The "cottages" of Newport, RI

I mentioned in my previous post that I went to a winery and wandered around Connecticut a little. There was a cute little town in Connecticut called Old Mystic Village and it had a beautiful library! I know I am weird for liking to check out libraries, but oh well... :) Here are some pics from that day.

Yesterday, (Thursday) I had a relaxing morning and then went on tours of five of the Newport "cottages." They are only called cottages because that was the typical name given to the vacations homes built in that area. In reality, however, they are the largest mansions I have ever seen in my life! The Vanderbilt family had the largest home called "the Breakers." It was absolutely magnificent. They decorated in a very French renaissance style. Everything was big, beautiful, custom made and expensive.  I found it interesting that the servant’s quarters took up probably half the space in the house. All 40 of them needed a place to sleep, work, and get into all the rooms without ever being seen. So you look at this huge house and wonder how the family could ever use all this space, but in reality they didn't. They would use the big, ornately decorated, public areas for parties and the extra bedrooms to house all their guests. Some of the families personal bedrooms were big and some were a just a normal size bedroom. They were really all about the entertaining. Like I said before, I visited five of these mansions and they were all very beautiful and each had their own unique history. It was fun to learn about the families and all their success and trials. 

Afterwards, I drove to Camden, ME where I am staying with my friend Lisa and her family for a couple of days till I go to my cottage (that is really a cottage) in Newport, ME.