Rockland

Rockland is a working harbour town on the Maine coast, midway along Penobscot Bay. Large ships anchor offshore and tender passengers to a waterfront lined with brick buildings and lobster docks. Main Street runs a few blocks inland, with galleries, bookshops, and the Farnsworth Art Museum, which holds a major collection of Andrew Wyeth paintings. The Maine Lighthouse Museum, near the harbour, documents the state's maritime signalling history. The Rockland Breakwater, a mile-long granite causeway, leads out into the bay to a lighthouse at the far end. The walk is flat but uneven underfoot. Lobster is everywhere: in rolls, in bisque, steamed whole with corn and drawn butter. Prices at the harbour shacks are lower than in nearby Camden, which is more polished and about 15 minutes north. The currency is US dollars, and most places take cards, though the smaller fish shacks sometimes prefer cash.