Travel Therapy: Portland, Maine in one day!

Daycations are an ideal way to get away from reality for a little while. They are inexpensive and offer a quick way to see another city. So having visited all the states but one in New England, I decided to take a day trip to Maine and complete the sixth New England state. 

Portland is a charming coastal city in the state of Maine. It boasts of lighthouses, scenic seaside views, quaint shops, colorful buildings, and some of New England's most expensive homes, and of course, the best lobster in the entire world! 

Portland has a very vibrant art scene and this is evident in the numbers of artsy stores and cool wall art around the city. 

Now let's get into my trip. Enjoy!

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I was visiting Portland from Boston and the Downeaster Armtrack from North Station was the most convenient mode of transportation. The train ride was a little over two hours, so I brought my breakfast and enjoyed the scenery as the train traveled through several cities in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Since I was going to be walking for several hours while exploring Portland, comfy shoes were a must!
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Two hours later, I arrived at Portland Transportation Center and took a short uber ride to Downtown Portland. My first port of call was Portland  Museum of Art, but with the  limited time I had in the city, I did not want to spend hours indoors, so I ditched the museum and went off to Old Port District.

Portland Museum of Art

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While making my way to The Old Port District, I came across the home of  famous American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Congress street. I studied some of his poems in high school, so it was a pleasure running into the childhood home of this literary genuis.

Longfellow Garden
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The Old Port District of Portland is a charming water front area with wharfs, quaint stores, and interesting buildings. It was at the Long Wharf water front that I found a real piece of the Berlin Wall.

How cool!

The Berlin Wall, Portland-- A time for peace

Love Lock Bridge, Portland: Mirroring the Love lock bridge in Paris, Hundreds of padlocks are locked on a chain fence at the waterfront.
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After taking in the scenery at the Old Port District and water front, I decided to hop on a trolley tour to see one of Maine's light houses. I opted for Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth.

Photo op before hopping into the trolley

Very post card-esque

The guided trolley tour was a good idea, as it gave me the opportunity to see places I wouldn't have been able to see had I explored on foot only. 

Here is a home in the west end neighborhood. West end is known for its architecture and history. This neighborhood houses some of Portland's most historic homes. "It is one of the best preserved Victorian neighborhoods in the country"
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Finally made it to the Portland Head Light. I lived and breathed Famous Five book series as a child, and I had always wanted to visit a light house since reading about the light house adventures of the Famous Five kids.

Portland Head Light House is in Fort Williams Park, so I made time out to explore the park and walk the cliff.

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After the light house adventure, I headed to Casco Bay water front to get my grub on. Maine is known for its lobster, and skipping a lobster meal was not an option!

This was the best lobster ever! 

A view of  Casco Bay as I enjoyed my lovely meal

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After my hearty meal, Commercial street in downtown was next on my itinerary. Chock full of restaurants, colorful buildings, quaint stores, and unique merchandise, Commercial street was a delight to peruse.

Snaps after my hearty meal

Uber colorful Commerical Street




Popped into one of the local stores to get a fridge magnet

Keep calm and eat more lobster

Chilling seaside, eating lobster is definitely the way life should be. 

That's all from my lovely day trip to Portland, ME. Do you guys have any upcoming trips? Please leave me a comment and let me know where you are headed.

Have a great day y'all!

Travel Therapy: My first solo travel experience --Montreal, Quebec

Traveling alone was something I never thought I'd ever do. With my non-existing sense of direction, I always felt that  companionship was absolutely necessary.

However, last thanksgiving, I decided to ditch the usual family gathering and capitalize on the 4-day weekend and go explore the French-speaking city of Montreal. The trip was a last minute plan, and I knew finding a travel buddy would be hard. More so, it was thanksgiving weekend, and most people had already made plans. So there it was, I was traveling solo for the first time. 

Montreal was absolutely amazing, and the trip is my best travel experience yet. Below are pictures with blurbs of my solo adventure in this beautiful city.

Look who found love in Montreal

Travelling alone was more fun than I anticipated. However, I panicked a tad bit when I got to Montreal. 
For some reason I became extremely nervous and couldn’t function for the first 15 minutes after my arrival. I had saved directions from the train station to my hotel, but for some reason, I suddenly became discombobulated and I started to freak out. I sat down for few minutes, calmed myself, took a deep breath, and then found a policeman who gave me clear and concise direction. 
Getting to my hotel was a breeze, and once I checked in and freshened up, I went off to explore Montreal.

Love sculpture in Vieux Montreal

Since I was nervous about embarking on this trip myself, I planned all my activities in advance. I even looked up directions of all the sites I was going to be visiting and printed out and saved screenshots of the said directions. 

Because I was going to be alone, I did not want to appear lost and make it obvious that I was a lone tourist.

Hotel  room selfie

Place Jacques-Cartier Square

Asides from safety, my other concern was finding someone to take pictures of me with my DSLR camera(yes I am that vain). Luckily I own a gorilla pod(tripod), and  I brought it along with me. For the most part, people were nice, and helped out whenever I asked for pictures. However, the gorilla pod gave me the freedom to take as many shots as I wanted.

Montreal Clock Tower (Tour de l'Horloge) in Old Port of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The pros of solo travels are vast, and the no 1 advantage is freedom! The fact that I could do things in my own time and on my terms was extremely liberating. I could visit the sites I wanted, eat in the restaurants of my preference, and chill in my room alone!


Travelling alone also helped me be independent. I was alone and did not have time to second guess myself.

McGill University 

It may sound cheesy, but there was also a level of self discovery that I achieved on this trip. It was calming, peaceful and soothing and this led to me getting to know myself better.


The Illuminated Crowd by Franco-British artist, Raymond Mason. The expressions on the sculptures are extremely life-like!

I was also able to immerse myself in the city. Since I didn't have a companion to talk to nor distract me, the only focus was exploring the city.



Since travelling to Montreal alone, I have done three lone trips and I have two upcoming ones before the year runs out

Olympic Park - Parc olympique de Montréal

Embracing solo travelling means I no longer have to wait on friends who usually say "no" at the last minute. I now have the confidence to just pick up and jet anywhere.

Goofing off at the 1976 Summer Olympics stadium

How gorgeous is the frozen river at Old port of Montreal

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Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal

With love from Notre-Dame Basillica

Cloudy skies in Vieux Montreal

I love how the tree branches frame the statue

I thought this restaurant was cute

I walked down Saint Paul Street, and took a picture of this signage

China Town gate

Stopped for some spicy prawn soup in China Town

I am obsessed with signage, lamp posts, and, old architecture, and I was excited to capture all three in a single photo

View of Montreal from Mount Royal, Monteregian Hills

Marché Bonsecours

So what do you guys think of solo travelling? Have you ever done it, or do you think you have the courage to embark on one? Please leave your comments below. 

Have a fab week.