Essex, MA

Good morning Essex, MA! What a beautiful start to our first day back in the U.S. I love the coastline here, just north of Boston, with its sandy beaches, dry rocky forests and salt marshes. We were awake early, not quite on local time yet, and our rumbling tummies drove us out of the motel and straight into this gorgeous riverside scene. The only café open was in nearby slightly gritty Gloucester, a short drive through still wintry woodland and past lovely timber houses with American flags and verandas. The cozy Two Sisters Café set us up grandly for the day with plates filled with eggs, bacon, sausages, toast, hash, French Toast, pancakes and steaming mugs of coffee. We ate it all! The café was already buzzing, despite being 7am. Mostly men, locals, filling their bellies and swigging coffee, perhaps getting ready for a day on the water. While the girls were glued to episodes of Veep and The Golden Girls on the TV above the counter, I was listening to the 4 large guys squashed together in their allotted table space behind us, loudly chatting about their fishing boats. It’s good to hear that wonderful Boston accent again.