Julian had a nice nap of nearly 2 hours which rejuvenated everyone. We popped him in the pram and he didn't protest, then we walked to the information centre in Boston Common where the Freedom Trail guided walks begin.
The walk started at 2:30pm and the rain started at 2:30pm. Bob, our guide asked us if we wanted to have a quick walking tour and then the explaination in the pub at the end - of course everyone agreed!
First stop was the Granary Burial Ground near the top of Beacon Hill. People like John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere are buried here (these are VERY important people in the early days of the American Revolution).
The white obelisk in the distance is where they think John Hancock is buried (next to his manservant/ slave Frank). There are approx 18,000 people buried here and about 2000 headstones. The headstones were rearranged in the 1920's into rows as part of the New Deal make work program!
This is the Kings Chapel and on the left of the pillars there is a small obelisk. This is to commemorate a French Aristocrat. He was coming to Boston as the French Kings Chamberlain and when he first arrived he decided that after 4months at sea that he wanted bread. He had the ovens set up on the foreshore and set the bakers to work. At the time Boston was in famine and had no grain. The smell of the baking bread set the locals off and being a French noble, he refused to share. He died from a stab wound to his left eye approx 5 hours after setting foot on shore. Sam Adams told the French king (Louis 16) that they would erect a monument in his honour to smooth things over. They didn't get around to it straight away and only erected it in 1917 when they were reminded about it just before a visit by some French diplomats! (This is why you pay the $13.65 and do the tour).
This is the old City Hall.
This is the Old South Meeting House where the famous Boston Tea Party was organised.
This is our guide, Bob. All the tour guides wear period dress, so are easy to spot around town.
This is the Old Corner Bookstore. It was a place which originally used to print litertature, then was a meeting place for famous authors such as Mark Twain, Woodsworth (can't remember more) and then it was a "first edition" bookstore which once had a signed copy of The Scarlet Letter. It was a bookstore until the 1960's. Now it is a chain restaurant (much to our guides dismay). Also of note is that they have a 10 year lease, with an annual rental of $346,000! That is a lot of Burritos!
This is the Old State House which is the site of the Boston Massacre. Our guide preferred to call it the site of the Riot on Kings road which is the event which set everything in motion. It was about an officer who had bought a wig and the wig makers apprentice who thought he hadn't paid for it. The short of it was that a soldier clobbered the kid with his musket for bad mouthing the officer. The locals then clobbered the soldier and things got worse from there. The Massacre is the result of this and only about 5 people were killed. There is a whole lot more to this story and it involves more fights and riots between soldiers and Bostonians. Our guide is going to write a book about it and I think it will be a good read.
This is Fanieul Hall - there is a market on the ground floor and an meeting hall on the first floor. This is where a lot of the organising was done for the Revolution and riots.
This is where the tour ends - a small street which is all pubs. The most modern is from the 1870's and the small one on the right of this shot is one of the earliest from the late 1700's.
This is a dolls house in the window of the one above.
We walked around the corner to the Green Dragon, est 1630's but has moved a few times, for a pint with the guide and the tour group.
Julian making friends.
Our guide had one degree in American History and another in early American woodworking which included furniture making. He showed us some of his work and it was beautiful - inlays, carving and joinery.
We walked back home via Whole Foods Market to stock up on milk, bread, ice cream, brownies etc. We got home and gave a starving Julian dinner (it was past 5:30pm). Then it was back out to feed us. I had seen a couple of good reviews on Yelp for The Paramount which is about 100m away. We walked in and got a table straight away, thank goodness. Steve ordered the Paramount burger and I ordered the Buttermilk deep fried chicken.
Mine is at the front and is swimming in a creamy corn soup and Steve's burger is hiding under that pile of onion rings. Don't people eat greens here?
Then we came home and put Julian to bed. We are currently drinking more beers and will have some ice cream with Brownie very soon. We did lots of walking today and we feel tired but not overly. The jeans are getting looser too, so all this carb-rich food isn't packing it on the hips/tummy.
Tomorrow we are going to visit the USS Constitution in the afternoon, the morning will be similar to today to give Julian a fair break from the stroller.
NOTE: I have updated Day 15 with more photos etc
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