What brings people to the coastal towns of Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine? To get closer to the answer, head onto the water there.
In Bar Harbor, there’s a buzz going on that’s been charming people since Champlain’s days. Yes, our own Samuel de Champlain scouted these waters and coined many of the names for landmarks. The most prominent being the huge Mt. Desert Island, where Acadia National Park is located.
ABOVE: Hiking the Ocean Path trail in Acadia National Park.
The rounded shapes of the park’s mountains were formed during the glacial era and now make up iconic sites from the many viewpoints in the park, reached by car or bike.
Mount Cadillac is the highest mountain on the east coast between here and Rio de Janeiro! Although Champlain mapped as far south as Cuba, he could not have known this surprising fact.
Our guide at the Acadia National Park, Ranger Kelly gave us this info at a stop towards Witch Hole Creek, as we stared in awe at the summit of Mount Cadillac.
We were on a ranger-led cycling tour on one of the many ‘carriage’ roads built here over 100 years ago when the area was being considered for a national park. David Rockefeller Junior, whose father was the first billionaire, thanks to oil, didn’t like cars, and insisted on creating a huge network of roads for horse and buggy! Today, they make for perfect cycling routes, far from the maddening crowds of the park. (You will need to buy a park pass, preferably before your visit).
Kelly led us on a 2 1/2-hour tour on paths that are only for hikers and cyclists, crossing stone bridges, beaver dams and groves of ancient, and not so ancient trees. (The area has been devastated by fires over the years). And into the quiet.
Quiet. I noticed it in plenty of different areas in the Bar Harbor sector, even in the backstreets of the very busy Bar Harbor downtown and on a 19th-century schooner.
The Margaret Todd sunset cruise began with the schooner’s dark violet sails being unfolded by the crew and by volunteering clients. An acoustic guitar player strummed on the deck of the boat. Just at the right moments, he would stop playing, and we’d get a gust of wind and a gale of silence. It was magical. Note to self: wear warm clothing, perhaps a rain jacket.
Another boat tour, this time on Lulu Lobster boat gave us a chance to explore the multiple islands facing Bar Harbor on Frenchman Bay. Each rock seemed to have a story. We learned a lot about lobsters too!
ABOVE: Egg Rock with the Egg Rock Lighthouse, as seen on the Lulu Lobster Tour.
We stopped at a lighthouse on Egg Rock, surrounded by outcrops of rocks inhabited by colonies of gulls, cormorants, grey seals and the odd American bald eagle.
The gulls pester the bald eagles until one of them had had enough and then strikes a gull, to maintain the peace.
These sudden hidden attacks by bald eagles on gulls reminded me of the ambushes perpetuated here by the French, who would hide concealed behind the Porcupine Islands before attacking the British. The huge bay in front of Bar Harbor is named in their honour: Frenchman Bay.
A reminder of modern times, huge luxury yachts, hundreds of lobster boats, and two or three Norwegian cruise boats graced the harbour during our visit. While on our lobster boat, the supersonic Cat ferry, headed to Nova Scotia, swept by us, totally unannounced.
The fact that it was headed off to Nova Scotia reminded our guide that lobstermen earned their livings during Prohibition delivering bootlegged liquor from Canada to Maine. The guide mentioned that lobster was selling at a dime a pound when the lobstermen decided to start running booze. Everyone’s gotta make a dime, right?
Life on a lobster boat leads one to think of eating some local seafood. Where to go?
Both of the places we stayed here are located on Eden Street and face the ocean with splendid views. At the Bar Harbor Motel, a retro-motel, there are trails behind it leading into Acadian National Park. A short walk towards the water led us to a fine eatery, The Bistro with a view of the harbour that will remain forever in my memory. It was from here we first spotted our schooner’s beautiful opened sails.
A walk in the other direction led to the elegant Victorian abode, Cleftstone Inn.
Supper at Geddy’s, right on the square overlooking the bay, was a great way to finish the day after the sunset cruise.
Since Bar Harbor is a busy place, you’ll need reservations. Stay for the local beer, the steamer clams and the lobster rolls.
Portland
Not to be confused with Portland, Oregon, whose unofficial motto is ‘Keep Portland Weird’, Portland, Maine’s motto could be ‘Keep Portland As Is’.
That said, this town should really be named Phoenix. When named Falmouth in colonial times, it was destroyed by the British at the beginning of the American War of Independence. Then, in 1866, it was hit by the biggest urban fire in US history up to that point. The city rebuilt and, in many ways, has not changed dramatically since. (The city’s motto is, in fact: ‘Resurgam’).
One of the city’s hidden gems, is the 19th-century observation tower. It would have been the ‘skyscraper’ in the landscape back in 1805, whereas today, an unobservant visitor on the waterfront or on a boat in the harbour might not even notice it.
The Portland Observatory is one of the few buildings to have escaped the 1866 fire. In its day, as a maritime signal tower, it was the most important clog in the city’s bustling harbour scene from 1807 to 1923.
ABOVE: The view from the octagonal-shaped, 86-foot-high Observation Tower in Portland.
It’s surrounded by vintage 19th-century wooden Victorian homes, spilling through the Munjoy neighbourhood towards the Eastern Promenade that overlooks the harbour.
After a guided tour of the observation tower, you can walk down Congress Street to the quiet Eastern Promenade Park. From there, you can walk down through the East End, round the peninsula of East End, and make your back west to Commercial Street, which fronts on the wharves.
Most everything we discovered in Portland was on foot. Historically an important harbour, it was bombarded by the English in 1775 and played role in the War of 1812, the American Civil War, the Spanish War in 1898, and the two world wars. U-Boats were known to survey these waters.
Portland’s Commercial Street reminds me in many ways of The Strip in Pittsburgh. It’s the image of this street that remains strongest in my memory. From a car, the area almost looks desolate. On foot, all that changes, and you discover many of the city’s hidden gems.
One was located on the top of our hotel, the Canopy Hotel. The hotel features a very funky rooftop lounge. The place was packed every evening we went.
Since Portland is known as a foodie destination, many of its gems are food-related.
On opposite sides of Commercial Street are the Holy Donut and J’s Oysters. At the Holy Donut, $4.50 will buy you a yummy potato doughnut, coffee not included. There’s always a lineup.
Across the way, but hidden along a wharf is J’s, where you can get a local oyster for about the same price as your holy doughnut. This very nondescript place also had lineups for oysters accompanied by Prosecco or an amber Maine beer.
ABOVE: Fort Gorges, a fortress from the Civil War era, is located in Casco Bay, Portland, and can be viewed on a schooner tour.
We took a sailing boat from the wharf into Casco Bay. It gave us a leisurely chance to see the long-abandoned Fort Gorges of Civil War vintage and to get a peek at Peaks Island, an urban island, part of Portland, but reachable only by boat.
Cruise ships stop in Portland, so city tours from Commercial Street in many forms are available, ranging from fire engines, to duck boats, to trollies. I would heartily recommend the latter. Our driver/guide was very knowledgeable and knew how to communicate the city’s commercial and naval history well. Portland City & Lighthouse Tour.
ABOVE: In the 19th century, Portland Co. built steam railroad locomotives, boilers, and engines for the marine industry. RIGHT: Cobblestone streets are challenging to walk on but have personality and much history.
For our money, the top restaurant choice was EVO Kitchen and Bar on Fore Street. Although very nondescript from the outside, this gem is deservedly considered one of the city’s best. We enjoyed an exceptional chef’s tasting with wine pairings.
All products were fresh and tasty from the house-made baba ghanoush, chick peas fries, salmon with corn, bacon and aioli to the bavette steak, that was to die for.
The name, EVO, stands for evolution, although innovation would be a fair moniker.
People in a rush to enjoy the many fine beach towns on the lower Maine Coast tend to miss Portland. That’s a shame, as this town, harbouring many hidden gems, is, in of itself, a hidden gem.
Clothing tip for Portland and Bar Harbor: It’s wise to wear multiple layers or have them handy, even on a warm and sunny day. Conditions can shift quickly when you’re out on the water!
HEADER IMAGE: Bar Harbor, Maine via iStock. ALL OTHER PHOTOS: Carole Jobin