Back from our holidays

We're coming back to earth this week from our week's holiday in Cape Cod. We had a great time - the scenery was inspiring, the beaches stunning and the little towns and villages charming.

We stayed in Truro which is in the Outer Cape area, quite far north up the cape, and surrounded by woodland, long sandy beaches and hundreds of cape cottages nestled in trees and dunes. The weather was wet and cool until Thursday which was a great shame as we missed out on beach time and the pretty scenery. But we found museums to amuse us all (especially Lucy at the Cape Cod Natural History Museum), towns to shop in and restaurants and taverns to eat yummy lunches in.

Thursday's weather was wonderful so we made the most of it and headed out on the Cape Cod Rail Trail which is a cycling route through the heart of the cape on a disused railway. It traveled like a mini road system, with two way paths and stop signs, without any cars to be wary of. We loved it, and Lucy did too. We all rented bikes and Joe had a trailer on the back of his for Lucy to ride in. She squealed with delight as Joe sped along the paths. The bakery that we stopped at for lunch sold us the best brownies any of us have ever eaten. A short cycle along the road from the rail trail had us on the beach where we enjoyed some time running in and out of the surf...great fun!

We especially enjoyed Provincetown which is at the most northern point of the cape. It's known for it's easy-going, arty atmosphere and large gay population. It was incredible to drive the remote drive through sand dunes and salt marshes, with not much more than simple beach houses and wildlife as sign of life, then to happen upon a the small town at the end of the road as lively and vibrant, eclectic and 'out' as a Soho Manhattan district. We enjoyed people watching here, window shopping the gorgeous galleries and oh so stunningly presented interiors stores.

The journey home took us a long 12 hours with stops and a detour through Manhattan (so that Joe's parents could get a glimpse). Lucy was a trooper once again. Barely a whine and for most of the time was happy to play with the various toys we had for her stashed in the car, snacking on whatever we could find and singing nursery songs over and over again.

Joe and I definitely want to go back again for more cycling, more scenery and beach time. Perhaps next time we'll choose a week when rain might not pose such a threat!