Here is the final installment of our vacation to New England that Roberto and I took in October. Amazing how time flies!

jenn_bennington_monument.jpg

One of our other stops during our New England trip was in Bennington Vermont, visiting our friends Nicki and Lisa (you will remember them from our Ft. Lauderdale trip although we all had slightly different hair at that point….). When in Bennington you must go to The Bennington Battle Monument. The monument was built in the 1880’s at the same location in 1777 during the war of independence, that the American colonists maintained a store of weapons and food, which the British knew was critical to capture in order to restock their own troops.

view_from_bennington_monument.jpg

Besides the history the Bennington Monument is a great place to look out over Bennington and see the landscape which at this time of year which included many beautifully colored trees. You get to the top of the monument by going up in an elevator. It is cold up there so be sure to bring a jacket.

robert_frost_grave.jpg

Another must see outdoor monuments of sorts is the great poet, Robert Frost’s grave at The Old Bennington Cemetary. It lies in a small cemetary that houses many old and ornate tombstones and also those that are fairly plain. The cemetary goes back to the American Revolution. In 1920 Roberto Frost came to Shaftsbury, VT (one town over from Bennington) to live. His wife died suddenly 13 years later and he went to their old farm in Derry NH to scatter her ashes per her wishes, but the place was run down. He kept her ashes until he bought 2 burial plots at the Old Bennington Cemetery behind the Old First Congregational Church.

north_river_winery_sign.jpg

We were a little chilly after our trip to the monument and cemetary, so we decided to look for some indoor activities. There is a local winery in Southern Vermont called The North River Winery. All of us (Me, Roberto, Nicki & Lisa) having been residents of Vermont at some point and had all been to this winery in the past and had vowed to never go back. But it is just a thing you do when you are in VT – it is like a weird kind of pride for the state thing – local wine. North River Winery makes all their wines from fruits grown in Vermont – apples, raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb, etc. Sounds good right?

nicki_lisa_jenn_winery.jpg

Well not so much…all of us really liked the IDEA of these kinds of wine, but the taste leaves something to be desired. I think it would make nice salad dressing, but drinking wine? Um no. I wish it weren’t so. As I love the idea of using local ingredients to make everything! But if you are ever in the area, do take the tasting and make up your own mind. They do stay in business so someone is buying the wines!

Anyway, Bennington is a wonderful place for a fall getaway full of beautiful leaves, historic monuments and local products! Go Vermont!