Road trip Day 1: Wrentham Village Premium Outlet - Plymouth - Cape Cod Mall - Hyannis / Barnstable

So, now I'm mobile again! Since I saw all the traffic in Boston, I've been suffering from jitters, how could I drive here?! Many people ask me if I'm not afraid of flying or traveling alone. No, the only thing that always makes me nervous is driving in an unfamiliar area. It's the same for me in Basel (right, Tami? 😊)

In the morning, I had to spend almost an hour packing my luggage into different bags again. I was picked up by a talkative Uber driver who knew Roger Federer and Shaqiri 😊

As always, the car rental station was crowded with many people, so it took about an hour for me to get into my car. I had been wondering how this works in such a big city: the Alamo office was on the ground floor and I had to pick up the car on the 7th floor. I just wanted to get out of the city and onto the highway as quickly as possible. That took 40 minutes, there was so much traffic downtown...but I enjoyed the comfortable car, I think I've never driven such a great car before! (But why I have a license plate from South Carolina instead of Massachusetts is a mystery to me 😂) Everything in the car is state-of-the-art, sometimes even too modern - there's a button for everything, you can't just adjust the seat with a lever!
Oh, and the air conditioning was so nice... the luggage was comfortably packed and a 'tube-proof' navigation device directed me out of the city. Even the logos of fast food restaurants are displayed on the navigation system 😂😂 (see photo), and it's the same on the highway! Like: 'Oh no, I'm hungry, but instead of going to Subway, I'd rather wait until the next exit and go to Panera Bread' 😂😂 #typicalamerica

Driving was so nice, it's understandable that everyone has a car here. It's a luxury and gives you so much freedom and independence 😊

My first stop was an outlet village near Boston. In the three months, I created a list of what I still wanted to buy, and now is the time! Of course, I went to Samsonite to get the second suitcase. There was a 40% discount on everything, so I paid 180 dollars for the super lightweight suitcase and also received a free handbag (tote bag). For 199 dollars, I could have bought a set of suitcases with a large suitcase and a carry-on suitcase, but the large suitcase would have been my third one already (I already have one at home) and I preferred a small one.
I also bought a few types of tea and two pieces from Columbia (2-in-1 hiking pants, short and long, and my beloved blue shirt) in the outlet village 😊
I also went to a great restaurant called 'Ruby Tuesday' in the outlet village, where they had a salad bar and good steaks.

I highly recommend this outlet, it's not too extensive, everything is nicely organized and tidy, they have good products (not just junk 😂) and - luckily for me - hardly any people!
The next stop was Plymouth, the birthplace of America, where the legend says the first pilgrims arrived. I was greeted by the smell of the sea and a pleasant breeze. That was the most bearable weather in 10 days! The little town is really cute and worth a visit, it reminded me of the harbor towns in Ireland.

After that, I continued towards my hostel (HI again). Conveniently next to it was the large 'Cape Cod Mall'. However, I only went to the great bookstore 'Barnes and Noble' for a 'short' visit. I could just buy up the whole store! (@ Rebby: I always think of your book collection when I'm there 😊) I also visited the craft store 'Michaels', which I knew from Toronto. They have such great, fluffy yarn (see pictures)!
For about a week now, I've noticed that it's already dark around 6 pm, so I drove the last stretch to the hostel in time, as I don't like driving at night when I don't know the route. On the way, I was able to capture a fantastic sunset! Is it already getting dark early where you are too?

My overnight stay here was dirt cheap, I paid about 30 dollars with my HI member card. But it was also a 6-bed room that was only occupied by 3 women (2 Germans (I met them everywhere today 😂) and me). But that's fine, because I had actually booked a 4-bed room. The hostel was right by the sea, wow! But now it's my last night in a hostel, from tomorrow on I have booked hotels and motels along my route, so I won't disturb anyone when rummaging through my luggage (appropriate words 😂)