New England and Canada Cruise, Part 4: Portland, Maine

This is my fourth post about our New England and Canada cruise aboard the Enchanted Princess. I recommend reading the first, second, and third posts from the trip before this one. Because I blog about educational travel, I received complimentary admission tickets for some of the places we visited during our trip. Other places are free for everyone; we paid full price for the rest. This has no bearing on my reviews. 

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Portland, Maine

On Tuesday, September 16 we visited beautiful Portland, Maine. 

  

Our first destination was Long Wharf.  

There's a piece of the Berlin Wall on display, the third we'd seen in 5 days. I should start documenting the sightings the way I do when I find one of 8 Places to Find Moon Rocks. On the right, Portland's solution to a love locks problem. 

  

We boarded the Harbor Queen for the Harbor Lights and Sights Cruise by Portland Discovery Land and Sea Tours. 

In Newport and Boston, Jonna took Princess-organized shore excursions while we did our own thing. In Portland, she joined us for this tour. 

The weather was absolutely perfect. We were so lucky during the entire trip. 

There's our ship in the distance. 

This is Portland Head Light, Maine’s oldest lighthouse. It was commissioned by George Washington. 

We saw many lobster traps during the tour. Actually, it's more accurate to say we saw many lobster trap buoys during the tour. The only actual traps I saw were with this fisherman. 

This is Fort Gorges, completed in 1864. It was used as a storage facility during WWI and WWII. 

There's our ship again!  

We saw several other lighthouses and many of the islands of Casco Bay. 

Our guide was outstanding. He kept us informed and entertained during the entire trip. I highly recommend taking the Harbor Lights and Sights cruise when you're in Portland. 

After the tour, we visited locations along the 2-mile Portland Freedom Trail. The Trail marks 13 important sites in Black history, specifically those dealing with 19th-century men and women who fought against slavery. All of the sites were really interesting, but the one I enjoyed learning about the most was the barber shop of Jacob C. Dickson. During the time of the Underground Railroad, Dickson's barber shop served as a places to exchange information, help change people's appearances, and arrange for transportation for fugitives.  

  

Walking along the Portland Freedom Trail gave us the chance to see more of this charming city. 

Why, Maine? Why?!

Interestingly, every souvenir shop sells a bunch of stuff featuring the Pine Tree Flag. And literally nothing with the current state flag. 

They also sell a lot of things related to lobsters, like books, toys, sachets, keychains, pins.... 

... lobster trap ornaments, more books...

... and sweatshirts with trick-or-treating lobsters dressed as ghosts. Obviously. 

We had a wonderful day in Portland, Maine! I'm so glad we were able to see more of the Pine Tree State. I hope to return soon.