Several years later I was able to visit Portsmouth again in the early spring, it was amazing how different it was compared to winter. During the May when I visited, they had some festival going on so the streets were packed with people and the weather was about perfect. It was hard to believe this was the same city.

Most cities in American have an equal mix of international foods, but Portsmouth had mostly European restaurants. Irish bars are popular all over America, but this was my first time ever seeing a British Pub.

Just east of Portsmouth is a very small historic town called New Castle on a little island. It’s close enough to be considered part of Portsmouth in my opinion, but officially this is a separate town. The island is mostly made up of upper class neighborhoods filled with several parks and some beautiful scenery. There were a lot of people jogging down the streets and people kayaking out in the water enjoying the spring weather. On the left is a photo of some of the islands that I passed by as I entered New Castle. Above are two photos from Fort Constitution which was founded by the British in 1632 but was taken with force by a mob of villagers in 1774 before the revolutionary war started. The British sent a frigate to try to retake the fort, but eventually abandoned it to the colonists who used the weapons and supplies for the siege of Boston that came two years later. Today, it’s mostly famous for the remains of the fort which had been upgraded over the years and the lighthouse.