Day # 11

The brochure states,

“Boston Tours, Daily Departures. Relax and Save a Marriage.”

This is an indication of the challenges of driving in Boston. Kaylyn and I elected not to. We were up at 6:30 (which did NOT feel like a vacation) to catch the bus into Boston. It was one of those little 22-passenger airport-transit-type busses. We were joined by two other couples, one from California and one from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Our tour driver was John, who was well versed in the city’s history. As he drove he described the areas of the city and pointed out the buildings and parks of interest. Our first stop was the U.S.S. Constitution, known as “Old Ironsides,” because when the British ship fired its cannons at it during a War of 1812 battle, the cannon balls literally bounced off the sides of the ship. No, it is not built of iron, but of types of wood that is amazingly strong and cut thick, and had to be cut in Central America.

Our next stop was Bunker Hill, the site of the first major battle of the American Revolution. There is a monument on the site which towers 221 feet tall. Kaylyn decided we were climbing it. But we had only ten minutes to be back to the bus. With a number of pauses to catch our breath on the way up, we made it. All 294 steps. Both of us felt wobbly-legged for the next hour, but we accomplished the goal and had a fabulous view of the city before we had to rush down to catch our bus.

We were driven past the campuses of Harvard, Cambridge and Boston University. Boston has about 60 different colleges and 200,000 students!

We stopped at the home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

At lunch time we were dropped off at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace where we scouted about the shops. Kaylyn asked a sales person to recommend a place for lunch. We thought she said “Clock’s” but it turned out to be “Clark’s” – we misunderstood the Boston accent! We had a simple meal sitting right along the street.

The driver took us to see Old North Church, where Paul Revere posted two lanterns to warn that the British were coming by sea. 

Next to the church is Copp’s Hill cemetery, where many of the graves have been moved so the stones were re-arranged closer together.

Across the street from Copp’s Hill is the “spite” house. Here is the description from Wikipedia, which matches the story the tour guide told us:

In 1874, two brothers in got into a dispute. Each had previously inherited land from their deceased father. While the second brother was away serving in the military, the first brother built a large home, leaving the soldier only a shred of property that the first brother felt certain was too tiny to build on. When the soldier returned, he found his inheritance depleted and built a wooden house at 44 Hull St. to spite his brother by blocking the sunlight and ruining his view. The outside of the house spans 10.4 feet and tapers to 9.25 feet in the rear.

Here is the craziest part – the last time this house was sold, the current owner paid something like $750,000 for it. And you can’t park in that area of the city without a sticker. If you want someone to come visit you by car, you have to get them a sticker and send it to them first! Crazy.

John took us past a number of other landmarks, such as the Massachusetts State House, the Public Gardens, and shopping and housing districts. Our final stop was Trinity Church.

We were back at the campground by 5:00, the first time on this trip we were back before dark. We warmed up some soup and spent time planning tomorrow. It is always a lot of work to plan city visits! I don’t plan to stay up late. Between getting up so early and 294 steps, I will enjoy my rest tonight.