Autumn in the valley, winter on the mountain, and a princess who supposedly never checked out.
We took this photo of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Hotel last week. The fall colors were still going strong below, and the mountain was already covered in snow. I love this time of year up here.
The hotel opened in 1902 after more than 250 Italian craftsmen spent two years building it. It had its own power plant and eleven miles of plumbing. Just imagine what it took to build a place like this in the White Mountains back then.
According to hotel lore, Princess Carolyn, the original owner’s widow, still visits Room 314. She’s said to appear at the foot of the bed brushing her hair. So there’s a little something to think about when you’re trying to fall asleep. (I’ve personally stayed in this room many times and have some stories…)
In 1944, representatives from 44 nations gathered here for the Bretton Woods Conference, laying the foundations for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. A pretty remarkable piece of world history tucked away in the New Hampshire mountains.
And Mount Washington’s summit has recorded snow in every month of the year, including July, along with a 231-mph wind gust in 1934. Winter runs on its own schedule up there.
It really is one of New England’s most wonderful hotels. Hard to blame the princess for wanting to stay.