My nieces, Abi and Chloe, live on the border of Maine and New Hampshire. Cole and I had been meaning to visit them for awhile and after coordinating a weekend with my oldest brother, Alec, we headed out to see them in the middle of August. We flew into Manchester, New Hampshire (about an hour from where they live) and before heading to Maine, we decided to make a quick stop to see what downtown Manchester had to offer. I was pleasantly surprised by the architecture and liveliness this small town had. We spent some time walking up and down the streets taking in the cute shops and restaurants before making the drive to Maine. We got in late to my brother’s house, but him and my sister-in-law, Jen, were up waiting for us. After catching up with them, we went to bed so we could be up early to start our action-packed day.

Since the weather was gorgeous, we decided to spend the day at the beach. However, instead of just driving there, we thought it would be more fun to ride bicycles and make an adventure out of it. My brother warned us that it was a 20 mile trip in total, but that didn’t intimidate Cole and I who are used to biking in a lot of the cities we visit. Try to hold back your laughter, but Cole and I biked on a tandem bicycle for all 20 miles 🙂

We started of our adventure by fueling up for the day at a restaurant called Beach Pea Baking Company, which was only a mile from my brother’s house. This tiny restaurant sold fresh baked bread and pastries along with an assortment of unique pairings for breakfast and lunch. Despite, it only being 10 AM, Cole and I couldn’t resist their delectable looking sandwiches and ordered two off their lunch menu. Hands down, it was the best sandwich I’ve ever had – it was an irresistible savory combination of black forest ham, cheddar cheese, roasted green apples, caramelized red onions, and was absolutely to die for.

Along the way to York beach, we stopped at a little convenient store for ice cream. As we continue the ride, we admired the beautiful New England architecture of Cape Cod homes nestled amongst the marshes and water. After awhile, we made it to the beach and took a much needed break. After talking Cole and Alec out of jumping off a bridge due to low tide (thank goodness), we wandered into a tide pool with an abundance of marine life in the shallow water. After snapping some photos of the lobsters and crabs, we made our way over to the sandy beach and ran around with the girls for awhile.

We hopped back on our bikes for the 10 mile trek back home, but had to make a stop for some fresh Lobster rolls, a local favorite in Maine, at a restaurant on the water called Chauncey Creek.

That evening, Cole and I went out with Alec and Jen into downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Portsmouth is just across the river from where they live and is the quintessential New England town. It’s charming brick buildings and town squares feel like you’ve suddenly transported to Europe, combined with the best restaurants and boutiques lining the streets along the water guarantee to impress any visitor. We had a delicious dinner at Agave, a Mexican restaurant located right in the heart of downtown Portsmouth.  I highly recommend anyone near Maine or New Hampshire try to stop into Portsmouth one evening.

Although we were sore beyond belief, we loved the time spent with my family during our “Tour De Maine” and cannot wait to go back again soon.