TRAVELING THE WORLD 365 days/year. You can visit us on Instagram at whereintheworldaremikeandjan. Do not hit “Reply” to message us – Use Contact Tab, above.
It’s raining. It’s pouring. An old man is snoring, somewhere on this ship. Bar Harbor is in contention with San Francisco regarding bragging rights for having the coldest summer weather in the US. It was in the 60s, and with the rain, almost everyone was wearing coats or jackets…and carrying umbrellas. Chilly. We are heading north toward (the misnamed) Greenland and then (the appropriately named) Iceland. Mike is glad he bought a jacket (he left his in France last year) in San Francisco, just for this trip.
We anchored in the harbor, as there is no cruise ship dock. But we were surprised that a private boat was there to take us ashore. It was a commercial vessel – Lobster, Fishing, and Seal Watching. On board, they had a tank of live lobsters that they were happy to pass around to passengers willing to hold them – with claws taped shut, of course! On land, there wasn’t really an opportunity to walk very far, due to the rain. So we got photos of a variety of shops – with cute names – and a few fountains and parks. We have been here when it was sunny, and the town just has charm on steroids – the ultimate shopping village.
Bar Harbor sits at the beginning of the Bay of Fundy, which separates it from Nova Scotia, our next stop. Formerly named Eden, Bar Harbor has a reputation as being for the wealthy elite. It was renamed in 1918 after the sand and gravel bar, visible at low tide, that forms the rear of the harbor. The town was used for naval practice during WWII, and is the birthplace of VP Nelson Rockefeller. It was not as charming as we remembered, but that was due to the rainfall. Better luck next time, we hope!
Pretty Agamont Park, with the requisite flowers, fountain, and gazebo.A little more of the park and gazebo. The gazebo had a colorfully-painted public playable piano in it.Agamont Park Fountain. Normally, you can see the blue water of the bay behind the fountain, but the rain and fog obscured it today.This looks like a pretty place to stay for a few days in Bar Harbor.The 1932 Criterion Theater, featuring a Bob Marley Comedy Show. We are fans of Bob’s music, but we have a hard time visualizing what that show would be like.Finback Alehouse is named after the Fin, or Finback, Whale. It is the second-largest species of whale after the Blue Whale.The Pink Pastry Shop looks very inviting on a rainy day!We like the drawing of the sailing ship, but even better, the boutique shop is named My Darling Maine.This building just looks like it belongs in Maine.This fountain has a date of 1906 above the lion’s head.A view down one of the shopping streets.The moose looks like Bullwinkle!“Bark Harbor.” Adorable.The Museum in the Streets is a marvelous description of Bar Harbor. This sign notes that steamboats began regular service here in 1857. Naturally, fish and lobster restaurants are a huge thing here.Yep…lobsters. And you can see the sign to Just Add Sun – which just didn’t happen on the day we were here.A little of everything – Sea Dawg Gift Shop,Wicked Good Stuff (but Boston advertises Wicked Good EVERYTHING), and even cruises to see Puffins!This psychic is very familiar with his/her customers, greeting them with “Hello, Hunny.”Ah, the thirsty whale – but is it a finback whale???A bold, little, mad shop in bold pink.Another whale….we’ll not speculate.We aren’t sure, but the boat on the right is likely the Margaret Todd, the drawing of which we liked on the “My Darling Maine” shop (we just wanted to say it again).The lobster boat that took passengers from the cruise ship to the town.Ready for its closeup…This passenger delighted in the chance to hold a lobster. As they walked around to each person, offering to let them hold it, it was interesting to see the different comfort levels with it. One woman was cajoled into holding it by her husband for a photo op, but held it as far away from herself as possible, as if it might explode.Beware of Attack Lobster. But their claws are taped! Not fair.The world just loves its puns.A pretty scene at the end of the day.
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