Road trip USA East Coast Day 13 (May 10, 2024)

We set off for the White Mountains, but want to make a stop in Salem because there were terrible witch trials there in 1692, which are now being marketed profitably in modern times. There are shops all over the city of Salem with useless stuff related to witchcraft, sorcery, bats, etc. In addition, several museums offer corresponding exhibitions. We took a tour of the Salem Witch Museum... high price, but very sensational depiction of the events: in Salem, several women and men were accused of witchcraft in 1692 and hanged after short trials. The high number of accused was unique in New England at the time.

We then strolled along the Salem Witch Walk, which also takes you to historic cemeteries.

Salem was very important to me because it was the home of the author Nathanael Hawthorne, who wrote books such as "The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of the Seven Gables," which also refer to the witch trials. The House of the Seven Gables actually exists and can be visited.

Salem is also a really pretty little town with lots of historic buildings and a historic harbor. We talked to a nice woman who told us the story of a house from 1766. And she also wanted to hear about our trip: she recommended that we visit the Wildcat Tavern in Jackson for our trip to the White Mountains. Like many people we tell about our trip, she was really impressed by everything we've seen and experienced.

After 4 hours in Salem we continue on to the White Mountains. Our great accommodation is on the Wildcat Creek in a secluded property. We are the only people in the whole house and have a whole holiday apartment to ourselves.

Andreas gets hungry again in the evening, so we head to the nearest McDonalds drive-in; we also have to do some shopping, as we are planning a long hike the following day.