Salem over summer

Achaamma visited over the summer. Their first visit to the US. I was nervous about them meeting Mike's family in Long Island. But it all went smoothly, as did the Chicago leg of the visit right after. Then we brought them to Salem, making day trips to nearby towns or Boston. I stressed out a bit about making this a pleasant experience for them. I didn't feel ok leaving them alone with the TV...even though I did, or letting Amma cook much. The truth is back home, Amma takes such care of everyone, and I can't or am not willing to do even a quarter of it. So when she helped out I felt like I was giving in and when I didn't let her do stuff, I felt like an unyielding matron. I made peace with it eventually because I was never going to do anything differently. But on the whole, I was happy to make them happy, and for them to see me happy. When they got back to India Amma told me that she was too lazy to deal with work after relaxing so much.

Amma on a windy evening in Marblehead 

Phase 2 of summer was just me, Mike and Salem. The truth is we missed each other while my parents were around. With two additional human beings in the house, there was more teamwork on tasks between Mike and me, but fewer one-on-one chats. We have made up for it. We have, without the chore of supervision, wandered all through Salem and discovered its charming but hidden streets, the shops and the spots.

To begin with, this is the Salem of the Salem witch trials. Call it a curse or a charm, this place is now a mecca for all things witchcraft. Once you absorb this fact, you learn to accept the n no. of witch themed shops whose offerings range from wands to sandwiches.

Gabble gabble gooble

I haven't visited the witch museums yet. But I did go to the House of Seven Gables. Even though I haven't read this or any other book by Nathaniel Hawthorne, it was nice to go through a house that inspired the scenes in a book. There is something appealing about stories with a beloved house at its center.The guide described the book as one of the first to combine romance, mystery and treasure hunt genres and prompted an impulse purchase.

Salem has many nice streets you can meander along. The cobbled roads, brick houses with crown mouldings, the New Englandness, the lighthouse, the sea and the remnants of seafaring. It has a bunch of easy breezy restaurants. But most excitingly, I have discovered several good sweet shops.

The first one is Harbor sweets. The "factory" is on one end of the shop building. Even from outside the building, we were breathing chocolate. I sampled milk chocolate with crunchy almond nougat and Mike got a sampler box. I loved what I got. Mike's stuff was ok, though I do not care for the chai-as-a-flavor trend.

There are several cafes, but not many bakeries in Salem. There is a bakery with tasty but expensive-because-it-is-gluten-free cupcakes. Other than that I haven't seen any glutenous or otherwise cupcake places around. But there is french patisserie, with a somewhat novel range of pastries. The reason I took to it so is because I love a good lemon tart. But in my experience the lemon filling is always either too sweet or sour or creamy or eggy or buttery and if nothing else the crust is a disaster. But the one here felt right on my tongue. They top off the tart with these voluminous meringues and the whole thing is perfectly satisfying. My husband on the other hand, made the mistake of ordering a white chocolate macaron infused with basil.

The third find is another chocolate shop. A chance discovery during one of our walks and right opposite to the Gables. The signboard says Ye Olde Pepper Company. From the outside, it does not look like a functioning shop. But once inside, I ordered everything that caught my fancy. Thankfully, I am not partial to dark chocolate or fruit, so that whole batch was out. My favorites were the milk chocolate swiss fudge and something called a figaro with hazelnuts in it. Both were identical in texture, gentle melt in your mouth chocolate cubes.

Beyond the sweet shops I am rather fond of the Peabody Essex museum. On our first visit, they were exploring the history of shipliners. I was into it, especially since deco was all the rage during the industry's heyday. The museum keeps changing its theme apparently. The newest one is a collection of classic horror art. More than anything else, the museum promises something fun and new to look forward to.

We have been buying fresh fish regularly from a shop nearby, which is a nice feeling. So is the presence of a tastefully stocked wine and cheese shop. Our location is super convenient though I still miss the roominess of the old apartment. And there are no Indian groceries nearby, other than in Lowell or Boston. But we also live right next to the T, and the rides to Boston are shorter and more frequent than from Lowell.

For now, there is a Farmer's Market on Thursdays. We meandered through the tents on one or two occasions. I never need anything from the market, but I like the experience of it, how it brings the sunny-hearted people out.