Woke up in our emergency hotel and went down for our “free” breakfast. As you can see from the picture above, it wasn’t terribly appetising, although the freshly made waffles were better. We then headed off to our next destination, Bar Harbor, ME.
We were travelling up the road that we were due to be coming down on in a couple of days time so we ticked off some of the things on the to do list including a coffee stop in Bath and Lake St. George State Park where we stopped for a picnic lunch by the shores.
Shopping, we’re Shopping
In every town we have visited, there has been a really good independent bookshop which was really pleasing to see. Whether it was Northshire Bookstore, Manchester; Bridgeside Books, Waterbury; White Birch Books, Conway; Mockingbird Bookshop, Bath; or Sherman’s Books, Bar Harbor, they have all been quirky shops with an interesting stock. I think we have bought something in almost all of them, although interestingly not any books. I tell you what we haven’t seen any of – a Barnes & Noble.
At the other end of the scale we also visited a Walmart that behemoth of supermarkets in the States. We always visit to pick up some bits for the Grandkids, whatever they’re currently watching on TV is always American and so the tie-in toys are plentiful and cheaper than the UK, and some cheap clothes for us. I was in the market for long sleeved tee-shirts which are a bit like hens teeths and expensive in the UK but two sporting the John Deere logo on the front set me back $7 a shirt.
Of course, it wasn’t $7 when I arrived at the till, but $7 and a bit as tax is added. I still have no idea what amount of tax is levied on goods in each state, but I always forget that the ticket price is ex-tax, and consequently the money I have in hand is never enough. I don’t think that I will ever remember nor will I ever understand what the tax price isn’t shown on the ticket.
Tomorrow our one and only national park – Acadia.
