“All I could see from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood;
I turned and looked another way,
And saw three islands in a bay.”
From “Renascence” by Edna St. Vincent Millay
After 2 ½ weeks with family and friends from the South Coast of Massachusetts to Midcoast Maine, I began this day in an elegant bed and breakfast in The Belmont Inn, where serendipitously the interim innkeeper is a chef.
Poached pears in white wine over crème fraiche and garnished with a stick of cinnamon. Scrambled eggs with fresh chives and sundried tomatoes, with a side of homemade pierogis filled with potatoes and light cheese. Deborah Snow used to feed film crews, who are desperately in need of inventive, creative chefs who provide refuge from horrendous filming schedules with culinary comfort. Here she invents the dreamy, beautifully presented breakfasts daily after meeting her guests and “reading” their tastes. Snow’s multiple inn-keeping and cooking skills certainly created a temporary “home” in this charming B&B, in the town where early 20th century feminist poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay, one of the first female Pulitzer Prize-winners, grew up.
Owner Kim Caffe had this experience in mind when she bought the inn five years ago, converting the 1891 Queen Ann Victorian into a gracious space and a distinctive story for each guest room, appointed with sturdy antiques, upholstery, bedding and window covers in bright stripes, prints and brocades and painted walls of soft pastels. Before its more recent incarnation as an inn, the property was a well-known restaurant Aubergine. Caffe and her daughter Lauren have converted the original paneled bar on the first floor into an alcove where guests can peruse travel brochures, borrow a wine glass and browse homier touches of Caffe’s family photos and memorabilia. The breakfast room spans a long sunporch. One of the guest rooms is named for Millay, a favorite of the owners. The wrap-around porch looks over a cheerful perennial garden; the lineup of white rocking chairs establishes a perfect perch for coffee, reading or late-evening wine. The walk to the heart of town and the port is 10 minutes.
Perspectives on Midcoast Maine
Coastal Maine is like that, story after story, each with steadfast links to history, culture, farms and the sea. Here along the small, protected waterfront of Camden, next to the tiny but powerful seaport of Rockport, the mountains (known as the Camden Hills) meet the sea (Penobscot Bay off which flows into the Atlantic Ocean). About two hours south of Bar Harbor (and Acadia National Park) and 90 minutes north of funky urban Portland, Camden anchors a region where history abounds in the brick sea captains’ mansions and sprawling Victorian residences. Camden’s historic buildings and origins date back to the late 1700s and its prosperity came from ship building and ship building. Today artists populate hideaways and weekend fairs to capture the stunning landscape in “plein air.” Tourists pour in by the busloads, reservations are usually needed far ahead for dinner and the streets can become a bit gangly with people. Nonetheless, I find Camden quaint and restful, easy to move about on foot.
The region is dense with options (see my other article about Midcoast Maine). It’s loaded with antiquing, art galleries and handcrafts by “Mainers.” You can hike along trails in Mount Battie in Camden Hills State Park or follow a winding drive to the peak for panoramic vistas of Penobscot Bay. The forests are thick, and with considerable young growth; my friends remark that the state is the second most “treed” state in the U.S. and land conservancy is highly valued. That’s so refreshing after watching the trees disappear field by field in suburbia where I live down South.
Lobstering, fishing boats and farmstands are abundant with sea- and farm-to-table specialties (currently blueberries are in season). There are more choices than you can count for island-hopping and lighthouse tours by schooner; art festivals abound every weekend. Each town seems to have an opera house that has been reimagined for theater and music along with quaint bookstores studded with stacks of reading and coffee corners.
While many Mainers in their heart of hearts agree with the bumper stickers that blast “Go Home!,” for the most part they are extremely hospitable and welcoming. Maine, I’ve discovered, is a good place to shed artifice and wear pretense lightly.
Tips on the Camden-Rockport-Rockland Region
Traveling to Camden after visiting some friends near Rockland, I followed a backroad that avoided most of the slow crawl up US Route 1. After Googling for YMCA locations, I disciplined myself to workouts on the way in and out of the region at the Rockport Y, a large facility with an 8-lane indoor pool. As a national member, I take advantage of the reciprocal privileges (including free admission) at Y’s wherever I can.
Poking around, I trend toward defying assumptions. When there is no room at the inn, I call and often luck out on a last-minute vacancy – such as the two-night mid-week stay at the Belmont Inn in the quietest room at the back of the house on the second floor. I might initially reserve a dinner reservation in advance from guidebooks and online resources, but once I arrive, I ask locals where to eat – and frequently make a change. If my preferred choices are reserved, I show up as a solo diner and see what’s possible. Often, it seems, much if you’re willing to be agile.
At Franny’s Bistro, a choice spot off the beaten path (55 chestnut street, tel: 207-230-8199), I booked a seat at the bar to secure a reservation, then once onsite, lucked into a patio table. The next evening, after a big thunderstorm, I hopped in my car and drove seven minutes south to Rockport’s 18 Central Oyster Bar & Grill, arriving before the crowds and waiting only five minutes for a counter seat in front the oyster display. These, and elegant Natalie’s – a Relais & Chateau restaurant and “top 100” in the U.S. (83 Bay View St., tel: 207-236-7008) – came from the Belmont Inn’s list of recommendations, which has been curated by locals and guests who are professional food critics.
Locals also hang out at Cuzzy’s (21 Bayview St., tel: 207-236-3272) and Fresh & Co. (1 Bay View Landing, tel: 207-236-7005) with its globally inspired cuisine and locally sourced ingredients). I also had a tasty haddock sandwich for lunch on the wharf outside at Peter Ott’s on the Water.
On an afternoon delivering chance thunderstorms, I sought shelter in the local library, which features historical displays on the shipping and fishing industries, along with Millay memorabilia. A few blocks away is the Owl & Turtle Bookshop & Café (33 Bay View St., tel: 207-420-8210) for more reading inspiration about Maine and the region. Walking back to the inn, I ducked into Leonard’s, a women’s clothing boutique whose delightful owners inspired my headstart on fall travel wear (21 Elm St., tel: 207-236-3999).
Reflections as a Seasoned Womantraveler
Backroads, curiosity, careful planning with room for serendipity – and smartly chosen national memberships to Y’s, art museums, rental car programs and hotel and airline rewards clubs, along with dining apps like Resy and OpenTable. These are the tools a seasoned Womantraveler must have to navigate on her own terms; they usually cut through the lines, facilitate access, save considerable time and frustration and sometimes hundreds of dollars.
The reality is that you usually won’t find experiences like this unless you break away from your home routines and travel – late night sugar cookies and a glass of wine, lingering conversations with newfound acquaintances on subjects of astonishing mutuality, brief chats with people on the street who by chance know one of your old friends 3000 miles away.
In travel, you have to expend energy and effort to experience all that’s possible.
