newport

       On Monday, my mom, Diana, Klaudia, and I packed up the car and left around 6:30 to begin our little New England vacation. The original plan had been to spend Monday on Martha's Vineyard and then drive through Newport on our way home, but since rain was in the forecast, we reversed our travel plans. We arrived in Providence, RI a little before 9, mostly because we wanted to see the Brown campus. As seniors, Klaudia and I have been thinking about schools to apply to, but I don't think either of us will be putting Brown on our lists. The campus is absolutely beautiful, but the university is far too competitive.

salve regina 

sperry boat shoes=must have for rainy days

       After driving around campus, we continued on our way to Newport, a city which could not be more picture-perfect. After driving around the campus of Salve Regina University, which is really just an incredible estate of mansions and carriage houses, we went downtown and had lunch at a small, old-fashioned place, complete with a counter and a jukebox. The food was nothing to scream about, but there was a beautiful view of the harbor. After lunch we tried to walk around, but the rain was coming down in buckets, so we went back to Salve Regina to catch the 1:00 information session/tour, though we chickened out of the tour because of the rain.

salve regina

salve regina

       Next, we began my favorite part of the day: the mansion tours. Newport is home to some of the most beautiful mansions in the world, and though I have seen them from the outside several times, I had never been inside any of them. The first one we went to, The Elms, was the summer residence of Edward Berwind, owner of a coal mining company during the Gilded Age. Unfortunately, visitors aren't allowed to take pictures inside the mansions, but we took plenty in the beautiful, expansive gardens. The Elms is incredible and was modeled after a chateau in France, complete with a ballroom and a conservatory. The other mansion we visited was the most popular one, The Breakers, which was the summer home of the Vanderbilt family. Cornelius Vanderbilt was also a businessman during the Gilded Age, and The Breakers is a demonstration of his immense wealth. Frescoes cover the ceilings, chandeliers grace nearly every room, and the floors are of marble from Africa and Italy. Visiting the mansions was really a glimpse into days gone by, and I would have loved to visit all of the mansions--but it was time to make our way towards Martha's Vineyard!

the elms