Trip Report - Christmas trip to Newport - December 2003

.It was a very cold Saturday in December. But the sun was out and that was some help. We met at Wall Mart in Raynham and Les gave us our route information and the brochures about Newport and the Cottages. Even though it was 12 days before Christmas there were several of us who were looking forward to a wonderful holiday tour of the Breakers and The Marble House. And, indeed, what a wonderful time to tour these homes! The Poinsettia's were everywhere. The mansions were decorated in what could only be called regal splendor. The wreaths, the
garland, the white, red, gold, green ornaments adorned all the main rooms of each of the Vanderbilts' summer homes. We had marvelous tour guides at the Breakers and most of us used the headsets with an extensive recorded description of all aspects of life at the Marble House. We had quite a history lesson in how these two branches of the Vanderbilt family lived in the early 1900s. There was quite a lot of work behind the scenes to keep the occupants happy and the buildings equipped and working properly. And the Vanderbilts themselves were quite a
collection of personalities.

We visited the Marble House first and after a thorough tour of the house and the gift shop we ventured to the waterfront for something to eat. Parking even in December was a problem, but we all managed and most of
us found our way to the Red Parrot for a hearty and delicious lunch. After visiting a few shops we headed to the Breakers. Again the decorations were magnificent in room after large room. What a life! One thing they did miss however, they didn’t have the fun that we have in the good weather shifting into high on the happiness scale in a MX5!

Needless to say we weren't all driving Miatas, but we did all enjoy each other's company and again, we had a great time doing something as a group that we probably wouldn't be as inclined to do individually. And that is what makes our Miata trips truly fantastic. Thank you Les!!