Yay. The sun is shining.

Somehow everything looks gorgeous when the sun is out.

Our hotel right on Thames Street is perfect. We slept in, then decided to make it a walking day. The mansions, the cliff walk and the museums. Too much? Keep reading.

When planning a walking day you start with coffee. We had bananas and blueberries at our hotel. Enough we thought. We just needed coffee. So along Thames Street we walked and found a great Italian place open for breakfast. Suddenly Steve needed a French toast.

Oh my, was it delicious. I had a few mouthfuls. Must return tomorrow!

Then we headed up to Bellevue Avenue. Apparently it’s one of THE most beautiful streets in the US. First stop. The Elms.

Now if you haven’t been to this area you won’t quite understand the wealth on show. These people were wealthy and building big opulent houses was how they displayed their wealth.

We walked along Bellevue Ave and checked out the houses. They are amazing.

As well as the houses, the fences and gates are so decorative.

We walked and looked.

A modest sized house!

Next stop was Marble house. Not so modest!

“Marble House is a Gilded Age mansion in Newport. Designed as a summer cottage for Alva and William Kissam Vanderbilt by the society architect Richard Morris Hunt, it was unparalleled in opulence for an American house when it was completed in 1892”

Alva was quite the woman. She divorced William and married another multi-millionaire and moved down the street. Money attracts money!

Her daughter, Consuelo Vanderbilt was a encouraged to marry royalty! Her marriage to The English 9th Duke of Marlborough has become an emblem of the socially advantageous, but loveless, marriages common during the Gilded Age. She became a friend of Winston Churchill. ”

So off we went further down Bellevue Ave. Finally to the start of the cliff walk. It’s a beautiful walk along the cliffs in front of many of the grand houses.

Read more about it here.

https://www.newport-discovery-guide.com/newport-cliff-walk.html

They warn on a sign that it involves some rocky walking – and they were right. In lots of places there was no path. Just rocks.

We got talking to a lovely local couple. They gave us lots of information about the area and even suggested a drinks party tomorrow evening. It’s a pity we’re leaving !

Next stop was Breakers. It’s the big one! They are all big but this one is really big!

Another Vanderbilt mansion.

“The Breakers is the grandest of Newport’s summer “cottages” and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family’s social and financial pre-eminence in turn of the century America. 
Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794-1877) established the family fortune in steamships and later in the New York Central Railroad, which was a pivotal development in the industrial growth of the nation during the late 19th century. “

It is an amazing house. The Vanderbilts had 7 children and one daughter became a prominent sculptor.

The baths were wonderful and oh how I would love to have had a soak.

We continued walking after leaving the Breakers. We passed the Catholic University which looks so prestigious.

Finally arrived at the car museum – Steve loved it! And the tennis Hall of Fame Museum which we both loved.

The buildings are lovely and the museum has so much memorabilia. I felt so proud of the number of Australians in the Tennis Hall of Fame. Mind you we haven’t had any in recent years. I don’t think Tomic or Kyri – whoever, will be there any time soon!

The ticket officer was lovely and chatted to us for ages while we took photos in the photo booth!

He even suggested a good place for Steve to enjoy a craft beer. It’s called Pour Judgement.

We went there and it was indeed a very good place for locals. Great beers, food and friendly staff.

Huge meals. We ate about half each!

So I’m writing this with my feet up. The 22,000 steps today have taken their toll!