It's Going to be Cold, and Grey, and it is Going to Last...A Couple of Months

So, it's winter. It's really, and truly, winter in New England. At least for this week. The term "Polar Vortex" has been thrown about lately, and maybe I watch too much Doctor Who, but frankly, I'm a little underwhelmed. Or, maybe I'm just cold. I suppose that if the Time Vortex allows one to travel to different places in time, a Polar Vortex allows one to travel to different places in cold. Given the various shades of cold (brisk, nippy, icy, frigid, *ing COLD) we've experienced over the past few days, I'd say that's pretty accurate.

The point of this is that this past weekend, Sarah and I traveled the Polar Vortex to a frigid Durham for back-to-back UNH hockey games, while spending the night at The Three Chimneys. Now, we've had lunch there (Sarah's had two), I've hung out in a guest room, and we've toured the grounds a couple of times, but we'd not actually stayed there. We finally did, and here are some impressions:

1. The insulation is about as good as one would expect for a house built in the 1600's. Well, that's not entirely fair. There was SOME insulation, I'm sure, just not much. Thankfully, we got a room with a fireplace. Hopefully this won't be an issue for our guests in August, but that pesky Polar Vortex...
2. Speaking of the Polar Vortex, if some Frost Giants should happen to slide their way through, and need a place to stay, I would recommend The Three Chimneys, as it was apparently built at a time when humans were at least a foot taller than we are today (crazy lumberjacks!). Fortunately, they provide little step stools on each side of the bed so that you can climb in. That's not even a joke. The beds are HIGH. Even more importantly, be sure to use the stool when getting OUT of bed. Not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything, but it's a long way down if you forget.
3. We decided to have dinner there before the game on Friday night, and it was our first time eating at the ffrost-Sawyer Tavern, and let me tell you, the extra 'f' is for FLAVOR (it's lowercase because they're New Englanders, and are naturally humble). Sarah had a lobster scampi, while I went with the salmon poached in a lobster coconut curry broth. If either of those sound delicious, it's because they were. We know it's not necessarily indicative of the quality of food they'll prepare for the wedding, but if that's only half as good as what we ate on Friday night, we'll be in good shape.
4. The beds are comfy, though the pillows are inconsistent. If you are a pillow snob, you may want to bring the one on which you're most used to sleeping. Don't feel embarrassed - I will be bringing my own. Noise in the carriage house might be a factor, as with the lack of insulation, there isn't much soundproofing between rooms. A noise machine, fan, or earplugs may be in order. Pretty sure the people in the room above us let their kids jump on their bed Saturday morning. For a few minutes, anyway. Just something to keep in mind.

All in all, it's about what we expected. Quaint, lovely, and delicious. We're looking forward to going back.

Oh, and most importantly, UNH swpet the weekend series. Stay warm and safe, everyone!