Map showing New England, USA location (opens in OpenStreetMap)
We stay with friends who moved to Melrose (near Boston) from abroad. The place offered stunning natural beauty during the peak of the autumn leaf season.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/4.5, 1/800s.
This is just around the corner from their house.
ISO 100, 38mm, f/4.5, 1/320s.
We visited Boston - the city that's meant to be the most European of all the US cities.
ISO 180, 24mm, f/4.0, 1/50s.
The city centre sported many graveyards like this one. What's there not to like?
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/100s.
The people who moved here first were Puritans - a fairly religious folks. They build many churches. This one offered booths as opposed to more traditional benches.
ISO 3600, 38mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Now, you hear about American food being ridiculously unhealthy, but here it was possible to find good, healthy stuff to eat. It wasn't cheap.
ISO 180, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
This Greek Revival tower was added in early 1910s to what is known as Custom House District.
ISO 100, 62mm, f/2.8, 1/1600s.
Boston is located by the ocean.
ISO 100, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/4000s.
Beautiful red wall.
ISO 250, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
A tree in a courtyeard next to a church.
ISO 140, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
I liked the red brick buildings.
ISO 220, 55mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Those iconic emergency stairs.
ISO 100, 70mm, f/4.5, 1/500s.
A floating platform in the river.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/4.5, 1/50s.
A man walking on the dark bottom of the river during low tide, or so I assumed.
ISO 320, 40mm, f/5.0, 1/50s.
A warehouse building in the harbour.
ISO 160, 70mm, f/5.0, 1/50s.
A rusty old crane next to a battleship.
ISO 100, 45mm, f/2.8, 1/125s.
A man saluting upon hearing shots being fired from the sailing ship in the distance.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/60s.
We never quite understood what these were.
ISO 640, 50mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Some people put more effort into their Halloween decorations, others less.
ISO 7200, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Boston wasn't the place I was most keen of. I wanted to see the misty mountains of New England, to stay in motels, and to eat pancakes. That was my American Dream.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.6, 1/500s.
The motel proved to be somewhat rough, as the heating was coming on and off every ten minutes, essentially waking us up every time.
ISO 160, 42mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
The woods around the White Mountain rewarded us with their beauty. This is the Northern tip of the Appalachians.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.6, 1/400s.
The further North you go and the higher up you go, the earlier the leaf peak comes.
ISO 110, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
The sights are wonderful.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.6, 1/640s.
Much was covered by fog as we drove across the mountains.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/6.3, 1/160s.
Dzinman posing at one of the stops.
ISO 100, 50mm, f/1.4, 1/2500s.
A camper car.
ISO 100, 70mm, f/2.8, 1/320s.
There were plenty of private areas that we avoided for the fear of being shot.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/100s.
By the road, there was this tree on which a motorcyclist had crashed. Parts of the motorycle were stil there, as a well as a model motorbike, broken sunglasses, and two crosses.
ISO 110, 24mm, f/4.0, 1/50s.
We visited my friend Bianca , who remembered various American desserts I wanted to try (while I had mostly forgotten). These are caramel apples.
ISO 100, 36mm, f/2.8, 1/125s.
One of my top places to visit were the so called covered bridges. Bianca says, only old people are interested in those.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/640s.
I remembered them from Need for Speed 3: Hot Pursuit (which proves her point).
ISO 160, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
We took an Alec Soth-inspired photo.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/125s.
I found the architecture of New England so charming.
ISO 100, 38mm, f/2.8, 1/250s.
And we stopped by the road to eat pancakes at places like this. My dream came true.
ISO 100, 35mm, f/2.8, 1/100s.
We visited the Von Tropp lodge, made famous (?) by the Sound of Music film.
ISO 560, 31mm, f/6.3, 1/50s.
I liked this cabin more.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/6.3, 1/60s.
Stowe is number one visited city in Vermont, the liberal state.
ISO 100, 56mm, f/9.0, 1/60s.
According to Bianca, people are so polite here that they cause confusion as drivers.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/8.0, 1/160s.
This house was perched on the hill, and they sold organic products inside.
ISO 100, 26mm, f/2.8, 1/500s.
We would stop by the road for me to take photos of Halloween decorations.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/4.0, 1/250s.
Pumpkins next to an abandoned warehouse.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/4.0, 1/640s.
This looked really messy, like a murder site.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/640s.
The roads were great, although some exits off the highway had surprising design, to say the least.
ISO 100, 48mm, f/5.0, 1/500s.
A house by the railway.
ISO 100, 44mm, f/2.8, 1/2500s.
A railway bridge we walked across.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/7.1, 1/80s.
We pulled over to discover this lovely site.
ISO 140, 48mm, f/3.2, 1/50s.
There was something magical about the leaves. Of course you see those in various countries being red and yellow like this, but the scale here...
ISO 140, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Everything was either yellow or grey.
ISO 100, 42mm, f/3.2, 1/60s.
We pumped up our petrol and moved on.
ISO 280, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Dramatic marshes in New England.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.6, 1/400s.
Autumn foliage.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.6, 1/60s.
We visited Portland, and it made no particular impression on us.
ISO 100, 26mm, f/6.3, 1/125s.
I ordered flatbread thinking it was some sort of artisan meal. It was just pizza.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/1250s.
This is a lighthouse near Portland.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/5.0, 1/400s.
The clouds swallowing the land area.
ISO 100, 36mm, f/7.1, 1/500s.
Another X-Files-like setting.
ISO 110, 24mm, f/7.1, 1/50s.
I saw this graveyard from the car, and we had to stop here.
ISO 100, 70mm, f/7.1, 1/80s.
Some people do not hold back for Halloween.
ISO 220, 24mm, f/4.5, 1/50s.
Requiescat In Pace.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/60s.
This public toilet came with a scale, in case one were to wonder if they lost any significant weight after using the loo.
ISO 1100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Clown behind the wheel.
ISO 450, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
The lovely town of Kennebunkport. They sold George H.W. Bush fridge magnets here!
ISO 280, 24mm, f/3.5, 1/50s.
The town was expensive, and only wealthy pensioners seemed to live there.
ISO 360, 24mm, f/3.5, 1/50s.
The shops sported art galleries.
ISO 1000, 32mm, f/3.5, 1/50s.
This house reminded me of the Windows 98 haunted house screensaver.
ISO 2200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Skeleton pumpkin.
ISO 1400, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
An isle with a lighthouse.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/5.6, 1/320s.
I asked the girls to look creepy.
ISO 1000, 24mm, f/5.0, 1/50s.
Old houses in Portsmouth.
ISO 3600, 56mm, f/5.6, 1/50s.
Kosciuszko Street.
ISO 100, 62mm, f/6.3, 1/400s.
The House of the Seven Gables.
ISO 160, 24mm, f/3.2, 1/50s.
A memorial dedicated to the Salem Witchhunt victims.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/60s.
Salem had loads of spiritual and whatnot shops. I bought a shrunked head here.
ISO 800, 24mm, f/6.3, 1/50s.
Dzinman admiring the lights in front of one of the museums.
ISO 1000, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
Your typical house in Salem.
ISO 160, 36mm, f/2.8, 2/5s.
The lovely town of Rockport.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.6, 1/1000s.
The red barn here is meant to be well-known.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/13.0, 1/100s.
It was a pleasure to fly here.
ISO 101, 4mm, f/2.6, 1/2000s.
Once again, the houses were simple and neat.
ISO 100, 34mm, f/5.6, 1/640s.
We were offered a lobster starter for $50.
ISO 100, 70mm, f/9.0, 1/160s.
In our friends' car, we drove to Concord, MA, where the American Revolution began.
ISO 100, 24mm, f/5.0, 1/80s.
There was a lovely cemetery here.
ISO 100, 42mm, f/2.8, 1/80s.
We took their dog, too!
ISO 720, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
The Battle of Concord took place here.
ISO 1600, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/50s.
This was our last evening before we got up at 4 AM to fly back home.
ISO 200, 24mm, f/2.8, 1/40s.
Sources
