Hols Day 2 - Boston

Thursday Feb. 18

 

Breakfast not included. Across from the hotel is a little street with the Bean Leaf Café. This building across the street from it used to be The Flour and Grain Exchange. Only one of many pretty (and unusual) buildings.

 

 

Gosh, a lot to choose from.

 

 

Egg, spinach and feta on an English muffin for me.

 

 

We go back to our room, pack, check out and leave our luggage with the concierge.

Then we go back to the Old State House, pay our fee and visit the museum inside.

I could have taken many pictures but narrowed it down to this sampler made about 1730 by Lydia Hutchinson, sister of the reviled Governor Thomas Hutchinson.

 

 

 

There was also the skirt and petticoat which used to be Elizabeth Bull's wedding gown from about the same time. She had started sewing on this garment even before she met her future husband. Afterwards it had been altered and worn by several generations. Talk about recycling.

 

 

From there we picked up the red line which marks the Freedom Trail. We had picked up a map with explanations the day before and it is excellent. Supposedly its 2.5 miles long and gives you a very good imprecision of the town.

 

 

We passed famous places.

 

 

 

This was Paul Revere's house and is now of course a museum too. We went in and it was very interesting too.

 

 

 

 

Continuing along the red brick line. I am fascinated with a lot of houses but have to curb my photo taking. And little parks. Graveyards. Statues.

 

 

This is the Old North church (where supposedly lamps were lit in the tower which sent Paul Revere on his famous ride).

 

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Just before we came to it we saw this heart-warming monument.

 

 

 

We were allowed to view the church by making a donation. Of course taking care of a building like this is costly. It was expensive when it was built too. You could attend the service there if you bought a pew stall and kept paying yearly dues (like in a country club). You paid for places for your servants up in the balcony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You could decorate and make your pew stall more comfortable.

 

 

From the church we went around the corner to the house of one of the rich members, a chocolate merchant. But first we saw the printer in the same building.

 

 

We got a very interesting lecture on how chocolate was made and enjoyed back then.

VIDEO!

There happened to be a TV channel crew there and we were asked whether we would mind being listeners. You might see us on TV sometime. Let me know if you do.

 

 

These are some of the spices they used including chilli or anise (licorice).

 

 

No sugar added at this point and the chocolate looks like a piece of soap and is hard as a rock. You would grate it to brew it, had a chocolate pot like you had a coffee pot or a tea pot and added your sugar while you brewed it to your liking just like with tea or coffee?

 

 

Continuing on the red brick line ... we skipped going further north over the bridge though. It was beastly cold even though the sun was shing. It was only 30'F and a ghastly wind was blowing 40 miles/hr.

Sometimes in the sun in a sheltered place it was nice but then suddenly when you walked around a corner or so ...

This is the new (present) State House and Boston Common.

 

 

 

A quick visit of the fanciest Walgreens I have ever seen.

 

 

 

And then we gave up. We had seen a lot and it had been really great. Now we were frozen though. We went back to the hotel, sat in the lounge for a little while, then claimed our luggage and went on our way to the airport.

If we had known how easy it is we would not have paid for the expensive taxi coming. The underground station of the blue line was just around the corner. $2.65 For each of us. Two stops and out on the other side of the bay (or River?) and the free shuttle (which was waiting) to the airport.

We had lots of time before check-in and found a nice restaurant and had a nice dinner ... with dessert.

 

 

Finally boarding. First time we flew with SATA. I had never heard about this airline but everything was satisfactory. Lucked out with the seats.

Bye-bye Boston.

 

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