USA 2017 - Laura does the Boston Freedom Trail

It was Laura's last full day in the USA and she was visiting the city of Boston, with our friends as tour guides.  It was a glorious warm day and Laura was looking forward to exploring the Boston Freedom Trail, as the city was the scene of many 'firsts' in US history in the struggle for freedom and human rights.

Sailing boats on the river as we approached Boston

On the way to the Old South Meeting House Laura paused outside the Old State House Museum and Massacre site - she didn't go inside, though she was interested to know that within this building John Adams, John Hancock, John Adams and others debated self-government and set in motion the American Revolutionary War which she had learned about the previous day.

The Old South Meeting House - the start of the Freedom Trail.  This was a church where many famous abolitionists had met and worshipped together

The sign about the Old South Meeting House

Phyllis Wheatley was a young black woman born in Africa and sold as a slave in childhood, unusually she had been educated by her Boston owners and became a famous poet.  She had worshipped at the Old South Meeting House church.

Laura learned about the fugitive slaves who had escaped from slavery and made their way away from the slave states to freedom

Laura read about Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 book about slavery which Abraham Lincoln said was "the little book that started the great war".

There was plenty of information about the women who had been involved in the fight for freedom and equal rights, including Louisa May Alcott who lived in Boston on and off throughout her life.

After leaving the Old South Meeting House, Laura and her family made their way to The Kings Chapel, where Louisa May Alcott's mother Abby May had worshipped as a child.

On the way to The King's Chapel, Laura saw the pavement commemorating the site of the Boston Latin School, the first school in the USA (1685)

In The King's Chapel it was good to sit down and rest in the cool building as it was very hot outside

There was a beautiful organ in the gallery in The King's Chapel but no one was playing it at the time Laura visited

Louisa May Alcott's baby brother was buried in the old burial ground alongside King's Chapel

Outside The King's Chapel, two Ducks were passing by. Laura didn't have time for a ride.

Boston Ducks (amphibian transport)

Next Laura visited the Granary Burial Ground where the Boston Massacre victims of 1770 and Paul Revere were buried.

Granary Burial Ground 1660

Grave of Samuel Adams, one of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence

Grave of the Boston Massacre victims

The Granary Burial Ground

Laura's next stop on the Freedom Trail walk was the Boston Common of 1654, which is now a public park.  It was so hot that the most important thing was to find some refreshment and shade.

Sign for Boston Common

Enjoying freshly squeezed real Lemonade and ice in the shade at Boston Common

After a good rest, there was some more walking as Laura wanted to see the Boston Italian quarter.  On the way there, through several streets, Laura was amused to see the Steaming Kettle, a famous Boston landmark (the shop below is now occupied by a coffee chain).

Boston's Steaming Kettle

Laura and her family enjoyed lunch at Mother Anna's restaurant on the edge of the Italian quarter

However after the main course for lunch, the place to go was Mike's Pastry - home of Boston Cannoli

Boston Cannoli from Mike's Pastry

A short distance from the home of Boston Cannoli is the Paul Revere house, the oldest surviving house in Boston.  It is furnished as it would have been in Paul's time (however, like Orchard House, photos are not allowed inside) so Laura had to remember what she saw to tell the other Sasha's about later.

Sign on the side of The Paul Revere House

In the visitor's centre it was possible to take photos, and Laura was fascinated by a miniature version of Paul Revere's silversmith workshop.  Apart from his famous ride to Lexington on 19 April 1775, Paul was famous for his metal craft which included silver smith work and a bell foundry.

Laura admired the model of the Silversmith workshop, with Paul Revere and his employees at work

Paul Revere's craftsmanship was excellent - these were some of the things he made

Outside the museum was one of the bells which Paul Revere's company had cast

The big bell on its ringing frame

The statue, near the Old North Church, commemorating Paul Revere's famous ride

Sign for the Old North Church

Inside the Old North Church the organ was being played in rehearsal as the tourists wandered around

Laura was interested to learn that the steeple of the Old North Church had been paid for originally by Honduras Merchants then later when it was toppled a second time in a hurricane, children and public subscription had raised the money for its restoration

Out in the streets of the Boston Italian quarter, there was a Catholic religious festival in full swing, celebrating Saint Agrippina. Laura had not encountered a street festival like this in her trip to Rome in 2015.

Banner for the Saint

Street shrine for Saint Agrippina

A marching band playing for the Saint

The street festival for the saint was noisy, fun and bright, there were lots of food stalls however Laura was still full of Cannoli so didn't need any more food.  She made her way back to near the start of the Freedom Trail to see the Holocaust Memorial.

The Boston memorial to the victims of the Holocaust

On the Boston memorial to the Holocaust Laura saw that each victim's number (assigned to them by the Nazis) was engraved on the glass panels in the memorial and there were several memorial towers in the row, with numbers engraved right to the top, a mind boggling and horrifying testimony recording all those lives lost during the Second World War.

The Boston memorial to the Holocaust

Nearby at Quincy Market there were a lot of street performers and stalls selling all kinds of hand crafts and fun items (including balloon creations).  Laura enjoyed watching the street performers with her girl.

A busy Quincy Market on a sunny August late afternoon

Balloon creations at Quincy Market

The very daring and skilled Street performers

Laura and her girl enjoyed watching the street drummer who was using all sorts of plastic buckets and kitchen utensils for his drum kit - the rhythms and sounds were amazing.

The sun was setting as Laura and the family made their way to Not your average Joe's for dinner.  It had been fascinating and foot weary day in Boston.

The following morning it was raining again as Laura helped with the packing.  The wild turkeys were wandering in the garden again and came to the bird bath for a drink during breakfast.  Laura asked her girl to write the postcards to her friend Henry in England all about her USA adventures.

Wild turkeys in the garden at breakfast time

Writing postcards to Henry

Laura all ready to travel home to the UK

Laura had thoroughly enjoyed her travels in the USA, there had been so many highlights and special times and she had learned so much along the way.  

USA 2017 - Laura starts her roadtrip

It was time to leave the Washington area and start exploring.  We hired a car, loaded up our bags, took one last look at the swimming pools and headed out on Route 66 (it wasn't the route Karen would have taken from the hotel to her home but our GPS in the car directed us that way).

Last look at the two swimming pools

The hotel lobby restaurant, sadly with no other Sasha collectors in sight anymore

Travelling on Route 66

Just over an hour later we arrived at the home of Karen W, one of the three organisers of the festival, to collect my daughter's lost and found Festival souvenir.  We had a lovely chat with Karen as she gave us tea and snacks. I saw the two sewing machines in her dining room where she had done that epic amount of sewing for all 100 souvenir outfits.  On the table was a Sasha baby to welcome us.  Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of Laura meeting the baby or thanking Karen for looking after her missing bathrobe.  Thank you Karen for being so kind and providing a very welcome break in our journey.

After saying goodbye to Karen, we drove north through Virginia, Maryland and into Pennsylvania.  Our next stop was the historic town of Gettysburg which I had long wanted to explore as it was the sight of a devastating battle during the civil war in July 1863 and later that year the place where Lincoln gave his historic address. 

After leaving all the rest of the Sasha family at the hotel in the late afternoon, Laura travelled in her doll bag as we explored the central part of the town, we parked beside the information centre at the south end of the town and walked up to the central square as we were not only looking at the story of the battle but also for a restaurant!

Looking north up Baltimore street, Gettysburg

Reading about Tillie Pierce, a 15 year witness of the battle

Viewing memorials outside the Stoever-Schick Building on the square, which was a general store at the time of the battle

One of the many information boards in the town, this was explained about the arrival of Confederate soldiers in the town a few days before the battle

Map of Gettysburg at the north end of the square

Reading about the Gettysburg Hotel on Lincoln Square
which has hosted many famous visitors over the years

The Gettysburg Hotel

The David Wills House, where the Gettysburg address was written by Lincoln

Sign about the Wills House

Laura looking up at 'Return Visit' the statue of Lincoln with a modern day man in Lincoln Square

The information about 'Return Visit' - the statue of Lincoln meeting the modern day man

In a shop window was this display of Civil war artefacts, Laura was surprised to see that the cannon was quite small

Laura was interested to read about individual acts of heroism and compassion during the war, such as that of The Compiler newspaper man who asked a Confederate surgeon to operate on an injured Union soldier and was accused of helping the enemy 'capture' the Union solder

The Compiler newspaper building today

Laura was pleased to find that the town has a beautiful Library building and that another statue of President Lincoln was outside the library, standing upon a plinth with an inscription of his Gettysburg address.

Laura with President Lincoln outside the Library building

Laura liked the information notices in some windows of houses in the street which told about the 'Women Behind These Walls' providing female witness accounts of the Battle of Gettysburg.

A woman behind these walls: Agnes Barr was one of the many women who helped in the makeshift hospitals which sprang up in the town during and after the battle

Many buildings in the town carry this sign - Civil War Building, July 1863

Laura discovered one of the saddest stories of the battle, that of the only civilian to be killed, young Jenny (Jennie) Wade.

Jennie Wade was born in a house in Baltimore Street, the house where she died only 20 years later was not much further south along the same road

The Women Behind these Walls information about Jennie Wade in the window of the house where she was born

Jennie Wade's birthplace

Laura was astonished by the cannon ball lodged in the wall of this house - it didn't appear to have damaged the house much and has been left there ever since.

Cannon ball in the wall of a house

The Jennie Wade House, where Jennie, was killed by a stray bullet. Laura could see a statue of Jennie outside the house but could not go in as it was evening, after museum closing time.

The following morning Laura visited the Gettysburg National Military Park - first stop was at the museum and visitor center.

The Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Centre

In the museum was a restored Cyclorama, a huge circular painting which was toured to show people something of what the Battle of Gettysburg was like, in the days before cinema.  Laura saw a film about the war and the battle then went to see the Cyclorama which was recently restored.

There was so much detail in the cyclorama painting, which was suspended around a purpose built room as it would have been when it was a travelling exhibit

The story of the battle was portrayed with a commentary, spotlights and sound effects

Laura thought that standing in the middle of a huge 'animated' painting all around her was quite overwhelming

Around the base of the painting the foreground was built up with real artefacts like a stage set, so it was quite hard to see where the real things finished and the painting began

In the museum there were many things to look at and read, Laura was pleased to see the military band instruments, especially the flutes!  It reminded her of a Sasha friend who plays the flute.

Military band instruments of the Civil War

Laura was interested to see the differences between the Union soldier uniform (Billy Yank) and the Confederate soldier uniform (Johnny Reb).

Billy Yank

Johnny Reb

There was so much to see and so little time as Laura had an appointment to keep further north, so only a quick tour of part of the battlefield was possible.

The battle route is lined with cannons, this was along the Confederate lines

The cannons pointing towards Gettysburg

Laura's one stop on the battle route was at Little Round Top, which gives a hill top view of the battle field

The information board about Little Round Top

Laura stood beside the monument at Little Round Top and looked out over the battlefield

Laura could see Devil's Den, a rocky outcrop in the battlefield where so many soldiers had died in July 1863

Devil's Den from Little Round Top

Laura wanted to explore further but there was no more time available to spend in Gettysburg as there was a 2 hour car journey to her next appointment which was a musical one.  She hoped that one day it would be possible to return to learn more about this historic place.