On Thursday, June 22, my cousin and I set off from her home in Chester, New Hampshire, to our vacay destination of Northern Vermont. The total drive time from Chester to Burlington, VT was about 3 hours. We took time out for lunch in Lebanon, NH at the Lebanon Diner, a very fun place with great food and great service! I was impressed with what I saw of this town. It is the last city in NH from Rt. 89. I recommend both the town and the diner!
Our next stop was off of Exit 1 of I-89, just inside VT - and south on Rt 4 - the town of Quechee. (Pronounced Queeeecheeeee) My other cousin had recommended we stop in this town at the glassblowing workshop of artist Simon Pearce. WOW! What a cool place this was! We entered the old building to find a lovely shop specializing in the hand blown glass that is made in the workshop down below.
After browsing the shop, we ventured down to the glassblowing area. I could have spent hours watching the artisans work! That day's special items of focus were 3 wine goblets.
The artisans seemed to be working in pairs, and their timing had to be exact as they moved the hot glass from one stage to the next. Here is a fascinating video of a team at work:
Below the glassblowing workshop was the power source for the furnaces - the dam and waterfall just outside the back of the shop.
After spending about an hour in Quechee, we got back on I-89 and made our way to our destination of Burlington. What a lovely city this is! It is right on the banks of Lake Champlain and is probably most famous for being the home of the University of Vermont.
We stayed at the Burlington Hilton which provided some glorious views of the Lake. We were in room 446 which was one of just a few rooms on a corner with front and side windows.
Skies over the lake were a little cloudy, but with no rain in the forecast, we headed out to our first dinner in town on a ship called The Spirit of Ethan Allen. Not knowing how close the ship was docked to our hotel, we took an Uber ride down, but then walked back after the cruise ended.
Our dinner was served on the top deck as we were entertained with a murder mystery dinner. 4 actors took us to a 30 year high school reunion, where.... dun,dun,dunnnnnn..... a murder had been committed in the parking lot.
Overall, the cruise lasted from 6:30-9:00 and included a lovely view of the sun setting over the Lake Champlain with the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York in the background.
Day 1 in Vermont was a huge success with two very enjoyable activities. My luxurious bed at the Hilton welcomed one very excited but exhausted visitor! I was finally IN VERMONT!!
Stay tuned.... more coming soon....
:)Amy
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