Better weather, more energy

I fell asleep around 9pm last night, though my sleep score was just 51. My watch was not happy with how often I’d woken my self up by coughing – and netiher was I.

Somewhat to my surprise, I had enough energy to go on the Portland Hidden Histories Small-Group Walking Tour that I’d booked yesterdy in a flurry of enthusiasm. The start point, Post Office Park, was about a 15 minute walk from the hotel. There were about 18 people taking the tour and our guide (and owner of Portland by the Foot), Dugan.

Press Building (formerly the offices of the Portland Press Herald, now the Press Hotel)
First Parish (it and the congregation began as Puritans, then became Congregationalists, and finally became a Unitarian Universalist Church in the early 20th Century)
The cannonball in the chandelier of First Parish church was shot at the church by the British in 1775
There are symbols from seven world religions behind the pulpit
Oldest building in downtown Portland – 1785.

Peleg Wadsworth, who built it as a country retreat, was a Revolutionary War general who had a very low opinion of Paul Revere; ironically, his grandson Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere”, and the house is now known as the Longfellow House.

In the Irish District
John Ford, formerly John Feinny.
I didn’t ask Dugan for the story behind this sign.
United States Custom House

Crash and Bean

I’ve been feeling a little bit under the weather for a couple of days; today, having to get up extra early to leave the ship on time caught up with me, as did overindulging for the last couple of weeks.

We’d found a hotel in Portland just a long block from the dock; it wasn’t too difficult to schlep our luggage there. We got there at 8:30am, so I didn’t expect our room to be ready and expected to leave our luggage. But while the clerk was writing luggage receipts, her phone rang and we and our new friends Jane and Byron were able to go directly to our rooms.

When I’d chose the hotel, I thought we’d be going out for long walks and exploring Portland. But the weather was dreadful, so we decided to take a Lyft to L. L. Bean in Freeport and explore the Flagship Store. Bean had been remodeling their campus for the last few years and they finally opened the new store in September.

It’s very glossy.

Brook Trout in the Stream Tank
All these animals are so peaceful

Much to my surprise, none of us found anything we had to buy. Our next stop was the Factory Store a couple of blocks away – again, we came away empty-handed.

We had lunch at the Tuscan Brick Oven Bistro. It was good, and both couples brought leftovers back to the hotel.

I fell asleep on the drive back to Portland. The weather was still frightful, so we parted from our friends and went back to our room…where I fell asleep for a couple of hours.

I felt better after my nap and the rain had diminished, so we met our friends at a nearby brewpub, Brickyard Hollow, for a light dinner. Again, both couple brought back leftovers. I felt better after eating and have managed to stay awake for a few hours, but I’m ready to call it a night.

Maybe tomorrow will be more interesting…in a good way!