Acadia Daze

Thursday in Bar Harbor started fine and sunny and the homemade breakfast on offer was delicious - yoghurt, fruit and granola, then fresh waffles and maple syrup.

We decided to spend the day exploring the national park. Our B&B owner, Marion, lent us a CD audio tour to play in the car and guide us round the park. So, it was top down and off. A beautiful day - mostly in the 80s (25/30 for the decimal kids) and we pale celts had to schlep on the sunscreen. Our CD guide took us gently round the highlights of the park. He spoke clearly and slowly and often repeated his instructions as though talking to a slightly deaf and stupid listener. How well did he know us? An ideal match, really. But with his help we noticed features we'd have missed if left to our own devices - beaver dams, glacial boulders, freshwater ponds in the midst of the ocean waters. And as we stood on the top of Cadillac Mountain he told us we were on the highest point of the eastern USA (at only 1500 feet!) and the first land to the east was France and to the south was Venezuela. Oooh - pretty cool, we thought. The heat had gone to our heads and we'd lost all our sophistication.

Astonishingly we made it through the day without burning and celebrated by relaxing back at the B&B with coffee and cookies.

The big decision then was where to eat in the evening. We mused, over wine and cheese. Yup it's tough here. Eventually settled on Havana - a latin-type restaurant. Of course we've been to the real place and can definitely say no Cuban we ever encountered had such food or paid such prices. They would have recognised the Mojitos though. It was all very delicious indeed and has blown the budget. Sorry, Sarah - expect McDonalds when we visit. Pity, eh?