Do you ever have those days where the timing is just perfect for everything? Well, if you stretch that timeline for an entire weekend, you can maybe come close to our 10th anniversary weekend in northern New Hampshire. From the on-time plane ride up to Boston to the weather for that time of year in New England to the absolute peak of fall foliage where we stayed to everything else that we did, I don’t know if I’ve enjoyed a trip as much as I did this one.
Both Hartsfield in Atlanta and Logan in Boston have a history of delayed flights but we lucked out last Thursday and got to Boston on time, had a smooth car rental checkout, and were on our way to New Hampshire. Thanks to a local tip from one of my favorite bloggers, we cut across to Route 1A by the MA/NH border to get an ocean view. Now that I look back at the map, we actually wound up not going to the entire recommended route (darn you, Google Maps) although part of that was because we wanted to get to our Bed & Breakfast before dusk in order to see where we were. Thus we didn’t have time to stop in the highly recommended town of Portsmouth but we definitely will visit it on our next trip since it seems like a town Megan and I would both dig.
Since we were running late (lunchtime-wise) and wanted some lobster rolls (something neither of us have had before), we stopped in Hampton Beach at La Bec Rouge. I got the lobster roll and Megan order some shrimp. While I’ve never had a lobster roll before, this was exactly how I thought one would taste. Maybe someone can confirm or deny whether or not this place serves authentic lobster rolls but it was pleasing to my taste buds. Megan’s shrimp weren’t overly breaded and were quite juicy. All in all, it was an enjoyable, and quick, meal to start the trip. I'm curious if it was just relegated to this restaurant or if it's a regional thing but the entire waitstaff was eastern European. With Russia splintered into so many individual states now, I don't dare guess as to where they might be from.
We took a short walk along the beach to stretch our legs and then it was onward to Notchland Inn. The interesting thing about the drive that day was that, while it truly was a scattered clouds/sun/rain kind of day, nature gave us quite a show the whole trip into the mountains. It would be cloudy, then sunny, but since the clouds were so scattered each time the sun came out the rain would fall, giving a sheen to everything. We even saw a rainbow at one point and knew that this trip would really be something special.
Notchland Inn is really set in a spectacular setting. Located a few miles inside White Mountain National Forest (Hart’s Location, NH), the inn is nestled in the side of a small hill and faces a spectacular ridge, especially when the fall colors are popping out like they were when we were there. Each room has a fireplace and there’s not much more romantic than a dark room illuminated by flames from the fireplace.
We were in the Bear room which was on the second floor facing east and south. For those looking for a romantic getaway, this is the place. In addition, each room has a folder with an extensive history of the area and the founder of this inn. There is also a diary for the room occupants to write in and it was neat to skim over years worth of entries from people who stayed in that room. Architecturally, the place is built with granite blocks and just oozes history and New England charm.
Most B&Bs don’t offer dinner but this place spares no expense at preparing an impressive 5 course dinner. We ate here for dinner Thursday and Saturday night and were bowled over by the selection each night. As if they couldn’t do anything wrong, they also won this beer geek’s heart over by offering local beers from New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Instead of fawning over exactly what we ate, you can get an idea of the fare they offer on their website included above. They offer you choices for each night, with at least 3 of these entrees available and then multiple choices for starting fare, vegetables and dessert. There was also an after-dinner salad, something I’m not familiar with but actually is a great idea.
All in all, it was a perfect ending to the beginning of a great (and much needed vacation). Day 2’s events will be posted tomorrow.
NOTE – As much as I would like to include pictures in the next few days’ posts, there would be too many for each day. I have uploaded all my pics but have yet to tag them with descriptions. Once that is done, I will include the link to that photo album which will encompass the entire trip. Hopefully that will be done by Wednesday.