Last week we ventured up north to the Stowe area of Vermont. This was a two day field trip and we made reservations to stay at the Trapp Family Lodge (of Sound of Music fame). Once we crossed over the NH border at Lebanon/Hanover, our first stop was the home of King Arthur flour in Norwich VT. In addition to the store they have a cooking school and a restaurant. As soon as we smelled baking bread as we approached the building we knew we would eat lunch there. We perused the packed full of glorious kitchen ware and food items store to pick out what we felt like we couldn't live without and then we ordered lunch - sandwiches of course so we could eat their good bread. And their brownie we had for dessert was really good too. Fun place and one I have wanted to visit for a long time - Yay!
Next stops were Quechee Gorge and the lovely town of Woodstock. Then we took wee little back roads all the way to Stowe. We checked in our room at the breathtakingly situated Trapp Lodge and drove back down the mountain to the Yankee magazine recommended restaurant called the Bistro at Ten Acres Lodge, also in Stowe and very delicious. After dinner, we drove in to downtown Stowe and meandered through the last day of Art in the Park. Stowe is a lot smaller than I remembered from the last time I was there about 10 years ago so other than perusing all the art stalls, there wasn't much else to do that evening in town. The next morning we walked all over the Trapp Lodge grounds; so beautiful! What a heavenly location/farm this singing Austrian refugee family found way back in the 1940s for $1000. Theirs is a fascinating story and staying there surrounded by it was really nice.
Quechee Gorge
Flowers along the bridge in Woodstock.
Above and below - I love orange and yellow and the Bistro at Ten Acres had the rooms painted in these delicious color! And there was a red room and blue room too.
The Trapp Family Lodge
This is a private garden next to the Lodge where Maria and Captain Von Trapp are buried.
View behind the Lodge
Lodge gardens above and pics below.
These are the cutting gardens for flower arrangements.
After we left the Lodge and breakfast, we drove down the road to the town of Waterbury to the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Plant. Here you can tour the facility, learn how it all started and how they make the ice cream and then you get free samples. Each day the factory makes one flavor only. When we went through they were making Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Our free sample was Cookies and Milk. Like an oreo ice cream but with 10 times the oreos you usually get in other brands.
Getting ready to go through the door where all the ice cream magic takes place.
Whatchu lookin at?
Instead of the ice cream I see and am so embarrassed by my dirt stained thumbnails! People, I scrub them every day but all the weeding I do has stained them! How many times have I posted dirty thumbnails lately? After our ice cream tour (and we bought additional flavors to try afterwards), we headed to the largest city in VT, Burlington, which is really just a big town. But it is a very beautiful and neat as a pin. The downtown area has been made into a huge pedestrian mall not far from the University of Vermont and Champlain College. It was really fun to walk around there. Great shops, a lot of strange looking people and I don't mean that disrespectfully but I felt like we were in a foreign country. I can't even explain it but it felt a bit odd.
Hey, even they admit they are weird and proud of it. After we left Burlington, we headed to the town of Charlotte to climb Mt. Philo. Another 1000 footer, a great big hill really in the middle of farm land with gorgeous views of Lake Champlain and the NY Adirondacks in the distance.
Look at this barn! After our hike we headed to Weybridge to the Morgan Horse farm owned and run by the University of Vermont. This is the place the Morgan horse was first bred by the man Justin Morgan. These horses are known for their immense strength, intelligence, and vitality. Long bodies, short in stature, very thick necks. We arrived a half hour before closing so all the horses had been put back in their stalls and we were allowed to visit each stall and watch them being fed and groomed. The place smelled fantastic! I love the smell of horses and everything that goes with them. And the barn!
Following the DanMan from stall to stall.
A youngster.
Leaning in for the kiss!
After leaving here we drove to and explored Middlebury - this town was famous for its marble quarrying at one time - the old marble works right in the center of town is now a large and attractive retail and commercial area. And Middlebury College - we drove all through that lovely campus - instead of the quintessential New England brick you see on campuses all over this region, all the buildings are grey/white - unpolished, unhoned marble and limestone blocks/bricks. Really striking. I didn't take any pictures, I just oohed and aahed. Before heading for home, we stopped again in Woodstock and ate Italian food at Pi Restaurant, another yummy meal.
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