behind several of the mansions and offers scenic views of the rocky New England coastline. We then took a lovely drive on Ocean Avenue where we caught more glimpses of the ocean as we headed out of Newport. On our way back to Massachusetts, we stopped in Providence for dinner.

We ate at Mediterraneo in Federal Hill, the Little Italy of Providence. The food was good, and the service was excellent . . . up until the end, that is. When we were finished with our meals, we had to wait half an hour just to get the check and then another 15 minutes to pay! Supposedly the credit card machine was down, so they gave us free shots of lemon liqueur to apologize. All was forgiven. Cheers! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Follow Next Destination Unknown on Pinterest

Affiliate Disclosure

This post may contain affiliate links or links to Amazon. If you choose to purchase anything through these links, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me and my blog. Youโ€™re the best! See the full disclosure for details.

Join the Free Blog Launch Course and learn how to start a blog in just 7 days!

Let’s Connect!

Briana Nickas of Next Destination Unknown

Behind the Blog

Hey there! I’m Briana, a blogger, hiker, traveller, RVer, photo-taker, and National Parks lover who is passionate about exploring the great outdoors while practicing clean living for a healthier lifestyle to continue doing the things I live for. My goal is to inspire others to live a life focused on wellbeing and wandering. Join me!

READ MORE

Top Blog Categories

RVing

RVing

Blogging with Next Destination Unknown

Blogging

A Few of My Faves…

1

RAKUTEN

Get cash back on your purchases through Rakuten for free! This is seriously one of my favorite things in life!


2

SITEGROUND

Reliable hosting for your self-hosted WordPress website is a must! SiteGround is not only reliable, but it's also affordable!


3

DIVI THEME

If you want to design a custom WordPress website without having to know code, the Divi Theme is the way to go!


4

WP ROCKET

Boo for slow websites! Does your WordPress blog need a major site speed boost? You need the WP Rocket plugin!


5

MAILERLITE

For an affordable yet customizable email marketing service, MailerLite is my go-to choice!

Powered by…

Divi WordPress Theme
WP Rocket - WordPress Caching Plugin

Earn Cash Back

Get Cash Back with Rakuten!

Go Natural

Try natural skincare with 10% off Primally Pure!

Use code NDU10 for 10% off EVERY Primally Pure purchase!

Go Shopping

Get What You Need from Amazon!

Try RVing

Blogging Tools I use, LOVE, and highly recommend:

  • SITEGROUND I use SiteGround as my web hosting provider for this self-hosted WordPress blog. Their plans are affordable and include must-have features. Learn more about SiteGround and their web hosting plansย HERE.
  • DIVI THEME –ย I love the Divi Theme’s page builder to create a fully customizable website. Plus, it comes with some super handy plugins! Get 10% OFF the Divi Theme HERE.
  • WP ROCKET –ย Site speed is critical for blogs. I use the WP Rocket Plugin in conjunction with my SiteGround hosting and their SG Optimizer plugin for a super fast site. Check out the WP Rocket plugin HERE.
  • CANVAย –ย Canva makes it super easy to design eye-catching graphics and Pins for your blog. Sign up for a FREE Canva account and try Canva Pro FREE for 30 daysย HERE.
  • MAILERLITE – I love using MailerLite to design and send engaging emails to my subscribers.ย Get MailerLite FREE for your first 1,000 email subscribers HERE.

You may also like…

Leave a Comment!

2 Comments

  1. mike and judy

    You write beautifully…..ever think of doing it professionally?
    How nice that you were able to spend time with you Mom.
    Yes, 24/7 is a lot of time together in such close quarters…..I thoroughly understand.
    Have you found the ‘right spot’ for settling down yet? You both are very fortunate to have this amount of time to make that decision.
    We often think about having enjoyed breakfast with you in the train car. You’ve put on a lot of miles since then.
    Be safe and take care and keep those blogs coming!
    Mike and Judy

    Reply
    • nextdestinationunknown

      Thanks, Mike & Judy! I’ve always enjoyed writing and would love to do it professionally at some point. It’s so good to hear from you! We were actually just thinking about you two and remembering the wonderful breakfast we had together. We made it back to California and are staying here for the moment while we get our business up and running. We plan on hitting the road again soon though as there’s still plenty we want to see and do! Have you guys been traveling lately?

      Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Days 140-141: South Carolina & Georgia | Next Destination Unknown - […] how much I like tea? Well, we discovered America’s only tea garden! On Wadmalaw Island, SC, is the Charleston…
Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Treasure Chest of Freebies with Free Resources for Blogging, Travel, RVing, and Hiking

Unlock the Treasure Chest of Freebies!

ย 

Sign up for the key to unlock the Treasure Chest of Freebies and get your free Travel, RVing, Hiking, Wellbeing, and Blogging resources!

Success! Check your inbox for the key to unlock the Treasure Chest of Freebies.