Hancock, NH (Day One)

'Evening, everyone!

♥

Now, where should I possibly begin?

Let me start by saying our trip was amazing.

The Hancock Inn was quite definitely the nicest

Bed & Breakfast I have ever had the pleasure of

staying in; it was impeccably beautiful, the innkeepers

were very kind, and the meals were absolutely delicious.

But the inn wasn't the only thing that made our trip divine-- the 

surrounding area, aka the Monadnock region of New Hampshire,

was jaw-dropping, heart-skipping, breathtakingly gorgeous.

Like I said in my previous post, it was love at first sight for my

mother and I; so much so, that we've already begun making

plans to move there next summer! My mom is currently searching 

for jobs in the area, and I'm looking at graduate schools (I have my eye 

specifically on Keene State!) We're also making reservations to stay 

at the inn again during October for the Keene Pumpkin Festival!

... But more on all this another time.

I know you've all been waiting to see the
photographs, so I won't keep you any longer!

♥ Day One ♥

After a four-and-a-half hour drive, we reached the

town of Hancock, and checked into the inn which

was located convenient in the center of town . . .

The key to our room!

Opening the door to our room

Our beds... lovely, huh?

Cute little heart pillow on my bed

A place to sit and look out onto Main Street

Another little sitting area

Local reading material in the room (my favorite!)

Now, time to explore the inn . . .

Walking back downstairs...

Pretty antique bench by the main entrance

The sitting area

So cozy!

The tavern

Lovely fireplace

Adorable display near the entrance

(I think I featured all of these on B&B Friday already!)

The main dining room

Wow!

Charming period paintings adorning the inn

Aren't they wonderful?

Let's explore the town . . .

The inn's exterior

(our room was situated behind the two

left windows on the second floor)

Rocking chairs... need I say more? ♥

Beautiful house down the road

Gracious

I could get used to sitting on that porch everyday!

This picture epitomizes what I love most about New England

(.... the period homes!)

The Hancock Historical Society

No words... ♥

Town center

Nice doorway, huh?

I loved this house

... Particularly because of its

perfectly picturesque porch

The Hancock Market

 (a little grocery shop and deli)

 We walked over to Fiddleheads

for a bite to eat

Inside the Cafe

Of course, I can't resist anything
Cape Cod/Islands-related :p

I thought this was an adorable touch (I saved it)!

My semi-eaten Chicken and Artichoke Panini

(Sorry! I was so hungry, I initially forgot to take a picture!)

Mom posing in front of the sign

After lunch, we hopped in the car and headed for

Jaffrey in search for the grave of Amos Fortune;

Amos Fortune was a slave from the 1700s who bought

his own freedom, settled in Jaffrey, and became an 

extremely prominent and respectable citizen there. 

In the 1950s, he became universally known 
through Elizabeth Yeats's award-winning 

biographical novel, Amos Fortune, Free Man . . .

Gorgeous home in Jaffrey

Beautiful house near The Old Burying Ground

(it was for sale, too!)

Searching for Amos Fortune's grave...

The Jaffrey Meetinghouse in the distance

Interesting epitaph

(click to have a better view)

Full shot of the church (beautiful!)

... Found him (to the left)! Buried next to his 

wife, Violet (he bought her freedom as well)

Better view

Another cute house near The Old Burying Ground

After finding his grave, we decided to

seek out his house in town . . .

Exquisite farm spotted on the way

Interesting historical plaque

There it is! Amos' home.

As you can see, it's not in the greatest of

shape any longer. Quite frankly, it looked

a little abandoned to me (Very sad...)

Heading back to Hancock . . .

Norway Pond, right down the road from the inn

(I was kicking myself that I didn't bring a bathing suit!)

Doesn't that look inviting...

After relaxing in our room for a little bit,

we got ready for dinner and went downstairs . . .

Mom posing on the lovely 

couch outside of our room

I took a quick snapshot of the sign 

out front (doesn't the background

look almost autumn-y? Strange!)

We had our dinner in the tavern

The adorable bar (that must be the inn's original sign!)

Mom posing with her glass of Chardonnay

First Course

 Lobster Ravioli 

in a buttery sage sauce

... divine!

Second Course

Seafood Casserole

with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Zucchini

... one of the best dishes I've ever had!

Third Course

Blueberry Cobbler

with French Vanilla Ice Cream

(made with local blueberries)

... Mmmm ...

Clearly, after that delectable meal, I felt

like a stuffed pig, so we decided to walk it 

off, and take an evening stroll to Norway Pond . . .

What a view!

Mom exploring on the dock

Wetting our feet!

Back at the inn... how cute are those chairs?

What a beautiful doorway...

(if you're wondering why there's a

second-story door that leads to no where,

there used to be a wraparound balcony

 in the 19th-century, but it was removed 
when the inn was being restored 
to its original 18th-century state)

Such a pretty sign!

Alright, time to head up to the room

and call it a night . . .

Strawberry Shortcake in bed, anyone?

- - - - - - - - - -

. . . To Be Continued . . .

♥