New England - Newport and Providence

On the way to Providence, we stopped to admire the famous mansions of Newport. In the 19th century, Newport became a summer playground for the wealthy who built their fabulous mansions overlooking the Atlantic. Once again, the weather was not cooperating, so instead of walking the 3 and a half mile Cliff Walk, we drove along Bellevue Avenue and then the Ocean Road, admiring the great big house inside the warmth of our car.

For house lovers like us, it is most unsatisfactory to see them from a far. So, we made another trip to Newport the next day with a view to visit the interiors of some of the Mansions. After reading through the introductions of these mansions in the guide book, we settle on visiting The Elms and The Breaker. So, first sop, The Elms.

The view from the back

The grand entrance

While we waited to purchase our tickets, we got a glimpse of the grand staircase and one of the room from the foyer, they were glittering with gold and looked very much like the interior of a French chateau. It seemed that the only way the new money at that time could show off their wealth was to built and decorate their mansion like an European palace. Since we had just returned from a trip to Pairs this Easter, European deco however grand do not appeal to us. So, we asked one of the guides whether there were any mansions which decorated in "American" style. He suggested perhaps The Hunter and we drove on.

The weather was holding, so we decided to walk part of the 3 and a half mile Cliff Walk. We walked for a bout a mile and saw some mansions from the cliff side. The weather and hence the crushing waves made the walk the more dramatic!

The Breaker from the cliff side

This mansion I like, not so pretentious

After the cliff walk, we stopped by Bowen's wharf for a walk and a bit to eat. The food was terrible but the walk was pleasant.

When we drove back to Providence, it began to pour again. Once again, we resorted to visiting places in our car. We drove around Providence, stopping to take photos when the weather permit.

The State House

Providence Athenaeum, one of the oldest lending libraries in the world

Brown University

One place we would have liked to visit but didn't have time was the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design. Well, may be next time. And that concluded our very wet visit of Newport and Providence.