I left Boston on Tuesday morning to head north along the coast toward Portland, Maine.  I set the GPS to “no highways” so I could have a longer scenic drive and enjoy the day.  I’m also finding that the FJ isn’t an ideal vehicle for close high speed driving — I kicked out the back end once accelerating into Boston traffic, and locked up the brakes twice at 80 mph (~130 kph) in close quarters.  I’m not exactly sure what the issue is — it seems to have more than enough power to get its weight off the starting line, but too much momentum to stop easily.  The tires are still good, but they’re the stock option, so I’m thinking of putting something a bit more sticky on before the winter.

In any case, my drive up the coast was lovely, and I started with a visit to the village of Salem, MA, made famous by the witch hunts that took place there.  In 1692, nearly 200 people in the Salem area were accused of witchcraft.  Twenty of them were tried and executed — most were women, although there were men among them, and most by hanging, although one was pressed to death.

I have to admit to having high hopes for Salem, but being rather disappointed.  I seems that tourism has taken a tragic, but fascinating, event in history, and turned it into a cartoon version of itself.  I saw many signs for psychic reading, past life regressions, and the like, and can only imagine what the place would be like on Halloween.  The main walking mall was rather nice, though, and although I didn’t want to stay long enough to explore it, the Peabody Essex Museum there looked wonderful, and had a Rodin exhibit that I was sorry to miss, since I love his work!

For me the main attraction was a memorial to the victims of the witchcraft trials.  Each of the benches along the stone wall holds the name, date, and method of death of the victims.

Giles Corey, who was pressed to death, seemed to garner a lot of sympathy, although there were flowers and coins on many of the benches.

I understand that every year the Salem Award for Human Rights is given to an individual or organization that speaks out and takes action for social justice, in memory of these victims.

From Salem I went north again and stopped in Portsmouth, New Hampshire to look around.  It was an absolutely beautiful city, with a vibrant downtown full of interesting shops, cafes, restaurants, and galleries.  I spend much longer than I had intended walking around here, and if I find myself wanting to move back to the US permanently, I think that Portsmouth is the kind of place I’d like to live!

I was especially impressed with the Book and Bar, a bookshop where you could order coffee, beer, or wine.  It had a wonderful lively but peaceful atmosphere that made me want to spend hours there.

Finally pulling myself away, I drifted up the coastal route again to York, Maine, where my family spent multiple vacations when I was growing up.  The beaches were still beautiful, though rather more crowded than I remember, but the Nubble Lighthouse was just as spectacular as it always was.

After a bit more random driving along the coast, I arrived in Portland and was met by my friends Tom and Shuli, who are giving me a home for a couple of days.  After a wonderful dinner we watched the sun set over the bay, and they helped me make plans for seeing the city tomorrow.  I’m looking forward to another wonderful day…