An Evening in Orleans, Cape Cod — Nauset Beach & Skaket Sunset

 We planned to go to Orleans, Cape Cod, for the sunset, but we could leave a little early, so we decided to make a little more of the evening.

Orleans is around 95 miles from my home in Franklin. It’s a 5-mile-wide town, so within a short drive you can explore the Atlantic Ocean to Cape Cod Bay.

We reached Nauset Beach around 4:30 PM. The parking lot attendant was already gone, so I have a feeling they start leaving around 4, not 4:30. Most Cape beaches have free parking after 4:30 PM on summer days, with charged parking during the summer months, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

https://www.orleanscapecod.org/2026/08/14/nauset-beach-cape-cod-national-seashore/

Nauset Beach is a long, miles-long sandy beach. The sand is beautiful and very fine.

The water was cold, but that's what the Atlantic Ocean up north is! The waves are stronger, but the beach is beautifully smooth and sandy.

It is one of the best places to have a picnic, or maybe go for a sunrise—not in summer, but spring and fall would be a decent time. You can just walk along the beach and collect beautiful, shaped stones. 

There are bathrooms and showers, and during the day there are a lot of food trucks as well.

We stayed there for around 45 minutes and then decided to drive to Hog Island Beer Co. for a quick beer. https://hogislandbeerco.com/

A quick beer at a brewery on a sunny, warm evening.

It sounded like a good idea at that time.

The plan was to eat at some local place, but since we decided to add Nauset Beach to the evening, I wanted to have more time at the sunset beach. So we decided to just eat at the brewery.

They had live music, and it was totally packed.

Somehow, that place was full of a lot of senior citizens. And I realized that it was actually a pretty fun thing for them to get together in the evening, have a beer, and watch live music. 😊

We ordered a sausage plate, some shrimp, clam chowder, and fish and chips.

Except for the fish and chips, everything was good. The fish and chips were totally bland and didn't have much flavor.

So next time, I would probably not go there specifically for the food, but the beer was absolutely refreshing!

After that, we went to Skaket Beach. https://www.orleanscapecod.org/2025/05/01/skaket-beach/

This is one of my favorite beaches to watch the sunset. It's just a little far from my home, so I cannot do it frequently. But with two drivers, it's definitely doable.

Skaket Beach is on Cape Cod Bay, and it has low tide and tidal flats. That is probably the biggest attraction.

You have to be careful with the tide time.

The water goes about half a mile back into the bay, but it also starts coming back soon.

When we went, we could walk on a lot of the flat tidal area. But by the time we came back, the water was already up to our knees.

So be careful. Don't go too far out just because you see a huge area of exposed sand. The water can come back much faster than you expect.

This is one of the most beautiful beaches for children to play around. They have a lot of picnic tables and plenty of places to sit, even in the high-tide area.There are also foot-rinse stations and showers, which is always nice after walking around in the sand.

The best part of this evening was actually the reason we went.

I went to spend an evening with friends who are moving away to North Carolina. They had never been to Skaket Beach before.

And honestly, the best part was getting to show them something wonderful—to show them why I keep rushing to Cape Cod whenever I get a chance.

Maybe that's what I love most about these little trips. It's not just about finding a beautiful beach or watching a sunset. Sometimes it's about sharing a place you love with people you love.

A beautiful sunset, good food, a little beer, and good friends — that was a pretty perfect Cape Cod evening. ❤️

This was such a fun little part of the evening. ❤️I saw a family struggling to take a selfie, so I offered to take their picture. Just a random family, and somehow they ended up with some great family photos! The grandma couldn’t speak English, but she was so grateful. All I could hear was “gracias, gracias, gracias” multiple time.

यादों की गिरह

 तुम और तुम्हारा प्यार,

एक उलझन ही तो थे।

तुम्हारी यादों को
एक-एक करके समेटा,
धागों में बाँध दिया
सोचा,
अब ये किस्सा यहीं ख़त्म हो गया

कुछ दिन बीते...

फिर एक सुबह,
यूँ ही टहलते हुए
हवा के एक झोंके ने
जाने क्या कह दिया।

ढलते सूरज ने
कानों में आकर
ऐसा शोर मचा दिया
कि बँधा हुआ वो धागा
किसी ढलान पर लुढ़कते बॉल की तरह

धीरे-धीरे,
पूरा का पूरा खुल गया।

और तुम...
तुम्हारी वो बाँधी हुई यादें
एक बार फिर
मेरे आसपास बिखर गईं

और मैं
उन बिखरी हुई यादों में
फिर से उलझ गई

July  31st, 2026

In Search of Taste, We Found a Story

Europe has spoiled my taste buds.

We went to England and Scotland, and Mr. Husband got a taste of single malt and has stayed loyal to Scotland to this day.
A taste of real German beer made me give up Budweiser forever.
Our Switzerland trip made me realize that cheese and croissants are truly food for the soul.

And if that was not enough, Italy ruined so many things for us—in the best way.

I ate nonstop, drank beautiful wine every day, had pastries for breakfast and dessert, pasta became my best buddy, and tiramisu… well, that is the language of love.

Since we came back, we had been thinking about finding a good Italian grocery store. The North End was not quite attractive enough anymore.

Mr. Husband found a shop in the Hyde Park area of Boston. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, we decided to drive in search of the best pasta, cured meats, bread, olive oil, and cheese.

I went there for groceries, but at Tutto Italiano, I found history, stories, and love.

The 80-year-old owner—a charming, handsome gentleman, still so good-looking at his age—has a quiet warmth about him.
I heard so many stories of his arrival from Italy in 1968—his first job, meeting his wife, and his deep love for cooking.

His daughter shared a story that stayed with me. When he first met her mother and was interested in her, he wrote down his strengths and weaknesses on a paper napkin and said, “If you can deal with this, then let’s meet again.”

He worked with a shoe company and eventually started his own food business.

I got to taste his Easter pies, fresh mozzarella made by his daughter, olive oil from his farms in Italy, and beautifully curated meats.

We ended up buying a lot more than I had planned.

I will go back—not only for the groceries, but for more stories, more smiles, and that feeling of home.

Jaya's Italian journal - Italy Trip Day 10- Wednesday Oct 8th - goodbye Rome

Finally, the day came — time to wrap up and go home.But I couldn’t have left Italy without paying tribute to Amma.

I woke up early, put on one of her sarees, and off I went to the Colosseum. Her sarees have become my travel partners — light, easy to drape, and they make me feel as if she’s traveling with me.

It was still dark, and I didn’t want to deal with Google Maps or wonder if I was going in the right direction — I just wanted to reach my destination. It was supposed to be a 20-minute walk from our Airbnb, but with the metro, I reached in about 17 minutes. I must have walked almost half a mile just navigating through the different levels of Termini Station to get to the metro.

Rome was waking up. People were heading to work, trains were filling up with locals, and I hardly saw any tourists at that hour.

When I reached the Colosseum, it was beautifully lit. I had plenty of time before sunrise, so I took a short bus ride around. By the time I returned, a few people were waiting for the sunrise. It looked cloudy, and against my better judgment, I left right after sunrise. By the time I reached the Airbnb, the sun was bright and shining — lesson learned: don’t go too early before sunrise; it’s dark and no fun! Be patient and stay after sunrise, too.

We packed, got ready, and left for the airport. The last train tracks — 23, 24, and 25 — are dedicated to the airport trains. We took the super-fast Leonardo Express. There are also buses outside Termini Station that charge about €9 per person, but the 40-minute non-stop train is the easiest and costs €14. Make sure to take the Leonardo Express to the airport, not the local stop-and-go trains.

The airport, as expected for Italy’s capital, was huge and spotless.

As I boarded the plane, tired and happy, I carried home some limoncello, a couple of boxes of pasta and cheese, a few spices — and a heart full of memories. Memories of laughter, lemon groves, winding roads, ancient ruins, and countless stories that Italy so generously shared… asking me to come back soon.

Map of the Termini Station

6.05 AM line for Breakfast

Train arrived at 6.10

6.16 I was already there - another 40 minutes for sunrise

The  Rome Metro

Time to get back 

Jaya’s Italian Journal – Day 9, Tuesday, Oct 7th: Colosseum and Vatican Trip

 A crash course in Roman history would make the trip more fun. I missed my sons to explain things- A little preparation really helps.

Book your tickets months in advance through the official website. These places are reasonably priced, but most tour operators buy tickets in bulk, so when you try to book online, nothing is left.

Carry a water bottle and a backup battery for your phone!

In Rome, the Colosseum is a must-see. I’m so glad we had a 9 AM check-in. I booked through GetYourGuide, and they contracted it to Crown Tours. The people at the reception were very professional — clearly knew the best way of doing it. It was an awesome experience, and next time I’ll book directly with them.
Oh wait — the whole point of writing this is to say that nobody should buy tickets through any tour company; always book directly from the official site! May be this should be the in the list right after booking the flight.

Our tickets were stamped for 9 AM, and since it was a “skip the line” ticket (which I paid little too much), entry was smooth. You can’t enter earlier than 15 minutes before your slot, and you shouldn’t be late by more than 15 minutes either.

We spent some time exploring, but Mr. Husband was done with Colosseum quickly, so he sat outside while I went to the Roman Forum. I missed the Palatine Hill ,it would’ve taken longer and I didn’t want to keep him waiting.

From there, we took the bus to the Vatican — big mistake! We thought the bus would be a better way to see the city, but with bus change, traffic it was not fun. We somehow managed a quick lunch.

The Vatican was another story — hundreds of people in line, dozens of tours running at any given time. I’m not sure it’s for everybody.

I had bought the ticket again from GetYourGuide, but it was operated by another company called In and Out of Italy. It was also a skip-the-line ticket, so they dropped us at the museum gate, and then we were on our own.

By then, we were tired — too many people, too much rushing. The Vatican just wasn’t fun for us. I think I can handle only one big thing a day, or maybe it was just the tail end of our trip and we were worn out.

After the Vatican, we came back to the hotel, rested a bit, and later took a bus out for dinner. The restaurant Polese is a lively, family-owned place with amazing food. We ordered rice balls, meatballs, and white pasta. The house wine was excellent, and the service was warm and friendly — the perfect end to a long Roman day.

The bus ride back was quiet; my heart and stomach were full. I felt grateful for a busy, loud, beautiful, and historical Rome — with its many told and untold stories.