Mystic Seaport
North Stonington, Connecticut: We had a
very relaxing day - no driving, except in the car. It never rained, but we
did need our sweaters and had clouds all day. (After being in the heat the
past few weeks, the cool sea air is very refreshing!) We started our day by
visiting the Mystic
Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. As an aquarium, we have both seen
better, but they also are affiliated with the explorations of Dr. Robert
Ballard. Dr. Ballard is the man who found the Titanic and PT 109. His
displays were quite interesting.
We are in New England, so here is a lobster!
Imagine the first guy brave enough to eat one of these ugly creatures?
After this semi-appealing adventure, we drove to the
Mystic Seaport - The
Museum of America and the Sea. The best way to describe Mystic Seaport
is to say it is like Colonial Williamsburg with a nautical theme. The entire
city area is very old - they are celebrating their 350th anniversary this
year - and has long been a busy ship building area. To form the Seaport
Museum, they gathered about 40 historical buildings from all over the area
and placed them around the port to form a "village". They have shipbuilders,
cask makers (cooperage), a lighthouse, a boat house, a nautical instrument
store, a press, bank, and a tavern. They also have a school, two chapels,
several private homes and ships of all sorts.
The Charles W. Morgan
Captain's quarters
We learned quite a bit about whaling, which was basically a
bunch of guys killing whales and melting down their fat. After they killed
all the whales in the Atlantic, they had to go to the South Pacific, kill
whales and melt down their fat. So, it often took 2 to 3 years to gather
that much blubber! Often times, by the time the crew would get down
Tahiti-way, they would have had enough and would sneak off the ship. (Can
you blame them?) The Charles W. Morgan was built in 1841. She
sailed for 80 years and is the last remaining 19th-century Yankee whaling
ship. You can board the completely restored ship and wander all around. DT
had to duck his head on each level, and the quarters were so tiny! The
kitchen - to feed around 40 men - was about 4x6 feet!
The Museum also built the recreation of the
Amistad,
for the feature film of the same name, and Mystic Seaport Village served as
the city of New Haven (circa 1839) during filming. The Amistad now sails
around the world on a perpetual peace mission, but it returns often to
Mystic for maintenance.
Pretty Mystic Seaport
DT in front of the lobster shack
Mystic Terry
Mystic, Connecticut - which sits at the mouth of the Mystic
River - is famous for another film,
Mystic Pizza.
We had a delicious take-out pizza from Mystic Pizza last night and while we
waited I asked the clerk the story. She said the movie producer fell in love
with Mystic Village while on vacation, and based her story on the "coming of
age" of three girls who worked at Mystic Pizza. She also said they have
"expanded considerably" since the film. Julia Roberts stars in the 1988
movie. Of course, anything in this town sounds adorable: Mystic Cleaners,
Mystic Pharmacy, Mystic Middle School. Mystic is the prettiest of New
England seaport towns, and today we really enjoyed her museums, shops and
restaurants.