Summer Days in Cape Cod

We are having a wonderful time here in Cape Cod. Despite holidaying in our cottage near the beach in Northern Ireland we aren't used to sunbathing in such heat and swimming in such warm waters.

Most days we have visited a different beach and spent the morning there.  We haven't found one we don't like yet!

We have done some shopping too - Trader Joes and Lamberts for food, Cape Cod Mall has Hollister, Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle and Aeropostle, and discovered Pier 1 Imports, the Christmas Tree Shop as well as craft shops and bead shops.

We have ate out most evenings, and are sampling the ice-cream delights of Cape Cod by visiting a different ice-cream shop every night.  The Sundae School is probably top, not just for it's name, but also it's hot fudge sauce. 

This is the harbour in Hyannis a few evenings ago.

We have enjoyed shopping on Main Street, Hyannis and driving along Route 6a. Tomorrow SOME of us are going whale watching, but a couple of us plan to stay on dry land!

This evening we went to the beach to enjoy the sunset, and some slightly cooler and less humid weather.

More updates coming soon, but in the meantime, have you and recommendations of things to do/stores to shop/things to avoid? Please share.

The Hostess with the Mostess - welcome to Massachussets

Have you ever been met off a long and slightly turbulent flight (with 3 tired kids and some slightly stressed adults) by the loveliest warm welcome and freshly homebaked cookies, fresh fruit, cartons of juice and the keys to her holiday house? And we had never met before? Welcome to the world of house swapping / home exchange!

This is our home from home for the next 10 days - a traditional cape cod house.

We are delighting in the little things that Americans take for granted - screens on the doors and windows, a of course a basement!

Our house swap hostess is also an interior designer, so I will share some indoor photos later in the week.

The flight was a little bumpy near the end ... it was one of those flights when all the passengers applauded when we landed!  Individual screens with movies and games were wonderful, so I managed to enterntain our 5 year old with those and the occasional surprise from my bag including - dinasaours, light up car, magna man, tin box and assorted plastic sea creatures.  My husband perhaps had the shorter straw with our 2 older daughters who did not enjoy the journey so much, and all 3 were glad to finally disembark from the plane. 

Jet lag is no fun and our body clocks are all over the place - but the breakfast this morning almost made up for it - pancakes, maple syrup, bacon and eggs "over easy". Our waitress was from Cork and was just as delighted to hear our accents as we were with the food. 

We found our way to Trader Joes and the Christmas Tree Shop. Definitely returning to both.

We ate lunch here in the back garden yard and the kids cooled off in the outdoor shower.

The heat and tiredness  took it's toll, and we had a quiet afternoon, dozing with the aid of fans.


This evening we followed Route 28 (with a few detours) to Chatham and with NO help from our Sat Nav we found the Chatham Light House and beach.

Like mother like daughter - she may have caught the photography bug!

Dinner was pizza slices and cesear salad in Chatham followed by delicious ice-cream in the Sundae School - delicious!

So home again, catching up on some blogging and planning what to do or NOT to do in the next few days - but if our kids get their way there will be some beach, some shopping and lots more ice-cream.

Take care until my next "letter" from the Cape.