Day: April 26, 2019

April Showers in Boston

/ brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

We woke to grey skies and April showers. So if you’re planning a trip to this part of the world avoid April!

But it had to be bad to stop us. Steve kindly went to Modern the pastry shop around the corner.

http://www.modernpastry.com

It’s amazing, as is Mike’s – but a local told us to visit Modern. Steve arrived back with coffee and a cannoli!

It’s not something I would usually have for breakfast but it’s cold and we’re on holidays and it’s got ricotta in it so that’s good? OK?

It set me up for the Freedom Trail.

https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/visit

If in Boston put this on your list. It’s great. We downloaded the notes and decided to tour ourselves. There are walking tours but you don’t need to do that.

We set off all rugged up and decided, as our apartment is in the middle of the trail, we’d start from our place and reverse the order! Made sense to us.

We stopped at the first State House.

A great place to start the story of Boston. We did a tour and our lovely young ‘education officer’ spoke at a rapid pace so we had lots to take in!

By now the rain had stopped so we wandered along with the other walkers of the trail coming the opposite way towards us!

There are some great public statues including these in the Irish Square.

I really enjoyed the Granary Burial Ground where many of the key figures of the Revolution are buried including Paul Revere, Samual Adams, John Hopkins are all resting in peace.

I also liked the footpath game of hopscotch outside the first school.

Kings Chapel was lovely. Designed by architect Peter Harrison – no, not our friend Peter!

The new State House stands proudly above The Common.

It’s beautiful. Completed in 1798 it’s dome was done in copper by Paul Revere! He was a coppersmith. It was overlaid with gold leaf.

Today there was a crowd outside the house and names were being read out. Lots of names. All had died through workplace fatalities over the years. Quite moving in its simplicity.

We walked through the Common, a really lovely public space with a big history and loved seeing the squirrels!

This park would be lovely on a sunny day. By now we had reached the beginning of the Freedom Trail. but for us it was only half done. It was time for lunch. We headed across to Beacon Hill. This area is a gentile place to walk.

Spring plantings are everywhere. It’s a pity it doesn’t feel Spring-like today!

We found a warm place for lunch. Soup for me and a Reuben sandwich for Steve.

I remembered great bookshops from years ago when I visited with my sister but the one in this area had gone, so I found another in nearby Newbury St. ‘Just a short walk’ I told Steve! Well it was the other end of a very long street. A very interesting long street with lots of shops – mostly big names operating out of lovely old brownstone houses.

We rewarded ourselves with a hot chocolate for Steve and a latte for me but we were surprised by the things you could add to your hot drinks. We decided on CBD. Read about it here!

I wonder if my aches and pains will go.

We still had a lot of walking to do.

To mix it up a bit we got an Uber to the end of the trail and decided to walk it backwards.

Now Jo Jo, our larger than life very friendly driver was all chatty. She was into food, so we got a good run down on where to eat.

We ended up at Bunker Hill and the museum. Really interesting.

We kept on walking despite the chill and the rain and ducked into a church as it looked so interesting.

Low and behold a father and his daughter – the bride! – were inside the door waiting for the music to make an entrance.

They encouraged us in but we hovered in the foyer till she had made her entrance.

She looked beautiful and it took me back (and made me teary) because at about this time last year, on a Friday, Rob and Jordan got married in Santa Barbara. The date is actually tomorrow but it was a Friday. Fortunately they had beautiful Spring weather with blue skies.

We blew out into the street again and walked across the bridge back into the city.

It was soooooo cold.

We finished the walk. It was so interesting. Now we’re tucked up in our apartment drinking a glass of red bought across the street at a lovely wine shop.

We’ll stumble out for dinner a little later.

Tomorrow more walking. We’re off to Harvard for a tour.

Heading for Boston

/ brisbanefrannie / 4 Comments

Our night in Newburyport was very comfortable. They know how to do hospitality here. The place was Essex St Inn and was lovely.

We headed off for a drive to nearby Plum Island. Not as grand as yesterday’s Castle Island – it’s more a beach place. Houses – both big and small – are built right onto the sand.

With the faded timber fences it feels quite dreamy. The houses go along the coast for a km or two but there were no places to even stop for a coffee. Maybe in summer there are pop-up food trucks? Nothing this time of year.

We drove back to town past the airport with a few light private planes sitting waiting. Presumably for their wealthy owners to take them for a spin.

Once again I googled at the houses and churches.

And the pretty Main Street. All shops and businesses have Help Wanted signs out. Getting ready for the summer I think.

We headed off for Concord an important town in the history of the US. The Battle of North Bridge involving the 700 local militia and the 400 hundred strong British. The ‘Minute Men’ – as the locals were called as they were ready to serve at a minutes notice – fired the “shot that was heard around the world”. They pushed the British back to Boston where they retreated.

There is a fine sculpture in the park of a Minute Man. Hand on gun. Hand on plough. Showing he was a farmer ready to fight for freedom – at a minutes notice. We saw where some of the action took place. It’s a beautiful spot now.

But for the absolute highlight for me of this area was visiting Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard house! Yes, Jo, from Little Women.

I’ve always loved that story and had recently watched yet another version – the one with Emma Stone.

Well here is the house!

And the Chapel her father built.

We did a tour of the house. It’s in original condition inside. So no photos. But we saw where Louisa – Jo wrote the novel Little Women! We saw where May (Amy in the book) did her art. There are original drawings on the walls, paintings and sculptures. Books, games artefacts. I was fascinated. There were pictures of the girls and Marmee and Papee on the walls.

And the weather has warmed. Such a beautiful experience. Our guide was like someone out of the tv show. She was just so sweet!

She also told us the real facts of the family. Some things in the book were true. Others changed. Louisa, unlike Jo in the book, never married.

Check out the website

http://www.louisamayalcott.org

We stopped for lunch in gorgeous little Concord before heading to Boston.

Unfortunately for us the traffic was peak hour ! And it took us awhile to get into North End where we are staying in Boston. Near the water.

We explored a little after finding our 6th floor apartment. It’s great. And has city views.

It’s an Italian area with lots of little restaurants and the best pastry shops.

Queues out the door. Even at night!

The spring flowers are trying hard to appear.

We are off on the Freedom Walking Trail tomorrow. Our apartment is next to Paul Revere’s house which is on the walk!

So more news tomorrow.

I hope your enjoying travelling along with me. Where do you wish you could visit?

Meandering Maine’s coastal town

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Portland was a great overnight stay.

The morning was so foggy we put off viewing the lighthouses and instead headed north to Freeport.

I had told Steve about visiting LLBean the huge outdoorsy store and thought he should see it.

It’s amazing. Three huge barns devoted to everything you could need for being outdoors – or even indoors!

Freeport is a 20 minute drive north of Portland and is such a pretty, well kept place. It’s also an outlet centre. Lots of nice shops selling genuinely reduced clothes. Perfect for a short visit on a rainy morning.

We bought a few things. Steve’s keen on the Ralph Lauren polo shirts and I got some things in J Crew.

We headed back to the lighthouses of Portland. If you were here in warm weather you’d take a boat tour to view them but we drove ourselves.

There are two just south of Portland.

This little cute one shrouded in fog.

But I also enjoyed the houses in the area.

The next lighthouse was viewed through the artists frame.

We continued meandering down the coast stopping a few times. these ‘beach shacks ‘ are hardly shack like!!

Kennebunkport is a lovely seaside town.

And the white churches – and there are many – stand proudly on every corner.

Castle Island near Portsmouth was particularly lovely. There must be some wealthy people living here! The houses were gorgeous.

I’ve noticed people like wreaths on their front door. But they must have a wreath for each season. These ones are all about Spring flowers.

One house had an historic cemetery as part of its garden.

We passed many beaches and tried to picture them with the summer crowds.

Our final stop for the night was Newburyport. It’s a really lovely place.

We explored the streets and once again I loved the houses and the High School.

It’s just like in the movies!

Once again the churches are beautiful and the cemetery had a perfect section for us as it is Anzac Day in Australia. Here the people always honour their military.

We found a lovely BnB and made our way to the riverside for a walk before dinner. There are rows of benches for sitting all with plaques on them remembering someone loved. What a great idea.

There were some great shops particularly of a nautical theme but the Odds & Ends one above was a favourite. Look carefully at the odds and ends arranged so well!

We had a lighter dinner and an early night. These lovely ports are not jumping at night this time of year!