Newport, Rhode Island gets 5 stars

I'm going to give Newport RI the full 5 stars. We decided to spend the night in Newport after going for a wonderful lunch overlooking the harbour. If ever a town epitomised East Coast opulence it is here. The buildings are perfectly formed in typical New England style and everywhere is clean. The town itself is like a picture book model town only full size. Everywhere is immaculate. Further into Rhode Island are the Newport Mansions. I think the only place I have visited where people lived on a grander scale is Versailles. We visited the Breakers. If ever a place represented the aspirations of the American Capitalists to emulate and become part of European aristocracy, this is it. The house was conceived funded and built by Cornelius Vanderbilt, who had made his wealth from the railways.

The Breakers is the architectural and social archetype of the "Gilded Age," a period when members of the Vanderbilt family were among the major industrialists of America. Indeed, "if the Gilded Age were to be summed up by a single house, that house would have to be The Breakers." In 1895, the year of its completion, The Breakers was the largest, most opulent house in the Newport area. It represents the taste of an American upper class—socially ambitious but lacking a noble pedigree—whose determination to imitate and surpass the European aristocracy in lifestyle; a taste and ambition which was cynically noted by many members of the European upper-classes. However, this cynicism, coupled with assumptions of vulgarity, was not so deeply rooted that it prevented the daughters of these lavish houses and their associated dollars marrying into the European aristocracy. Gladys, the youngest daughter married a Hungarian Count and with it added the title to the Vanderbilt family.
Cornelius himself only lived in the house a few months. He died from a cerebral hemorrhage caused by a second stroke in 1899 at the age of 55. The Breakers was left to his wife Alice, who outlived her husband by 35 years and died at the age of 89 in 1934. She, in turn, left the building to her youngest daughter, Countess Gladys Széchenyi. None of Alice's other children were interested in the property while Gladys had always loved the estate.
In 1948, Gladys leased the high-maintenance property to the non-profit Preservation Society of Newport County for $1 a year. The Society bought the Breakers in 1972 for $365,000 from Countess Sylvia Szapary, the daughter of Gladys. However, the agreement with the Society allows the family to continue to live on the third floor, which is not open to the public. Countess Sylvia lived there part-time until her death on March 1, 1998. Gladys and Paul Szapary, Sylvia's children, continue to spend summers at the house. Although the mansion is owned by the Society, the original furnishings displayed throughout the house are still owned by the family. It is now the most-visited attraction in Rhode Island with approximately 300,000 visitors annually and is open year-round for tours. The sumptuous decoration and attention to detail is well worth seeing. It seems that no expense was spared. The electric chandeliers had back up gas lighting in case of electrical failure.

This place is just of a different age, and politacally and socially anachronistic. But for me it is nevertheless, beautiful.

Four go to Mystic

Yesterday we drove along the coast the Mystic. It's the weekend and I've been with Emily, Sean and Lucas since Wednesday. I'm staying with them in Stamford and mainly just spending time. It almost seems unnecessary to say that I am having a wonderful time, just doing ordinary things. One day we went to the Mall, another day Lucas had a friend come round for a couple of hours. On Friday night a baby sitter came round and we went out for a meal. 'Mystic is a village in New London County, Connecticut, in the United States. The population was 4,205 at the 2010 census. A historic locality, Mystic has no independent government because it is not a legally recognised municipality. Rather, Mystic is located within the towns of Groton (west of the Mystic River, and also known as West Mystic) and Stonington (east of the Mystic River).' The weather hasn't helped. Emily and I looked out of the window on Friday morning. 'Looks just like Manchester' we thought. 'Perhaps we'll brave the rain and wind and go to a park'. It was just a bit too cold for that. Later that evening on the TV the news was of terrible weather affecting the Eastern sea board, with flash backs to hurricane Sandra or Sarah or something, which had caused so much damage recently. Still the forecast for the weekend is good. Goodish. Emily has started this baby sitter exchange, where like minded mothers, four at present, have seven cloths pegs. The idea is that you barter them against baby sitting exchanges. Very 'Chorlton', but then Emily is a Chorlton girl. It's only just started. Emily is down to five clothes pegs. She wants to start up a business where pre-school children come to her to look after and be taught on the 'British curriculum'. The Yanks love that sort of thing, especially here in New England. Everywhere seems to have some sort of connection to England. So yesterday, Saturday, we set off to Mystic. It was a two hour drive up the coast, well east along the coast really. There was still a nip in the air, but the sun was peaking through. I optimistically put my shorts  and flip-flops on and took Lucas for a walk. 3 degrees outside. I came back in a put a jumper on, confident that it would warm up. It did. Just a bit. Just enough for me to keep them on. Sean too felt confident about the weekend weather and both of us wore shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops. Emily was a bit more cautious. Luckily. Connecticut is called the 'constitution state' because it was the first of the American colonies to have a constitution in writing. It played a key part in the 'Declaration of Independence'. 'Historically a leading seaport of the area, the story of Mystic's nautical connection is told at Mystic Seaport, the nation's largest maritime museum, which has preserved a number of sailing ships (most notably the whale ship Charles W. Morgan) and seaport buildings. The village is located on the Mystic River, which flows into Long Island Sound.' We're staying at the Mystic Marriott, of course. Sean emphasises the 'ot' of Marriott, whereas we tend to let it stop abruptly. Apart from the 'Historic Seaport' there's not a lot to do in Mystic. We got into the seaport for free as Emily is a teacher. She has a certificate and everything. The reason is not that they particularly like teachers, but that they will make notes and plan for a day trip to the place with their class. The place is quite enchanting and the volunteers try to bring it to life. There was an exchange of signs between boats. One of them had had a 'man over board' and was asking for help. Fortunately they weren't dressed in period clothes. The houses are mainly colonial style and wooden. we gave the planetarium a miss. No-one else was wearing shorts and flip-flops 'Before the 17th century, the Pequot people had established an empire across southeastern Connecticut. For many years, historians believed that they migrated in the 16th century from eastern New York. Archaeological evidence showing the presence of a people who lived in an area called Gungywump, somewhat northwest of the Mystic River, now suggests that the Pequot were indigenous to southeastern Connecticut. The Pequot built their first village overlooking the western bank of the Mystic River, called Siccanemos, in 1665. By that time, the Pequot were in control of a considerable amount of territory, extending toward the Pawcatuck River to the east and the Connecticut River to the west, providing them with full access to the waters. They also had supremacy over some of the most strategically located terrain. To the northwest, the Five Nations of the Iroquois dominated the land linked by the Great Lakes and the Hudson River, allowing for trading to occur between the Iroquois Nations and the Dutch. The Pequot were settled just distant enough to be secure from any danger that the Iroquois posed.' Back at the hotel we decided to try out the pool and spa. I put on my speedos. Proper speedos aren't allowed in America. At least they cause extreme embarrassment to those accompanying people wearing speedos. My speedos are actually swimming shorts. Lucas is now 18 months, but hasn't yet had much exposure to water. He wasn't keen, but we managed to persuade him in so long as he grabbed his mum tightly. At one point, as I decided to show him how much fun it is in water, I pretended that I had been thrown underwater. He burst into tears and scolded his father for splashing me. He'll need to get back into the water soon or he'll develop a phobia. The Mystic massacre - You wont be surprised to hear the the history of this place is includes much blood shed, as English, Dutch and Native tribes strove for supremacy. In May 1637, captains John Underhill and John Mason led a mission through Narragansett land along with their allies. The Narragansett and Mohegan joined them, along with the Uncas and Wequash. They struck the Pequot settlement in Mystic. The settlement, mostly of women and children, was decimated. Mason set fire to eighty homes, killing 600–700 Pequot in an hour.   Captain John Underhill, one of the English commanders, later recalled 'Down fell men, women, and children. Those that 'scaped us, fell into the hands of the Indians that were in the rear of us. Not above five of them 'scaped out of our hands. Our Indians came us and greatly admired the manner of Englishmen's fight, but cried "Mach it, mach it!"—that is, "It is naught, it is naught, because it is too furious, and slays too many men." Great and doleful was the bloody sight to the view of young soldiers that never had been in war, to see so many souls lie gasping on the ground, so thick, in some places, that you could hardly pass along.'  Mystic is such a beatiful name, and in such a beautiful land, yet has such a brutal past. It was, of course made famous by the film starring Julia Roberts. Although there's not a lot to do, it is one of the most beautiful towns I've been to. Clean, bright, and quiet. No town centre drunks here. I think the ugly people get sent somewhere else. Wherever I go I like to get a mug. It helps me recall my visit there when I have tea or coffee. There is a chain in New England called 'Black Dog' named after the founders dog, who was black. It sells an odd range of things including doggy things, sounvenirs of the area, and even a cook book. How odd. So I bought a black dog mug with Mystic on the side. It may not be heaven itself, but I think heaven might look a bit like Mystic. I wonder why it's called 'Mystic'?