Official Blog of Kristy Gherlone

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Official Blog of Kristy Gherlone
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    • Hidden Gems in Maine

      Posted at 1:04 pm by writergherlone, on October 24, 2017

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      Not too far from the border of New Hampshire, on the Maine coast, there is a town called   Ogunquit.  It is truly one of my favorite southern Maine spots to visit.

      It is a small coastal town that draws in thousands of visitors in the summertime. People come from all over the world to spend time on the gorgeous, lengthy sand beaches, for the shopping, excellent dining choices, boating, fishing, surfing…you name it. There is plenty to do.

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      When I was a kid growing up in northern Maine, I didn’t know anything about Ogunquit. No one ever talked about it. When people made the three hour trek to the ocean, they went to Old Orchard Beach or to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor. I often went to Bar Harbor, and of course, I’ve been to Old Orchard. Who didn’t when they were a teen? Families love Old Orchard for the amusement parks and side attractions. You can walk the “strip” in Old Orchard, or the pier, get a dough boy (or funnel cake, or fried dough..whatever you call them from wherever you are on the map; in Maine it’s a dough boy) a cotton candy, a cheap bathing suit, some plastic beach toys, and go on an array of carnival rides that will make you throw-up your dough boy.  In Bar Harbor, you can visit Acadia. You can hike, ride horses, sit at the beach, or do the side attraction like the Acadia Zoo in Trenton. Don’t get me wrong, they are both fun places to visit, but when I first saw Ogunquit, I was hooked!  It is a bit more of an upscale, adult- oriented beach town. Hot sun, lazy beaches, casual attitudes, upscale shops, and nearly every restaurant has lobster or some type of delicious seafood on the menu. To me, it has that Florida, I’m-on-vacation-don’t-bother-me feel to it.

      This is what I like to do when I get there:

      1. Walk Marginal Way
      2. Take one of the trollies back to the square.
      3. Eat at the Footbridge.
      4. Shop in one of the many, many gorgeous shops-clothes, jewelry, art, antiques..etc.
      5. Eat again!
      6. Go to the beach for some sun and relaxation
      7. Eat again
      8. Book a cocktail cruise on Finest Kind cruises
      9. Look at the lighthouse at Nubble and the moon over the ocean
      10. Sleep peacefully with a smile on my face

       

      The walk (Marginal Way)  is a little over a mile one-way with gorgeous waterfront homes on one side and incredible ocean view on the other. The people who own the homes there, landscape their lawns beautifully. There is always an abundance of flowers and butterflies along the way, even this late in the season.

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      However, as I have said, the town does draw in visitors. Too many sometimes. Summertime is bustling and busy. It’s hard to find adequate parking and it’s hard to move around with all of those elbows and strollers.  The wonderful people there have all kinds of advice about where to eat, what to see, where to stay, and what to do. I have found some gems in the years I have spent there. I want to tell you about two or three, to save you some trouble.

      The Colonial Inn. It is not right on the ocean, which makes it seem less desirable. Everyone wants something right on the water but if you don’t book a room at the Colonial, for that reason, you are missing out. This is what it looks like:

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      So yeah, it’s gorgeous. It’s not on the water, but does have an ocean view. The staff is incredibly attentive and often do extras to make your stay even more special, like this:

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      Having an anniversary? They will surprise and delight your spouse with something like this. They also do weddings and special functions. I’ve never seen any other hotel go through so much trouble to make you happy.

      They are also a bit cheaper for not being on the water, but it is beautiful hotel. Relaxed, but fun. Elegant, but economical. I love it and the staff. They are in the middle of the shopping and very close to the entrance of Marginal Way.

      Where to eat? For a fancy restaurant on the water, try MC Perkins Cove. Good food, good ambiance, and excellent service…but if you don’t care what the place looks like as long as it has good food, you can’t beat The Footbridge Lobster. I don’t really like to eat anywhere else, unless I have to dress up and be fancy…then it’s MC.

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      For one, they have the absolute best lobster stew and crab rolls I’ve ever tasted. I literally dream about their food all year long. The staff is pleasant and attentive and that’s amazing considering how busy they usually are. There is usually a line out the door! I would gladly wait in line an hour or more for a crab roll from them! So yummy!

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      And if you are thinking, ‘Ogunquit doesn’t sound like a good place for families’, you would be wrong. York’s Animal Kingdom is right down the road. My grandson loves it.

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      You can pet goats, see tigers, lions, and maybe even some bears!  Plus Ogunquit has a couple of toy stores, and an arcade for the kiddos, pizza shops and those cheap beach toys that Old Orchard has. There are also plenty of places that have kids menus, as well. And what kid wouldn’t like to ride on a trolly?

      Anyway, I wanted to share what I know about Ogunquit so that when you visit, it can be just as wonderful as I know it to be. I’m not much of a travel blogger, but I do travel a lot; to Ogunquit, more than any other place. I love it and I hope you’ll find my suggestions helpful.

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      Enjoy!

      Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged beach, dining, eat, familyfriendly, lobsters, maine, ocean, ogunquit, restaurant, seafood, shopping, thecolonialinn, thefootbridge, trollies, vacation
    • So…you’d like to take a cruise…

      Posted at 12:50 pm by writergherlone, on July 25, 2017

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      So…You’d like to take a cruise…

      by Kristy Gherlone

       

      My husband and I have just returned from a two week vacation, that a few weeks ago, we didn’t even know we’d be taking.

      We had to take a trip to Florida to care for relative, and while we were there, we’d thought we’d take a little last-minute break and hop on a ship bound for Mexico.

      I’d like to tell you about it, as I think some of it is note-worthy. I will share this piece before going back to my fiction stories.

      Now, I like cruising. I have been drawn to it since I was a child, intrigued by episodes of “Love Boat.”  I have been a few times, and I always have a good time. I don’t think there’s a cheaper way to see so many different places or eat so much you feel like you’re going to pop.

      However, there are some things I want to point out for people who have never been, but have always wanted to. There are some hidden costs, and some other things to consider before planning your vacation.

      This is what I learned: (this is my perspective, anyway…yours may be quite different)

      July was not an ideal time to go.  The heat wasn’t the issue. (That was actually a bonus for me, as I’m from Maine. This summer it has been chilly and rainy in the northeast, but you can always count on sunny, hot weather in the tropics.) The issue was the amount of children on board(Summer vacation! Oh boy!!!).

      I like children, but not one thousand and three seemingly parentless children at a time. They were everywhere! Running up and down the halls all hours of the night, taking over entire pools and turning them yellow by the end of the day…Every single hot tub and pool was filled to the brim with runny-nosed, happy children. (There was an adult only pool, but the occasional child slipped in here and there.) So, I lost some sleep and had vengeful thoughts in the middle of the night that I’m not usually prone to. Sleep deprivation can do strange things to your mind…also…I’m a bit of a germ-phobe. Ships are not good places for people with germ issues. I did alright, considering. I’m just trying not to think about it, though I have a sore throat and I’m starting to think I have caught malaria, or at the very least, a cold…

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      *There were lots of things for the kids to do. Free ice cream all day. Movie nights with popcorn…. games..and..oh,  I don’t know since I don’t have small children anymore, but they looked like they were having the time of their lives whatever they were doing.

      Hidden costs: You book from Expedia or your go to sight and it seems pretty cheap but remember…there are other fees. I’ll mention a few, but yours maybe more or less:

      Airline tickets

      Airport parking (two weeks cost us over $500.00 bucks!)

      Rental car if you are doing anything more than plane to ship.

      Parking at the ship docks (I think ours was $80.00 for the 4 days)

      Drinks on board. Alcohol and soda are not included. However, juice, coffee, tea, lemonade, and iced tea are free. A glass of wine cost me $8.75. A very tacky but true occurrence on the ship is at dinner when a waiter comes by with a big tray of shots for anyone who wants to purchase them to go with your steak or lobster…

      Tips, tips and more tips. Tips for the bartenders. Tips for taxi’s and shuttle drivers in port. Tips for excursion leaders…tips for well…tips. Anyone who offers you help or goes out of their way to help gets a tip.

      Pictures. On board, someone is always snapping your picture. They will place those pictures on display and hold them ransom until you manually throw them into a bin or buy them. We bought a few and spent about $200.00 for on the boat pics.  Also, for pics for excursions. We did “swimming with dolphins.” If you think you can just take your own pictures, think again… no cameras allowed! They will take your picture and you will buy them. We spent $43.00, but left most behind.

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      Shopping. There is no way to avoid it. The ship has stores and you will buy stuff. Plan on it. Also, a lot of the countries you visit are poor. They count on your money to make it through the year. The ship dumps you in the middle of shopping centers and the people there will compliment and badger you simultaneously until you go into their store, and make you feel like a jerk if you don’t purchase at least one small item. A word of advice: your treasures will be cheaper just before the ship is getting ready to re-board. Last minute purchases will cost about half as much. Make sure you offer them less. Much less. Never pay full price because, let’s face it…that jewelry did not cost them $500.00. They paid $20.00 and if you’re not careful, you’ll buy junk at a huge mark-up.

      Medical care. Thankfully, we didn’t need any, but some people do. A visit to the ships medical center is not covered under insurance. You will pay out-of-pocket for your sickness or boo-boo. (which reminds me:) “Don’t drink the water or get ice-cubes in your drink” is a pretty common caution in Mexico, but did you consider that Pina Colada? It’s crushed ice and you will not feel well later if you get one.*See Medical care…

       

      It may not seem like it, but our trip was actually pretty fun. There are definite perks to cruising which will keep me going back.  I love hot weather, visiting foreign lands, and making new friends and believe me, you will make friends. They may be drunk friends, but they are happy, and happy to meet you. I saw a woman drinking an entire pitcher of margarita at 9:00 a.m. She told me I was without humor and then went on to say that I cracked her up.  I saw a man stumbling down the stairs with a bottle of beer in every single pocket of clothing he had on, but he was smiling. With the ship being so closed in, you get chummy with the people who frequent the same places as you. I like that. We exchange emails and talk about our lives at home. You get friendly with the staff. Some of their stories will break your heart…a tip might help? I hope so.

      I loved my dolphin, Frida. I will always remember her.  It was the opportunity of a life-time to swim with a dolphin. My heart went out to her for all of her hard work, so I didn’t make her lug me across the pool, like the dozen or so other folks did. I didn’t have the heart. Instead, I held her like a baby and spoke to her in Spanish. I think she appreciated the effort. I hope.

       

      Oh and here is my love boat moment…just like the show! Everyone always stands at the rail, looking out, contemplating life after an argument. My companion was fabulous.(He better be since he’s my husband), but we did have a little tiff in the middle, just like Love Boat. We made up at the end. It was all very romantic.

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      Posted in Uncategorized | 0 Comments | Tagged carnival, cruises, cruising, florida, fun, hiddenfees, nonfiction, summer, vacation
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