Day 5: Acadia National Park - Portland

Today I was able to sleep in a bit longer since I only had about four hours of driving (+ time in the park) ahead of me. In the morning, there was free breakfast at the hotel again, but I've had enough of this kind of breakfast (see photo, and today even horror news about the shooting as breakfast company on TV!). Always this tasteless bread and plastic tableware! It can't be presented nicely. And that's how I mostly experienced it on the first Intrepid tour and now on the road in motels. In the hostels, you usually had to wash the dishes yourself and the food selection was not necessarily better, but real tableware makes a big difference.

After the boring breakfast, I drove to the beautiful Acadia National Park, which I really liked: different natural beauties come together here, the sea, islands, forests, cliffs, lakes... truly unique!
After the park, I had lobster again, a lobster roll, so delicious!! The restaurant was funny, a mix of a souvenir shop and a restaurant, and many photos of famous guests like George W. Bush hung on the wall. The owner, a slightly older lady, told me that she is flying to Switzerland for vacation on October 15th 😃
The subsequent drive to Portland, where I stayed in a Travelodge again, took another 3 hours. The GPS tracking suddenly stopped working, so the map on the cover is not completely accurate. The motel was a bit outdated, there was even a tube TV! And it was another motel with too few power outlets. I had experienced this so often in the past three months. No power outlets near the bed, somewhere in the room there is one, sometimes you have to unplug another device 🙈 These motels have pros and cons compared to hostels: In the hostels, I usually had good power outlets, and there was always a washing machine and dryer in the house. Breakfast as mentioned with tableware. The advantage of Travelodges, Holiday Inns, Days Inns, Best Westerns, etc.: Private bathroom/toilet in the room, loooots of space, usually a refrigerator in the room, parking lot, and easily accessible by car! So it depends on what you expect. Motels/hotels are certainly recommended for road trips by car. Hostels are better if you want to explore cities using public transportation. They are usually cheaper, but not always! And of course, the factor of single room vs. sharing a room with others also needs to be considered when planning a trip. At the moment, it's perfect for me, I'm usually exhausted in the evening and glad to have my peace and quiet - the misanthrope 😂😂

Next to the motel in Portland, there were many shopping options, it was a typical industrial area. I particularly liked the huge supermarket 'Shaws', where I bought yogurt and blueberries to spice up my breakfast. And for dinner, salad - which was again expensive compared to fast food, but oh well. I treated myself to my dinner in a very hobo-ish way at the 24-hour laundromat 😂 This will probably be the second-to-last time I have to do laundry outside.

While the dryer was running in the laundry room, I went next door to a dollar store and bought a placemat set (bargain: 8 pieces for 20 dollars), so slowly my household items are complete. But I'll buy the rest in Switzerland 🇨🇭