Day 21 - Boston Freedom Trail

Decided it was time to tackle the freedom trail since it stopped raining and been souvenir shopping. As soon as this decision was made it started to pour with rain again so up went the brolly and it is hard to photograph with a brolly but it was way too hot and humid to wear the jacket.

The beginning of the freedom Trail

So I followed the red brick road so to speak hehe… to the Old State house. The site was where the Boston Massacre which formed the resistance to the British revolution. John Adams said that this was where the child of independence was born because it was where he first read the Declaration of Independence for the first time in the USA. 

The Old State House 

Do you love the history lesson or what?  It was hard to keep all this straight because they have so many significant figures in history this is why I had a travel journal and it came in handy in Boston. 

Old and New - I love Boston

Although I left it on the bus this day because of my attempt to offload anything I didn’t need.  

The Freedom Trail

My next stop was the old corner bookstore which was so quaint and it was located opposite the Irish famine memorial. Basically it was the memorial to the Irish immigrants which Boston didn’t want because it was create a slum problem along with potential health issues. This problem was created in Ireland with crop failure and to this day there is a strong Irish population that is in Boston over anywhere else in the USA.

The Irish Famine Memorial

I made my way to the Old South meeting house which was a puritan meeting house and it was also the decision was made to pour the tea into the bay because they didn’t want to pay the taxes.

The Story behind the Irish coming to Boston

Next stop is Kings Chapel which was so beautiful and pretty with the historic burial ground next door. It was a church that was used by the British troops which ended up being too small for the families and the troops in the end. But that is where it got its name from because it was built for mother England.

Follow the red lights along the Trail

The burying ground is the oldest in the Boston proper and the only one for 30 years and contains the gravestone of Mary Chilton which was the first lady to step off the mayflower. They also had a habit of disinterring and reburying so no one knows who is actually buried there.  I find that one a little bit quirky. 

Old City Hall

I stopped in at Old City Hall which was so pretty with the dark stone building surrounded by lush very green parkland. I think it is a restaurant now but it is a mini paradise in the middle of the Boston hustle and bustle. 

Inside Kings Chapel

My next stop was the Granary Burial Ground which houses the tombstones of Benjamin Franklin's parents, Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams and many more. 

Granary Burial Ground - with the obelisk
that is the Benjamin Franklin parents 

I wandered towards the Park Street Church which is where the First Abolitionist speech towards the ending of slavery was given. It was not only the first landmark that people saw when they arrived into Boston but it began the cornerstone for social causes.  

One of the gravestones at Kings Chapel

My headache was starting to take over so I pulled over to pull the jacket out of the backpack and I remembered I had some postcards to mail. So did all that and tried to find a toilet as well. 

Park Street Church Steeple

Went to Hungry jacks and it was a huge queue that is the only thing letting Boston down is no public toilets on the Freedom trail. You can only use the toilets if you pay for the museums at the different halls. I ended up at a bagel shop but I had to buy something first so 2 bottles of water, toilet stop and I really wasn’t feeling much better.

The Beautiful Old Carousel

Walked through Boston Common and not really enjoying it because my feet were aching and my neck was killing along with the throbbing head. It was the first day that all I wanted to do was get back to the hotel right now.

A Boston Common Squirrel

I wandered around Boston common and got a closer look at the state house but I really needed to get back to the hotel and wasn’t going to make it back to the pickup point and wait for 4pm. 

Old State House 

So I made the decision to skip Harvard L and head to the T Train. I wandered through Boston Common and the lawn was covered in Squirrels so I sat down and just enjoyed them for a while to give my neck a rest. Boston Common has seen cattle graze on it, the redcoats assemble before they set off to battle, Martin Luther King II speak, Pope John Paul give mass, anti war protests and still used to this day for concerts, fireworks and protests.  Also saw the Frog pond which in winter it is a skate pond and the beautiful old Carousel.

Frog Pond - Skate pond in Boston Common

Then I made my way to the Boston Public Park which was beautiful and also had the Make for the duckling’s statues which is the story from Robert McCloskey which is a story about some ducks that decide to make the island in the Boston public garden their home. It was really cute so I enjoyed just sitting there for 5 mins while I waited for everyone to finish and got some photos without any one there.

Make way for the ducklings Statue 

Wandered through the gardens which were beautiful even through the rain and got some photos but I needed to get to the T Train and back to the hotel or it was going to get ugly.

Boston Park 

I took the train back and almost passed out from the humidity in the station but I needed assistance in getting back because there were 2 lines go back to the area and I couldn't remember which one Christina has told us. The assistant told me to catch the particular one and it ended up being the wrong one. I had to work out where I was then walk to the hotel from there which took another 10mins and I probably would have enjoyed the autumn colours more along St Paul Street along with the beautiful brownstone terrace homes but I seriously needed my special drugs. 

Along Boston Park 

Finally made it back and there was no one around so I could get back to my room without being asked 20 questions of what I had been up too. Took one of my tablets and went to asleep for 2 hours and felt so much better. While it was a dull throb it was better at least. So I ordered some pizza from one of the places that I had seen last night but it was going to take 45 mins so I went for a swim thinking it might help.

the church Steeple which was right above the  T Train 

I really wanted to go the restaurant to chat with Elizabeth again but I really didn’t feel up to it and spending any time chatting to everyone. So I went to the hot tub with some of the welsh crew and just enjoyed that for a while. Also went for a quick swim but thought I should go back and enjoy a hot shower before the pizza got there.

Boston Park

Pizza arrived and it wasn’t as yummy as I hoped for some bizarre reason I always crave pizza after I have my special migraine tablets it is a weird reaction. The BBQ sauce was too zingy for me and the chicken was a bit dry so wasn’t as nice was I hoped. So I just relaxed that night with some additional milder drugs and watched Greys Anatomy and Private practice in the episodes that hadn't shown in Australia even now.  Also finished a blog post FINALLY but repacked with all the washing that was finally dry and got ready for the next day in heading to Quebec. Overall i loved Boston and would love to come back in a heartbeat and would love to see Harvard and do the Freedom trail not in the rain and humidity without the impending migraine.