The new French President Nicholas Sarkozy has made a controversial decision. He is taking a vacation (en vacances) not in France, but in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Those of us who already love Wolfeboro for our vacations no doubt have mixed feelings about this, mais c'est la vie!
So, it is clearly time to seriously discuss the Top Ten Things to do en vacance in Wolfeboro.
1. Go to Bailey's Bubble and get ice cream (sorry, no French sub-titles).
2. Take the Mount Washington steamship and go to Weirs Beach, to stop at the arcades and play bumper cars with one's security staff.
3. Go to Cate Park on Wednesday and Saturday nights and enjoy music on the water.
4. While you are downtown, stop in at Black's Gift Shop and buy Wolfeboro post cards and some of the unique toys that are in the back room.
5. Take a day trip up to Squam Lake and exercise your inner Henry Fonda by taking a boat tour that traces the footsteps of "On Golden Pond".
6. Visit the closest local equivalent to Versailles by heading up to Castle in the Clouds to see the entire area from several thousand feet.
7. Re-enact the Tour de France in Wolfeboro by following the Cotton Valley bike trail for several miles en bicyclette. When the trail stops, join the work team that is extending it.
8. Take a speedboat ride in one of the several area lakes. You may enjoy going to Lake Wentworth, named after the last presiding British Governour before the American Revolution. But, watch out for the rocks!
9. Stop in at the only French restaurant in the area, Mise En Place.
10. Finally, if you miss politics, huddle with the local New Hampshire representative Carol Shea-Porter, who knows Wolfeboro very well. Or, look up Mitt Romney, who has a family place on the lake.
Bon Chance!