On Thursday we left Palmyra and drove the 6 hours to Boston. We had planned a fun day in Boston as the culmination of our trip (also it was the cheapest flight home after Palmyra). The Boston Celtics had just won the NBA championship so we also found out that there was a parade scheduled on Friday...and the parade route ran right in front of our hotel. We knew that we would want to be sure to get away from the parade chaos on Friday as soon as possible.
The drive into Boston was uneventful. When we got there it was 95 degrees and humid - we were melting. Our room wasn't ready so we braved the heat and took a walk to the Boston Commons, which was one block away from our hotel (Omni Parker House - home of the Boston Cream Pie and Parker House rolls). Boston Common is featured in the children's book "Make Way for Ducklings". The kids were too hot to explore much of the garden, but we did find the ducks....
Once we were in our hotel room, we opted to relax and cool off before Friday.
Friday we were up early to get going. We did the Freedom Trail - marked by a double brick line that starts and Boston Common and ends at the USS Constitution. We really enjoyed this day. There were people decked out in green heading to the parade, while we were heading away.
Benjamin Franklin statue
Site of the Boston Massacre
All the green.....
And more green - and this was just a little
Cutest little pub that has been a pub since the 1700s. Daniel Webster, the dictionary Daniel, used to come here!
The weather cooled off and was quite delightful. We saw and learned about what happened in some of the oldest buildings in Boston (also in the United States). We saw places like Faneuil Hall (funnel hall), Paul Revere's House, The Old North Church, and the Old State House. We really loved it.
South Church
Faneuil Hall
We did end up at the USS Constitution but they were holding a change of command ceremony and we were tired. Soooo, Josh had a brilliant change of plans idea. We grabbed smoothies for lunch, took the ferry back to the wharf, and ended up on a whale watching tour that was amazing! The gorgeous weather held until our boat returned to the wharf. We walked a couple blocks to Quincy Market for dinner and while there it started to RAIN. After eating we ran back to the hotel to dry off and pack up.
Saturday was our day to go home. We let the girls sleep in since with the time change it would be a 20 hour day for them. They didn't seem sad about it....
Josh and I visited the Old Granary Burial ground, where many Patriots and signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried. Also two of my ancestors (!!). It's a pretty cool place. Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, the parents of Benjamin Franklin, and other notables are buried here.
We grabbed breakfast for the kids, ate with them, packed up, got in the car, and drove back to the USS Constitution. We spent the morning exploring the ship and then enjoying the museum, both of which were a lot of fun for everyone. Then it was time to head to the airport.
Low ceilings. Some of us had to duck, some of us didn't.
They still take her out twice a year to sail.
Museum quest...
The trip home had a few snags but we were blessed with miracles along the way.
1. Our flight was 1 hour late departing, which put our 1 hour layover in jeopardy.
2. The pilot was able to make up about 20 minutes of time in air. (yay)
3. Those of us with short connections were allowed to get off the plane first (thank you!)
4. We ran through the terminal, took a train, and ran through a second terminal to our gate and MADE it...to find that our flight was delayed by 20 minutes. It left us just enough time for a quick bathroom trip.
5. On our second flight there was a medical emergency for another passenger so drink/food service never happened and our bathrooms were unaccessible (the first class bathroom had to be shared by the whole plane). Additionally there was enough turbulence that they had us seated and buckled most of the time, which made us very glad for the pit stop between flights we were able to have.
6. In spite of all - our checked bags made it to Medford and we got home at the time we had planned - super grateful to sleep in our own beds!
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