This is the view from my friend's porch in Hampton, NH. I usually visit her two or three times each summer, and I love gazing up at the summer sky from her porch with the sound of the crashing waves in the background. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate for this trip. We were able to walk along the seawall in the evening, but it was not a good trip for sitting on the beach watching the surfers. Nothing feels like being far from home more than sitting on the beach watching surfers (even though I can sit on the beach and watch surfers less than 10 minutes from home, it always feels exotic).
Because of the rain later in the evening, we stayed in and played Wii video games and chatted instead of heading down to the main beach area to wander around the arcade. I have to admit, we had a great time hanging out, and sometimes travel is more about spending time with friends than about seeing anything new.
Typically, I go for a run along the sea wall in the morning when I stay up at the beach, but I was dissuaded because of my still healing foot (I broke it in the middle of the winter), and I didn't go for a walk because of the rain (yep, I might melt). It's a great spot for a run, the terrain is really flat (which is very different from the hills I usually run at home), and there are beautiful views of the ocean. If you find yourself up there, I recommend going for a scenic run.
Despite the rain, we made it to Jb's Bagel Co, which was just a short walk away. Jb's is just a block from the beach and serves a great assortment of coffees, teas, chai (iced and hot), and delicious breakfast sandwiches. It's a great local spot where the surfers go before they hit the waves. We just got coffees and a chai tea to go and spent a relaxing morning hanging out (which really is the point of getting out of town with friends, right?)
Later in the day we headed to Portsmouth for brunch. Portsmouth is a great city for walking around aimlessly. There are lots of great restaurants and shops. Unfortunately, it was pouring rain. So we headed straight for The Friendly Toast. This restaurant features a very kitchy decor and an amazing menu. There are a lot of vegetarian friendly options, and the servings are ridiculously large.
I went for the pumpkin pancakes (pictured below) which taste just like pumpkin pie. I ordered two pancakes, but in the future, I would only order one, the pancake was easily the size of a dinner plate.
Friendly Toast also features tea from the Portsmouth Tea Company (www.portsmouthtea.com). I tried the Peppermint Pattea. I couldn't believe how good it smelled and tasted. I wanted to buy some, but didn't have time to make it to their store, then I tried to order some on the internet, but the flavor I want is sold out.
Anyway, after breakfast, we wandered around despite the rain, checking out an very comprehensive kitchen boutique called LeRoux Kitchen. As I've discussed earlier on the blog, cooking is one of the ways I travel from home, so I was interested in browsing their Le Crusset cookware among other things, but I did not buy anything since I'm trying to save money.
A few stores later, we headed back to Boston. Once again, I felt like I used my weekend to "travel" even if I didn't go far from home. I really took the time to experience the places I went, I delighted in a delicious flavor of tea that I couldn't find anywhere else, I enjoyed historic architecture, and I spent quality time with friends.
My stay was too short, and I missed a few favorite spots in Portsmouth, but I plan to go back again in a few weeks, and I will do an updated post with better pictures and more information and suggestions.
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