Once uponce a time, some people in England got tired of religious persecution, having their homes raided and being imprisoned. So they fled to the Netherlands, where everybody knows, anything goes. And that was back in 1609!

They lived there for a few years but when their children started talking Dutch, (vell, vhat's vrong about dat? you might ask) and marrying some Dutchmen, they decided to head out of Dodge. Well, actually Leiden.They thought maybe putting an ocean's distance between them and the good old King of England and the Anglican Church would solve their problems. So they hooked up with the London Virginia Company who was going to let them settle a colony in the New World at the mouth of the Hudson River.They boarded the Mayflower and set forth from the English port of Plymouth carrying 102 settlers in 1620.They called themselves Pilgrims because a pilgrim is someone who undertakes a pilgrimage, which means, 'far afield.' Traditionally, a pilgrimage is a visit to a place of some religious or historic significance, and often a considerable distance is traveled.When land was sighted, they didn't have a patent to land there. Then at another site, they got into trouble with some Native Americans. Rejecting site after site, finally the wives said "Enough is enough! Find a parking spot or else!" (That version may not be found in the history books.)Thus, the landing on Plymouth Rock.A harsh winter, losing half their numbers, unable to speak the native language, our Pilgrims had quite the adventure.Fast forward 391 years later. On March 4, a rag tag band of five modern day Pilgrims, set forth in a land-worthy GMC Envoy with Captain George at the helm. They were on a pilgrimage to the harbor of Plymouth, Massachusetts, in search of Nephropidae, large marine crustaceans, otherwise known as lobsters. This was a Lobster Pilgrimage-a spiritual pursuit.It was smooth sailing and they made their first stop in the beautiful port of Mystic, Connecticut. There they stretched their legs as they roamed the grounds of the Mystic Aquarium. Their next stop was Mystic Pizza. The natives did not serve these Pilgrims maize (corn) but instead, a delicious pizza with a sauce that is considered "mystic." Mystic Pizza is the same place where the Julia Roberts' 1988 movie "Mystic Pizza" was filmed. The restaurant was loaded with atmosphere, the walls adorned with photos and articles from the movie, and a life-size replica of Julia Roberts' character, Daisy Arujo, in an outfit she wore in the movie, complete with the famous "A Slice of Heaven" t-shirts that the waitresses still wear today.After a leisurely walk along the picturesque bay with a marina, our Pilgrims were ready to be on their way to Lobster Heaven.When our 2011 Pilgrims landed in Plymouth, they walked into hotel luxury. They frolicked in the heated pool with a water slide, much to the delight of young Mistress Abby, and a hot tub built in the shape of the Mayflower, much to the delight of Master Harry, Mistress Linda, Mistress Diane and Captain George. A far cry from what those 1620 Pilgrims experienced, I betcha.There was no need for exploration of the countryside for dinner. Having made several excursions to Plymouth before, as well as Captain George and his lovely wife, Mistress Diane, having lived there years ago, our intrepid Pilgrims headed straight for Wood's at the end of the pier where an order of two whole live 1 1/2 lbs. steamed lobsters with melted butter, french fries and cole slaw was exchanged for the extremely reasonable wampum of $22.95."Now this is a slice of heaven," sighed Mistress Linda as a trickle of butter slid down her chin.Throughout their stay, some ate lobster roll, fried lobster, lobster in rich savory sauces with pasta. Except Mistress Linda, who really didn't see herself so much as a Lobster Pilgrim, but more of a Lobster Purist, since she even opted to dine alone at Wood's just so she could indulge in more steamed whole lobsters instead of the namby pamby bits of lobster swimming in a sauce that only served to cover up the succulent sweetness of pure lobster that some others chose. But that is the beauty of life in the New World-it affords you the freedom to eat lobster the way you like it.They visited local shops seeking treasures and indulging in culinary delights such as the most delicious and decadent cupcakes they ever had at Charlie's Cupcakes.Our Pilgrims began their journey back to Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon. But not before Captain George made a slight detour to East Hartford, Connecticutt, where he and Master Harry scouted the mecca of men's retail territory of Cabela's, because it was his birthday.As the fearless Captain guided the weary travelers on through horrendous wind and rain, he used his navigational tool to guide them to a place where they could rest and enjoy a hearty repast. No, the navigational tool was not a compass or sextant but an amazing little box with the voice of a man with an English accent named Nigel, who guided him to a lovely restaurant named Scribners, with a few "Recalculating" instructions here and there.After countless rounds of travel games, they returned home safely from their Lobster Pilgrimage. And so our little tale of our modern-day Pilgrims comes to an end.Unlike their forefathers, who encountered hardships of persecution, rough-seas-travel and uncertainty of what they would find in their journey, they arrived home bloated, gaseous, well-fed, spoiled rotten and very glad to be living in the 21st century.In other words, everyone lived happily ever after, with dreams of their next pilgrimage already dancing in their heads. I believe this one will be in search of sand, sea and sunburn. I think seafood figures heavily into this one as well.The End.