Day 4 - Hyannis, Massachusetts
Today we headed east and north to the very tip of the Cape Cod peninsula via a scenic drive that included a stop at the town of Chatham that, like Plymouth yesterday, really is quite charming and quaint (and, to be fair, not at all like its namesake in the UK but in a good way). After an obligatory view of the Chatham Lighthouse we strolled up and down Main Street full of twee independent stores selling all sorts of "stuff" of dubious value to passing mugs. Talking of which, Miss Tracey resisted buying the one pictured here bottom left (not sure how the yellow one sneaked in.......):
We then drove to the far northern tip of Cape Cod to Provincetown which is where the founding fathers, or pilgrims, aboard the Mayflower actually first landed in the new world. Provincetown is best described as the love child of Brighton and Camber - it is a gay mecca (a hangover, apparently, from the 60s and 70s when it was very much a liberal hippy magnet) and there is lots of sand (which is why the pilgrims upped sticks and moved across the bay to the more fertile land around Plymouth).
The major historical attraction in Provincetown is the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum:
The monument, built in the early 20th century, is over 250 feet tall and the viewing platform is accessed via 116 steps and 60 ramps (a climb that takes approximately 10 minutes). It is worth the effort - we have been rewarded with another clear, sunny day, and the views from the top of the tower are magnificent across Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts Bay and out in to the Atlantic:
Dinner tonight will be at one of Hyannis's harbour side eateries Spanky's Clam Shack and Seaside Saloon, yes really. Tonight's beer choice is White Shark Wheat, brewed in Orleans, Cape Cod.
And finally, if you ever find yourself separated from your companions, meet them here:
We then drove to the far northern tip of Cape Cod to Provincetown which is where the founding fathers, or pilgrims, aboard the Mayflower actually first landed in the new world. Provincetown is best described as the love child of Brighton and Camber - it is a gay mecca (a hangover, apparently, from the 60s and 70s when it was very much a liberal hippy magnet) and there is lots of sand (which is why the pilgrims upped sticks and moved across the bay to the more fertile land around Plymouth).
The major historical attraction in Provincetown is the Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum:
The monument, built in the early 20th century, is over 250 feet tall and the viewing platform is accessed via 116 steps and 60 ramps (a climb that takes approximately 10 minutes). It is worth the effort - we have been rewarded with another clear, sunny day, and the views from the top of the tower are magnificent across Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts Bay and out in to the Atlantic:
Dinner tonight will be at one of Hyannis's harbour side eateries Spanky's Clam Shack and Seaside Saloon, yes really. Tonight's beer choice is White Shark Wheat, brewed in Orleans, Cape Cod.
And finally, if you ever find yourself separated from your companions, meet them here:
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