To Boston and Back

This is by far the longest post in my blogging history but I just couldn’t help myself. Cameron got a free airplane ticket with work so we decided to use it for our anniversary and fly as far as we could. We flew to Boston on the 16th and came back on the 19th. The trip was short but sweet and we walked so much I had shin splints by the end. Cameron says he loved the trip but being the history buff I am, I was in heaven! If it wasn’t so far away, I could live there (on the outskirts).

Day 1: Lexington, Concord, & Salem Massachusetts

If you are ever in Massachusetts, Lexington and Concord are a must see! Here are a few things we did…

We took a trolley called the Liberty Ride and saw all the major sights of the beginning of the revolutionary war. I couldn’t get enough! This is at the Lexington Green where the first shot was fired.

This bridge in Concord is where the war actually began and several British died there.

Many of the original homes and taverns are still around. It feels like you are stepping back in time. Nothing in Massachusetts looked younger than a hundred years. They build everything that way (except the skyscrapers).

There are several very old graveyards we walked through. Everyone in this graveyard died in the 1700’s.

This area was also the hub for philosophers and writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Louisa Alcott (Little Women) who were all friends. Top left is Cameron by Thoreau's statue and his house/shack on Walden Pond (he lived there for more than two years). We have this picture in front of the pond but the picture doesn’t do it justice.

This was Louisa May Alcott’s home. I thought the house inside was amazing. Almost all of the furnishings were the Alcott’s and I stood next to the desk where ‘Little Women’ was written. I could write a page about the house but I’ll stop. It truly was a highlight in my life.

Alcott’s home above (Concord) and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s home below (Salem)

We went to this freaky museum about the Salem witch trials which told us it was okay to be a witch nowadays as long as you are a Wicca. We laughed. The home below is called the Seven Gables and one of the oldest homes in America – 330 years old! Like all the old homes we went through, we couldn’t take any pictures inside.

Day 2: Boston

We walked the freedom trail (a red line through out the city taking you to all the revolutionary war history cites) but one day just wasn’t enough. The entire day felt rushed. This was Bunker Hill and we hiked up the 297 steps to the top of the monument and this was the view from the top.

Top left is the Old North Church where the lanterns were hung to warn the patriots. Top right is Paul Revere. Bottom left is Paul Revere’s home. Bottom right is just the city.

Above is the Old South Meeting House (where the Boston Tea Party began). Bottom left is where the Boston Massacre too place. Bottom right is a Tall Ship or Schooner we rode on. She hoisted her sails and maneuvered around the Boston Harbor.

For any Red Sox fans out there, we took a Trolley to Fenway Park and other random sights of the city.

Day 3: Plymouth

We went to this amazing museum called the Plymouth Plantation that recreated the native village and British settlement as if it was 1621. The natives were true ancestors from the area but the British were actors. These people come everyday and live as if in that time period. They even brought their children with them. I sat and watched a baby crawl around in her deer skin clothing playing with twigs. Once again, it was like I was stepping back in time.

They planted their corn like aunt hills. The tall structer in the middle of the field is where they would put their kids while they worked. That way they watch them. Kind of like a high rise pack and play.

Now I understand why the pioneers thought that Utah was ugly and barren.

The man above was working in this field before we stopped and talked with him. I think he was grateful to have a break.

Cameron next to Massasoit, his ancestor.

Below is where the Mayflower landed. Inside the memorial is the rock above. Most call it Plymouth Rock but in the words of our Bostonian friend Steve, it should be called Plymouth Pebble. It was a little bit bigger than my coffee table.

This Mayflower II was remade after the original one. They crossed the ocean with it in the 1950’s.

This is the Jenny Mill, first Mill in America. They showed us how it worked.

We stayed with our friends, Steve and Lindsay Bullock, who live in Boston. We wouldn’t have made the trip if they didn’t live there. Thanks again!!