Mansions of Newport...

Quote of the day: “I was up on deck talking to this black American guy I thought was a crew member. When I asked him if he was having a day off, he gave me a funny look. Then he informed me that he was a passenger, not a crewmember, and a multi-millionaire. Talk about putting my foot in it.”

Today was Segway day. It was also the first time I’d driven on the right hand side of the road. (Yes, they do allow those things to drive on the road.) Up until now, I’ve always avoided driving anywhere that drives on the right.

The Segway was heaps of fun. Newport is another tender port, and it was a pain today as they had problems with the tender service. However, we eventually got ashore, and after a short training session, we were off around Newport. It’s all fairly flat, with lovely tree-lined streets - and a really beautiful town - so it was easy to scoot along.

The mansions we passed were amazing. Always interesting to see what the truly rich do with their money! Seems universal that the richer you are, the more you want to show off by building a bigger pile than the next fellow. Well in Newport, the Vanderbilts won the pissing competition!

So a lovely day in the playground of the rich and famous. No high-rise, no traffic congestion, no other ships in port, lots of cafes, lots of beautiful boats, and only a few places selling tack to the tourists… capped off with a thunder storm late in the afternoon.