The Freedom Trail

Brimstone Corner:
the church where they
hid gunpowder in the 1812 war

We took a tourist 'trolley' (bus tricked out to look like a trolley) around the sites, with an entertaining if loud  guide. Went past Fenway Park, the home of the Red Sox, through MIT, or 'millionaires in training', and around the various old churches and scenes of the American Revolution. After a tasty pannini - I haven't had a bad meal yet - we went on a guided walk of about half the freedom trail, a red painted or brick line that takes tourists past all the main revolutionary sites. The guide was very informative and clothed rather warmly in a period dress for the 35C temperature. We continued along past Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church where they hung the lanterns to warn that the redcoats were coming by sea. We didn't make it all the way to Charlestown, but may still get there. The ship, the Constitution, nicknamed 'Old Ironsides' (wasn't iron, just very dense wood), that was commissioned by George Washington and fought in the 1812 war is docked there.
History is very close to the surface in Boston.

The area that we ended up in is called North End and has Little Italy. Roberta was excited to see a 'Venice without the canals'. Lots of old houses, windy streets and Italian restaurants, delis and bakeries.

Tomorrow is likely to be both warmer and more humid. So much for packing long sleeves, though there may be a cool change soon.

The Granary burial ground, where Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere are all buried. There is only a memorial for Ben Franklin, as when he left Boston age 17 he said he would never be caught dead there (this from the tour guide, so entertainment-level verity)

Scene of tea party incitement. In the bicentenary in 1976, they paid Queen Elizabeth $30,000 in reparation for the destroyed tea.

Roberta at end of Long Pier, Boston Harbour

Street at Paul Revere's house, North End

Statue of Paul Revere in front of 'two if by sea' church
(steeple where they hung the lanterns not original)
You can't see it in the picture, but the statue is wearing a Bruins ice hockey jersey. Boston drew even in the Stanley Cup against Vancouver that evening.

Near the oldest tavern and oldest restaurant in the US - pity about the obscuring finger