Oct 10
1/ Bennington
It was raining early morning with overcast skies, which is not welcome for fall foliage peeping. When arrived at Battle Monument in Bennington VT, the rain turned into a downpour, preventing us from doing anything except giving up all the activities preplanned for this location.
The reason why we were there was because we wanted to go a bit deeper into the history of America. It seemed that a whole lot of American history (the independence war against British, the establishment of the 13 colonies, the constitution, and so forth, all of these legends told in American history books) was literally written nowhere else but in New England. The Battle Monument in Bennington VT, is part of the memorandum of the independence war.
Bennington is also part of the South Corridor of Vermont which goes about 50+ miles latitudinally along Route 9 and connects Bennington in the west, Wilmington in the middle, and Brattleboro in the east.
The rest of the day, we focused on touring these three towns of Vermont. First, we started the journey from the Main Street of Bennington. However, there was nothing worthy of mentioning, only a few shots of old fashioned structures, plus some pictures of rainy day scenery.
2/ Wilmington
Wilmington was second to stop by. It's a small town with rugged streets, rusted buildings, and old-school-looking type of folks. You would've got a weird feeling as if you were wandering off somewhere that belongs to the third world, no kidding!
However, in its vicinities of less than 30 minutes drive, there're great scenic spots worth a go, like Raponda Pond, Molly Stark State Park, and Hogback Mountain.
You could certainly be shocked by the view of an ocean with waves after waves of gold or amber looking forests spreading out in all directions on top of the Hogback Mountain. Also, you might be amazed by a bite of a local snack, the maple syrup donut. It tasted really good and refreshing, injecting a warm and sweet feeling into and circling within your body as exposed out in the cold.
3/a Brattleboro: Museum of Art
The third town, Brattleboro, is pretty rustic as well, but a little fresher and moderner overall, in terms of local lifestyle. Immediately after arrival, we went to the Brattleboro Museum of Art Center and very much appreciated the exhibits of “Felt Experience”.
Every piece of the artwork is made of felts (毛氈), an ancient material with extraordinary sensorial connection between humans and animals on earth. Also, it's believed that the warmth and affection of the wool felts is able to awaken memories gained from childhood, and thus to help people make a better sense out of their interactions with the real world.
3/b Brattleboro: Main Street
After the “Felt Experience”, we then scouted the Main Street of Brattleboro all the way through, taking quite a few pictures of local churches, street arts and stuff.
In a food store, a special pack of beers caught my eyes. It's a mix of different brands brewed locally but in Austria style, “a little Austria, a lot of Vermont” as advertised outside of the pack.
A drink of beer, of course, concludes today's touristy log. Hopefully, a good sleep tonight, and a good day tomorrow!
