Photos inside the Breakers Mansion - Newport, Rhode Island

The Breakers 70-room mansion is considered by most to be the grandest of  Newport's "summer cottages" from the Gilded Age. It was home to the Vanderbilt family through several generations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breakers

I know this is a ridiculous number of photos to post, but I'm doing it anyway in case anyone would like to see what the "cottage" looks like on the inside. Trust me, I took many more than these, but I'll just share most of the main rooms. Because there are so many, I'm leaving out several bedrooms, all dressing rooms, closets, baths, etc. 

 

gate entrance

front view of Breakers Mansion

gallery area

main gallery from above (ceiling to look like sky)

left of gallery

one set of stairs

gallery from above

library

library ceiling

another library view

music room

music room

hallway

over the top

 

Here are some ceilings I snapped photos of - can't remember what part of the house each was in. Just look up!

parlor (I think)

ceiling of one of the outdoor patios

paintings where stairs meet

Mr. Vanderbilt's bedroom

Mrs. Vanderbilt's sitting area (separate her bedroom)

one of the girls bedrooms

main kitchen

stove tops and ovens

one wall of butler's pantry

view of house from back

side view

 

I have no idea how many fireplaces there are in this place. Too many to count and all very different. As I said, I took many more photos - too many to post here. But hopefully you get a good idea of how the wealthy lived during the Gilded years and beyond. And to think - this was just the vacation home! 😮

Newport, Rhode Island

Wowsers! On our one and only day in Newport, RI, we took the city shuttle to see The Breakers, the most highly recommended of the Gilded Age Mansions. The mansion was built between 1893 and 1895 as a summer home for the Vanderbilt family.There just aren't any words to describe it. But thankfully, we were allowed to take photos inside so of course I (ahem...) took a LOT! It's hard to imagine that people actually lived like that! The mansion surely makes Downton Abbey look like a mud hut! (I've never been inside Downton Abbey - I'm just trying to describe how incredibly opulent it is.)

It's late tonight and we have to be up and off the ship by 7:30 a.m. so I won't take the time to post photos of the house now, but once I'm home and get unpacked, I will definitely post a lot.

In the meantime, you can read about it online  https://www.newportmansions.org/mansions-and-gardens/the-breakers/ but I will post many more photos than you'll find online. It really is something to see but of course, the photos can never do it justice. 

I'll just post a few pics taken from the tender that carried us to the dock. I will add that it was a day with a lot of waiting. Not having an excursion, we had to wait a long time on a tender. Once ashore, we waited a long time for the city trolley. After visiting the mansion, we had to wait....and wait for another trolley which never actually came. We then decided to call an uber. But with Newport being a popular tourist destination, this being a holiday weekend, and also a Saturday, the traffic was terrible. The uber driver spoke no English, got stuck in traffic, my phone battery died and various other things happened but finally we and another couple from Ireland made it back to the ship. It was recommended to spend 2 hours at the mansion, but all the waiting ended up making it a whole day affair. 

PS There was a traveling elephant exhibition of 26 life size elephant sculptures behind the mansion and of course I took photos there as well. I'll save the mansion photos for one last post.

https://www.newportmansions.org/events/the-great-elephant-migration/

 

tender ride to shore

hundreds docked in harbor

literally 100's of sail boats and every type of water vessel you can think of

many houses line the shore

each one has a name and story

26 in all including babies

amazing artistry

lots of photo ops

 

 

Portland, Maine

Our ship docked in Portland, Maine early this morning. It feels great to be back in the US!! After breakfast we were required to do a "face-to-face" with port authorities in order to get our passports back. Afterwards, we walked into the Old Port area which was perhaps a mile or so from the ship. We did a little ‘look around’ and like other times, walked back to the ship before lunch. 

Not trying to brag, but the high in Portland today is 71 degrees. Part of the reason we chose this itinerary was to escape the heat, and I must say we have done that. However, I know it is waiting for us when we get home. Thank the Lord for the rain we've had at home - and for AC!

 

view from our ship

 

Portland is the largest city in Maine, its economy relying mostly on the marine industry and tourism. The city boasts many old buildings and I would say is still in need of some restoration in spite of some very nice areas as well. Its city seal is a phoenix rising from the ashes, as it has suffered 4 devastating fires, the most famous being the Great Portland Fire of 1866 which destroyed a huge portion of the city and left 10,000 people homeless.

It now boasts nice hotels and restaurants, museums, antique shops, art galleries and nightclubs. Like any large city, it also has its share of homeless and street people. Parts of the Old Port area look nice and modern while other parts could use some updating or restoration. The streets are trashy in some areas. At least that was our impression of the area around the port. Photos below - just keepin' it real.

 

United States Custom House

 

Portland City Hall

old vs new happily co-exist

brick streets in the Old Port

in a public park

overflowing garbage

 

 

 

 

 

no money here

out of business

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

an attractive business in the Old Port

spare some change?

sit a spell?

 

Ronnie was getting really thirsty, so this donut shop had the little pick-me-up he needed. A pink lemonade for him, a mocha latte for me and 6 warm cinnamon sugar donuts to share! (they were small, I promise)

 

Eighty-8 Donuts

It’s quiet on the ship this afternoon. Ronnie is out running, so he’s a happy camper. I’m in the lounge because even in port, internet is sometimes crummy in our room. Other people in the lounge are playing cards and working puzzles, while I’m sitting up here with my computer sharing photos that I snapped from the morning walk.

Probably the most interesting photos I took were at the fish market.

 

get your fresh fish here

that's a lot of halibut!

sea bass special

sea bass and ??

how do you season it?

what's for dinner?

when in Maine...

icing 'em down

 

 And I wouldn't be me if I didn't take at least one flower photo.

 

not sure what this is

and there's no shortage....

....of eateries