Newport RI Mansions

Thursday, September 29, 2011
Newport, Rhode Island, United States
We arrived at Newport the latest of any port with tendering starting around 10 am which turned out nice as Marge and Christina did a creating a travel journal class they wanted to do at 9 am and I did creative photo editing at 9:30 am. So the late tender time worked out great. We went ashore after our classes and were in Newport by 11:30 am or there about's. We headed on up through the town to see Trinity Church from late 1700's and went on to Bellevue Street where a number of the mansions are located. We decided to stop in a shopping area near the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the old Newport Casino facility to have lunch. We picked a place called Auntie's a small but nice looking place. Well the food was moderately priced and very good. Marge really enjoyed her first Lobster Roll which she was looking forward to getting.

Okay we walked on Bellevue and saw a number of the Mansions maintained by the Newport Mansions Preservation group . It is wonderful that the locals got together to maintain the homes for all to see what was created by a unique time in our society of the Captains of Industry with the legendary Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Olstem and others created a glittering Gilded Age. I try not to waste my time moralizing on past generations but to view them for what they were and this was a unique period of social history where these individuals openly displayed and used their riches and power not hiding behind lobbyists, lawyers and PACS. They also created fantastic homes in a Renaissance Revival style.

The only home we visited was the Breakers that was a lovely Italian Renaissance Palladian home. It may be overdone for some, a sign of the oppression of the rich or represent many thing to some but for me it simply invoked a golden age that hearken back to Italy and Imperial Rome. I loved it and soaked it up. The audio tour was well done, informative with out over doing the details. The gilding, the mosaics, details everywhere went to make a splendid example of a Gilded Age mansion . We then followed the Cliff Path back and cut across the island to make close to the last tender back to the ship. That to say the least was a little stressful. But we made it had super, got our pictures and started packing before taking some time now in the Explorations Cafe.

How was Newport well I could easily give it 3-5 days to walk the streets and see the many old homes, visit the mansions, walk the Cliff Walk more leisurely and just enjoy the ambience of the town. It was quiet away from the main streets, it had a fresh smell with the sea breezes even with it being a little muggy the day we were there. I definitely want to return to this area.

Okay a little more about the Eurodam before we leave the ship tomorrow. I thought I would say a little about some of the areas we have spent the most time on the ship so here goes:


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