A second day in Boston

Boston is an American history buffs nirvana.  There is so much history to see, hear and read about that it was not uncommon to encounter people who had to lay down in the parks or on the sidewalk in order to recover from the history overload they were experiencing. At least that was what I assumed they were doing.  We quickly decided to return for a second day.  Our trolley tour tickets were good for two days and we hadn't really scratched the surface of Boston's past.

On day two our first order of business was a Charles River boat tour.  We traveled down the river for several miles as the Captain narrated.  It was the end of their season so it wasn't crowded.

At one point we passed under a unique bridge.  The only place there where a boat can go under a train going under a car.  What if a plane went over, too?

We passed the campuses of both Harvard and MIT Universities.  Here we saw the Harvard rowing team's boathouse and a class underway.

The Longfellow Bridge, also known to the locals as the salt and pepper bridge because the towers look like salt and pepper shakers, is named for poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  It is currently closed to traffic while repairs are being made.

The foliage along the river was just beginning to turn.

After the river tour we followed the Freedom Trail. That's a 2 1/2 mile self guided tour through Boston pointing out many of the relevant sites in America's fight for freedom from British rule.  Beginning at the Boston Common where great speakers could pontificate.

Several cemeteries dating back to the 1600's are located along the Trail.  We saw where Paul Revere, Sam Adams, John Hancock and many other notable figures from American history are buried.

The Bell in Hand Tavern, oldest in America is right here!

Paul Revere's house is here too.

At the end of the day we navigated several streets that were not designed to accommodate modern day full size pickup trucks. In the end the prize was authentic Boston Cream Pie!