Ogunquit, Maine (2021) - Travelogue

Friday, October 15, 2021

Our first morning in Ogunquit started as we read our books and drank coffee on our room’s private balcony, enjoying the beautiful weather. We ventured downstairs for the Inn’s famous breakfast, where we shared a toasted bagel, homemade pumpkin spice muffins and banana bread, and where the innkeepers made Alice her own delicious vegetarian breakfast sandwich! After learning she was vegetarian that first morning, they made her a personal sandwich each day that were the best breakfast sandwiches she has ever eaten. The innkeepers were really beyond lovely.

Feeling pleasantly full and very content, we strolled the 15ish minutes to the heart of town. Every inn we passed was fully decked-out for Halloween with some of the best decorations we've ever seen! We spent a few lovely hours exploring the little shops and reading menus from every restaurant. A lovely woman outside a restaurant with a perfect balcony, lots of shade, and blue-stone firepits for tables gave us her homemade fudge (chocolate, maple, and pumpkin pie flavors), and we promised to come back and eat there the next day!

We shared a “Maple Leaf” English breakfast tea latte with maple syrup, bought Alice an adorable, cozy flapper-style hat that she refused to take off for the next two days, and got so overwhelmed by all the hundreds of flavors in a tea shop that we didn’t buy anything at all. We went to an art gallery Alice had put on the itinerary called Abacus, filled with local and handmade art. There, we bought our biggest and best souvenir of the trip: a ceramic chips-and-dip set that looks like a little rowboat on a deep blue pond. It even has little dip-spreaders that fit in like tiny oars! The lovely people at the gallery offered to hold it for us overnight until we could return with the car the next day, and spotting our “Mr” and “Mrs” masks they gave us congratulations and a free desktop calendar filled with art!

Next up, we meandered over to the Marginal Way and had a beautiful 45-minute scenic walk along the coastline akin to the Newport Cliff Walk. Josh practiced his new husband skills of carrying Alice’s backpack and taking spontaneous photos of Alice in beautiful locations. He is very good at this husband thing.

Reaching the end of our long morning walk around 2 PM, we enjoyed a late lunch at Jackie’s Too - a local icon that boasts an amazing covered deck hanging right up against the coast. With a gentle sea breeze in our hair, we enjoyed a burger for Josh and a roasted eggplant sandwich for Alice, sharing some tasty fries. We finished the meal with a coffee and a slice of homemade blueberry pie.

Jackie’s Too and the end of the Marginal Way walk are in the little neighborhood of Perkin’s Cove, so after lunch we explored the little streets and shops of this lovely place. We admired the lobster boats returning to harbor, the small but impressive pedestrian-operated drawbridge, and the wide array of local dogs. We even watched a pair of pups called Cody and Daisy while their owners went into a store! We found two cozy chairs outside a closed cafe in the heart of Perkin’s Cove and sat there for a couple happy hours, reading our books and people-watching.

At 5 PM, it was getting chilly, so Josh dashed back to the Inn (just 10 minutes away) to get warmer layers while Alice picked up the tickets for our sunset cocktail cruise. We boarded the small, 20-person tour boat and chugged out into the sea. We enjoyed a rum punch and a glass of wine while chatting with two other couples visiting from Ohio. We loved watching the lights come on in all the beautiful oceanfront mansions and appreciating the majestic Cliff House hotel where we have decided to spend our 10th anniversary. The weather was perfect, and we loved being out on the ocean together.

We returned to shore and walked 20 minutes back, pats our inn and into town where a Mexican restaurant’s menu had caught our eyes earlier. We sat in colorful Adirondack chairs around the roaring outdoor firepit on their patio and shared delicious late-night (8 PM) nachos. Back in the inn, we read our books and fell asleep early, exhausted from another perfect day outdoors.

Saturday, October 16

We got a slightly earlier start this morning, beginning our reading on the porch early and enjoying another round of amazing breakfast sandwiches and today’s baked goods of banana bread and blueberry muffins.

We hopped in the car and drove up to Wells to see the beach there. We took a lovely walk and stopped in a store called the Beachcomber where a very nice woman told us about her honeymoon to Ogunquit 34 years ago and gifted us a sand dollar, so we would always have at least one dollar. Next stop was Footbridge Beach back in Ogunquit where we strolled along the sand as the sun broke through the morning’s clouds and turned it into another absolutely perfect day.

On our way back through town, we picked up our pottery from Abacus and stored it safely in the car, which we parked back at our Inn. On foot again for the rest of the day, we strolled over to Coastal Wine, a trendy new wine bar with tasting flights and a beautiful patio. We shared flights of 4 white wines and 4 sparkling wines over a few hours and discovered our new favorite white (a verdicchio from Italy - I Sassi Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Umani Ronchi). If you happen to ever find this wine, please get it for us!

Feeling slightly hungry after our wine, we walked over to Rose Cove, the beautiful patio with fudge we had found the previous day. We were seated at a firepit with a perfect view of the town center, and we enjoyed the people- and puppy-watching as we shared some tasty spinach artichoke dip and then a fish sandwich for Josh and an Impossible burger for Alice, both on their handmade buns. The meal ended with more complimentary homemade fudge samples. Yum!

Pleasantly full and very relaxed, we walked back to the Inn where we both read our books (Josh cozied up inside, and Alice bundled up on the balcony). Nearing sunset, Alice decided to adventure down to the docks at Perkins Cove to enjoy a warm drink and her book at Barnacle Billy’s, the famous local pub. Josh joined her a little later, and we watched the sunset over the cove together. Feeling a little chilly, we walked back to the Inn and both curled up in the cozy parlor, full of plush furniture, a fireplace, and fall decor. We read for a few hours until Alice finished her book (453 pages which she had started that morning - she is very proud), then we went to bed.

Sunday, October 17

Our final day of vacation started - you guessed it - with reading on our balcony while drinking coffee and then a delicious, specially-made vegetarian breakfast sandwich for Alice. Today’s homemade muffins were cranberry and possibly the best so far.

We hit the road on the early side, stopping first in Kittery, ME to try a famous cruller donut from Lil’s Cafe. We shared an original and cinnamon sugar cruller, and we now have plans to return there every weekend forever because they were SO GOOD.

We crossed the bridge into Portsmouth, NH for our next stop, where we visited a dog store for Jackson’s favorite treats, looked in a bunch of cute boutique shops, and sat at an outdoor cafe in the town center square where Josh (who had not eaten a breakfast sandwich that morning) enjoyed a chicken parm panini. We strolled some more, returned to our favorite spice store, and then hopped in the car to start the drive home.