We enjoyed a morning of slowly getting up, drinking coffee, walking around a bit outside and then headed to Bangor to exchange our car rental, stopped at the Hannaford Grocery on the way back to Searsport, ate lunch at our boat house outside while watching the ocean and seeing a junior and adult eagle fly by us to their nest. Enjoying some rest by soaking up the sound of the waves, walking the beach and collecting shells, rocks, and driftwood was a nice change of pace for us.
Another lighthouse was calling our name, so we drove to New Harbor to Pemaquid Lighthouse just outside of Bristol, stopped at the grocery again, and then ate dinner at Delvino’s Grill and Pasta House, an Italian restaurant in Belfast. We had bread with garlic cream dip and pizzinas (topped with artichokes, kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, fetta, etc…) – all was delicious and the decor was a mix of local history, modern style, Italian and vintage with brick exposed walls and a depth in size. The broad age range of customers (especially many seniors) we saw there was very community oriented and friendly. After dinner, we drove to our home away from home in Searsport.
Our sixth day, we spent exploring Acadia National Park (primarily on Maine’s Mount Desert Island), which included seeing Bubble Rock and visiting the gift shop nearby, where we purchased some fun finds, and driving up Cadillac Mountain (the highest summit in Maine and the first place in the continental United States to see the sunrise during October through March). We enjoyed hiking and taking photos in the area while admiring the amazing nature views. We walked more around Thunder Hole (a rock inlet where waves sound a thunderous crash when hitting the rocky inlet); we also stopped at the nearby gift shop and picked up some delicious blueberry chocolate truffles. We hiked along Otter Cliff Overlook and went to Bar Harbor for a tasty and most satisfying meal at Leary’ Irish Pub (burgers, pub fries, and Maine Root Blueberry Soda). Shopping at Bark Harbor and Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop (since 1886, Maine’s oldest bookstore) afterward, which was close by, as well as various other stores was delightful and the courtyard center was a great place to rest on a bench while we people watched. Later in the evening, playing a game of Battleship at our boat house rental and watching a movie was a perfectly relaxing way to end our adventurous day!