We really roughed it at the famous Mount Washington hotel, about 150 years old. The huge wrap-around porch and whitewashed columns against the mountain backdrop made the hotel stunning. Although we technically didn't stay in the hotel (but at a bed & breakfast on the hotel grounds instead called the Bretton Arms), I think we definitely got the better deal because not only did we receive exquisite free breakfasts, but we also had complimentary access to all the hotel amenities! Our favorite afternoon activity was lounging on a liberal rocking chair, cold drink in hand, sun beating down, reading a good book with Amelia dozing off in our laps.
Side note, but relevant and hilarious, I studied this very hotel in my Business, Government & International Economies class at HBS. 65 years ago to the day, in a room we explored over the weekend, delegates from dozens of allied countries signed the Bretton Woods Monetary Agreement, which essentially made US dollars the reserve currency for foreign nations, convertible to gold but rarely exercised as an option. The conference also established international organizations like the International Monetary Fund, and the predecessor to the World Bank. So I was loving that Ashley chose this very spot for completely opposite reasons - like the scenery, clay tennis courts, and horse stable!
Back to the recap. On Saturday we got adventurous and took Amelia on her first hike through the woods, to view several of her first-ever waterfalls. It was a 3-mile root & rock cluttered path that would have been no match for even the Bugaboo stroller. So we baby bjorned it instead (see that frontpack I'm wearing...for all those not yet immersed in the world of babies, that's a bjorn). The waterfall was called Arethusa Falls. You might have found it quite appealing as a place to spend an afternoon picnic. Ash and I parked ourselves close to the bottom, enjoyed a granola bar and some now-and-laters, and supermom Ashley breastfed Amelia on a steep rock wall that won us a few looks from bystanders. Amelia slept most of the way after that, especially down one steep pine-needle coated path that had me a little nervous. But it really was beautiful.
We ended the trip with a wine-and-cheese picnic (it included grapes and pita chips too, but those don't really fit into the expression), at a fishing lake. You begin to get a sense out there why the New Hampshirites proudly claim the expression "Live Free or Die" on their license plates. It won't be long before we return.
