“Everybody says ‘Hiiii Cindy’!” We are on the way to our last travel destination, the USA, no chance to miss that. Before we can even smile, all passengers of our JetBlue Flight to Fort Lauderdale answer in a loud and friendly choir and welcome us at the same time to Northern America.

After the troubles we had getting our bikes on the plane, we expect even bigger hassles entering the USA. Two big cardbord boxes, wrapped in green plastic and two bags, undefinable in shape, wrapped in green plastic as well, this must get us in trouble. To our big surprise, everything goes smooth at the customs, for our bikes and for us as well.

 

After another flight to the north of the East Coast we get even happier seeing Jim and Renée – 13 years after Corinne’s exchange year in California, 9 years of not seeing each other and after 6 months of traveling – we certainly have a lot to share. Already on the way to their home we get to taste one of the culinary higlights of Maine: we get an energy boost from an Oreo-Coffee-Icecream.

With the view of the white lighthouse, the sound of the ocean, the mystical foggy atmosphere and the cosy house we feel immediately at home in Cape Elizabeth.

Our mornings start ‘tranquillo’: We read the newspaper, drink coffee and enjoy great breakfasts with blueberry pancakes and bacon – what do you want more to start the day? It really does feel like holidays. After six months of constantly moving, we enjoy staying at one place, in one of our best accommodations, with great company and with wonderful trips in the surroundings of the Casco Bay.

Refreshed by some drizzle we enjoy our first Lobster roll at the port of Portland. What a special atmosphere amongst the big brick buildings and the fishing boats tied to the wooden landing stages. On our walk around Peak’s Island we get a first impression of the bay with its hundreds of islands, its rocky coast, pine and birch trees and the big wooden houses.

We feel like being back in Sweden and definitely fall in love with this beautiful region and its people, who are very open and welcoming. They enjoy life and have a funny humour. A heritage of the numerous Irish settlers in this area? We get to know some of Jim and Renée’s relatives who life in the neighbourhood, be it at a dinner, at the beach in the beach chairs, at a big family dinner with amazing Cuban and Texan food including lawn games with three generations or at their house, the night before their son moves out to College.

Maine in general and Portland in particular are know for excellent beer and a lively microbrewery scene. So a beer tour and tasting at Rising Tide seems the perfect preparation for Chris’ first baseball game! Microbrewery, the name says it all for Rising Tide. They are located in a small industrial building and equipped with only three big steel tanks. With a lot of commitment and motivation we get explained everything abouth the brewing process at ‘Rising tide’. At the bar we can convince ourselves that their beer is excellent.

The Sea Dogs are the pride and joy of Portland. Since this minor league baseball team cannot entierly rely on their sportive success to attract people, the side events are almost as important as the game itself. Today is Monster Trucks (promotion of the trucker society of the USA) and North Woods Law Enforcement night (a reality series about wildlife officers in the Northern woods of Maine). A beer, a big burger and a picture with the mascot of the team, we are ready for the game to start. With Jim giving Chris a crash course in rules and tactics, Corinne can refresh her knowledge adopted in High School. A baseball game has nine innings, so there’s eight times time for some crowd entertainement, such as singing the national anthem, stretching or singing YMCA with Slugger (the mascot). In the end the Sea Dogs can celebrate their victory.

Another trip takes us back in history: we sit in the house of Robert Peary – probably the first expedition leader who reached the North Pole in 1909. More than hundred years ago he bought Eagle Island and definitely found a beautiful spot to retire after his expeditions.

On the way back to the main land the captain of our little tourist boat shows us how lobster traps are checked for a catch. Indeed, we are mainly looking at what he is doing, the detailed explanation in a very pronounced Maine accent are often hard to understand.

Cape Elizabeth has much going for as well. Be it at a small state park with a gorgeous coast with rocks looking like petrified wood, big tidal pools with all kinds of creatures, the small beach at night lightened up by the full moon or some spectacular postcard-like lighthouses.

 We enjoy all the interesting, funny and/or serious discussions we have all together about important things in life like history or (world) politics, where the best chocolate comes from, different flavours of good beer or enjoy hearing refreshed traveling stories and teenage memories.

The days help us to realize a bit that we won’t go back to South America so soon, but at the same time we still don’t realize that our trip has nearly come to an end. Even as we sit in the bus back to the airport we still feel like we keep on traveling – the feeling of freedom which was so present the last six months is still our companion.