Boston, Massachusetts

It was mid-morning on an overcast fall day, September 6, 2019, when Bob and I exited our Princess cruise ship to explore the historical city of Boston.  We followed other passengers who were walking to town where we found Boston Common, Americas oldest park, and the starting point of the "Freedom Trail".

A red brick trail marks the way around the city to the historical sites along the Freedom Trail.  We were following the red line marked on this map and began near the bottom left corner.

The Massachusetts State House is next to Boston Commons on Beacon Hill acreage that was originally John Hancock's cow pasture. We then passed by Park Street Church with it's landmark steeple and then visited the Granary Burying Ground, where Benjamin Franklin's parents, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and other patriots are laid to rest.

King's Chapel and Burying Ground were nearby.  The 1754 stone chapel houses the oldest continuously used American pulpit and the belfry holds an 1816 Paul Revere bell that still rings today. I liked the quaint chapel with it's family pews.  Outside in the cemetery, there were lots of skulls and wings represented on the headstones.  My favorite was Joseph Tapping's (last photo below), which features a skeleton and Father Time battling over the eventuality of death.

We passed by America's first public school, (where Benjamin Franklin attended before dropping out of school) Old City Hall, and arrived at the Old Corner Bookstore - now Chipotle.  It was the center of American book publishing in the mid 1800's for authors such as Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Mark Twain.

The Old South Meeting House was where the revolution started as colonists gathered to protest a tax on tea.  The Old State House was the seat of British colonial power and was the center for passionate debate.  When the people of Boston first heard the Declaration of Independence read from it's balcony in 1776, they tore down the lion and unicorn statues, symbols of royal authority, in defiance of the King.  The circle medallion in front of the building marks the Boston Massacre Site.

Faneuil Hall is referred to as "the home of free speech" and "the Cradle of Liberty".  It has been a public meeting hall and marketplace for more than 270 years.  Faneuil Hall Marketplace is actually four great places in one location – Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, North Market and South Market. Faneuil Hall was under renovation, but directly behind it, Bob and I entered Quincy Market to enjoy some "Bawston Clam Chowda" and watch a demonstration on use of the antique printing press.

From here we walked toward "Little Italy" and discovered the Paul Revere House.  Built around 1680, it is the oldest remaining structure in downtown Boston and is the only official Freedom Trail site that is a home. Paul Revere and his family lived here when he made his famous ride on April 18-19, 1775.  Bob and I stopped to purchase some Boston Creme Pie and other decadent pastries from the famed Italian bakery, "Mike's Pastry".  Wow, what a delicious treat!  (I gave Bob the choice of sampling some "Boston Baked Beans" instead of the "Pie", knowing before hand which he would choose!)

We walked past the "Brownstones" toward the Old North Church, Boston's oldest church building, where two signal lanterns were hung in the steeple to alert Patriots outside of Boston that the British were marching to Lexington and Concord by river and not land, launching the American Revolution.  Up the hill from there, we stopped at Copp's Hill Burying Ground.  Some of the tombstones are riddled with the marks of British bullets. I overheard a guide explaining that the the graves marked with both a big and small stone were not because a child was buried with a parent, but that they were essentially a headboard and foot-board marking a single grave site.  I appreciated the explanation of the images found on most headstones during the 1700-1800's.
 

Bob and I walked across the Charles River to complete our tour of the Freedom Trail.  We visited the Navy Yard where the USS Constitution is docked.  This ship was launched in Boston in 1797 and was nicknamed "Old Ironsides" during the War of 1812.  She is still a commissioned United States Navy warship with a crew of naval officers and enlisted personnel.

The Constitution is a handsome ship.  I think I've got a pretty good idea of the next model ship we might have to purchase for Bob to assemble!  We also stepped aboard the USS Cassin Young, a destroyer that was used in seven Pacific battles during World War II.  There was a nice view of Boston across the river.

We left the harbor to walk up to the distinctive Bunker Hill Monument.  It was a nice walk through a classy neighborhood on the North side of town.  The Battle of Bunker Hill marks one of the first times Colonial fores held their own against the British army - but at a tremendous cost.  "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes" is the legendary order believed to have been uttered here on Breed's Hill.  As a child, I used to compete with my six brothers, pushing and scrambling over one another upon our parents bed while trying not to fall off, but to end up on top of any survivors.  The winner would claim to be the "King of Bunker Hill".  I quickly sent a photo to my brothers, declaring myself the "Queen" of Bunker Hill!

As we climbed into a Taxi and headed back to the ship, I told Bob that I really liked Boston.  It was a fun city to visit and I was grateful for the opportunity to do so.  As it turned out, because of Hurricane Dorian, our captain had decided that we would remain in port in Boston until the following afternoon instead of visiting Bar Harbor, Maine.  We were sorely disappointed, because that was one port we were very excited about and had even arranged for a bi-plane flight over the island.  So, the following morning, we spent the morning aboard the Caribbean Princess and set sail toward the Bay of Fundy later that afternoon.

Farewell to Boston and on to Canada.