Greetings from the Cape

What locals simply call the cape actually is the shortcut for Cape Cod, a peninsula and popular summer destination that offers endless sandy beaches, lots of hiking and bike trails and the epicentre of hippie and gay tourism in the artsy town of Provincetown. It supposed to be an easy two-hour drive from Boston but turned out to be four at the end thanks to heavy traffic. Nevertheless the journey was worth it and we figured out an enjoyable Cape Cod road trip itinerary 😉One of your first stops was at a promising looking drive-in restaurant called Arnold’s and we tried some signature dishes like the clam roll and lobster bisque. What a life saver!

Slightly tired we finally checked into our simple motel. It was my first motel stay and I was quite excited as I’ve seen so many motel scenes in movies and tv-shows (mostly horror related), however it wasn’t bad at all. Actually, if you wanna stay away from the expensive hotels in Provincetown but still be close enough, the Blue Sue Motor Inn is a good alternative. Click here to book.

The beach wasn’t far from our room, but it wasn’t exactly that kind of beach you would like to enjoy a swim…

We quickly continued our journey to the Cape Cod National Seashore Park and further to Provincetown (or simply P-Town). Historic detail on the side: The harbour of today’s P-Town has been the first place where pilgrims from Europe settled foot back in 1602.

Weirdly the town’s landmark, the Pilgrim monument, seems misplaced: The design resembles the Torre de Mangia in Siena, Italy. But P-Town is different in many ways, so you just accept it and enjoy the view from the top 😉

The centre of P-Town is formed by a pier (there are regular boats from/to Boston) and boulevards full with cool shops, restaurants, bars and clubs mostly targeting a gay/lesbian audience – but even as a straight couple, we never felt uncomfortable. Quite the contrary – we saw lots of families and retirees too, and generally I liked the open-minded whatever mentality and chilled vibe of that place. They make feel everyone welcome! The unofficial flag of P-Town is the pride flag, which can be found at almost every house – nice!

During sunset a storm came up which turned the sky into a colourful painting ❤️

We continued our seafood diet and ate dinner at P-Town’s most renowned restaurant – the lobster pot! It’s so popular that they don’t take reservations – you just show up and wait. After that feast it was clear for us that we o.d’d on seafood, but it was worth it 😉

The storm cleared up the air and the next morning awaited us with clear skies and more sunshine! Rather by accident we found a little trail that took us through pine trees and surprisingly beautiful salt marshes to a little lighthouse we saw from afar. I’ve never experienced that kind of landscape and was absolutely delighted!

Our target looked close but the last part was unmarked and sand dunes only, and you know how tiring walking through sand can be :/

Wooo, we were tired, hot and ran out of water but we made it to Race Point Lighthouse! What a pretty house in the middle of nowhere!

Right next to the lighthouse is isolated Race Point Beach, but as the water was too cold for swimming and we were thirsty, we quickly made our way back into civilization…

Back in P-Town, enjoying my reward for the hike… Ben & Jerry’s is just incredibly rich and creamy, I had to get the kid’s cone… Can’t handle American sizes 😛

Btw after our trip we found out that Cape Cod isn’t all about holiday and happiness. Young people on the Cape are facing serious drug problems and there’s a rough but touching documentary about it – if you’re not faint-hearted you can watch the full video here.

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