Today I decided I hadn't done enough walking and followed the Freedom Trail - a 2.5 mile (bit over 4 km) path through the city, stopping at important historic locations. I learnt a lot about the American Revolution and Boston itself, as well as earning myself a blister!
I started my trail at Boston Common, a lovely green park. It's a fairly typical location to start, being at the heart of the city itself. The park has an old gravesite, which I thought was really interesting - because the graves dated back to the colonisation of Australia (so basically, the American Revolution) and we just don't have those. On further googling I discovered that interred here were 15 of the Tea Partiers, which is pretty cool, and just underfoot, a mass grave of all those that needed to be moved for the Boston Subway.
A lot of the headstones were so weathered you couldn't read them
SQUIRREL! This wasn't my first one, but it was the calmest I've seen
Memorial to the Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre is seen as one of the pivotal moments that started the revolution. When you look at it like that, it makes American Independence a some what hilarious escalation of someone calling someone else names. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, but bullets in exchange for snowballs being thrown will result in a revolution.
Along there path are, naturally, a lot of memorials to soldiers who died in any of the many wars America has participated in. My next stop on the Freedom Trail at the house of Massachusetts government, Massachusetts State House, has this massive memorial opposite, dedicated to one leader during the Civil War and his regiment.
Massachusetts State House
Shaw Memorial - named after Robert Gould Shaw
The next landmark I went past was Park Street Church. This place is famous as the home of the abolition movement against slavery. This is the part that always frustrates me with American History. The Revolution and Civil War are so intermixed I get myself confused as to what is what. I didn't go into the museum because it was pretty busy and a bit pricey for my feelings.
Park Street Church
Next stop was the Grainary, a large grave area containing the final resting place of many of the pivotal figures of the American Revolution. In the centre is a largish obelisk which marks Benjamin Franklin's family - whom he cherished. The marker was actually to replace the more simple headstone Franklin had purchased which had worn down over time. Other interesting people included John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. It also was home to the graves of those who were killed in the Boston Massacre.
The view up to Benjamin Franklin's family
A subtle headstone for John Hancock
Samuel Adam's marker
A tribute to those who died in the Boston Massacre
I passed by the Kings Chapel and circled around the back to visit the old Boston Latin School (which doesn't exist anymore) and the Statue of Benjamin Franklin. The Boston Latin School was attended by Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, and William Hooper (signers of the Declaration of Independence), although Franklin did leave the school to work for his father. There was also an acknowledgment to the two main political parties of the United States with a Donkey Statue and a marker for you to stand strong against, marked as the Republican Elephant. Which was funny, cute, but also kind of political.
Kings Chapel
One of the seals along the Freedom Trail - it's not just the red brick line (sometimes spraypainted onto non-brickable surfaces.
Franklin!
Stand in Opposition, as a Republican
And face down the Democrat Donkey head on.
I next discovered the reason behind the Boston Celtics - in a roundabout kind of way. There was this large memorial to the Irish Famine and upon reading it, I discovered that Boston had sent a lot of food aid to assist the Irish during this time - which was partly due to an over-reliance on a potato crop grown from essentially a single potato and partly due to Britain continuing to take food as a landlord tax from the Irish even as millions starved - and in return, many of the Irish fled to Boston, dying on the ships (turning the Atlantic into the Ocean of Tears) or dying in the impoverished suburbs that they formed. However, once the Irish established themselves within Boston, they became a proud and prosperous group of citizens. So strong are the Irish roots of Boston, the Celtics represent their heritage and you can often hear Irish music at other sporting events (more on that later).
Continuing my journey, I grabbed lunch at Quincy Market and visited Faneuil Hall, where the Sons of Liberty proclaimed their dissent. Its a beautiful old building that continues to perform the function for which it was originally designed to this day - markets on the first floor and on top, a meeting hall where events such as political rallies and citizenship ceremonies take place.
Benjamin Franklin gets around in this city
Inside Faneuil Hall
Eagle of Freedom
The exterior - when it was originally built and became famous, it was 1/3rd the size - half as wide and 2/3rds long
Along the way to Old North Church, I saw some pretty interesting things. An old Catholic church who marked the first catholic martyr, an irish widow who who hung for being a witch, an a courtyard full of memorials and a giant Paul Revere Statue. I had already heard and read today that the famous poem is more artistic license than fact, but the Bostonian Engineer lives on in legend as a hero of the revolution. The Old North Church is part of that - the location where the two lanterns were shown to signify the British were coming by the river (or by sea, if you're a poet). I found it amusing to learn that when Revere arrived in Charlestown to warn the militia the British were coming they basically responded with "we know" because they had seen the lanterns as well and knew what it meant.
Ha!
The first Catholic Martyr - burned for being a witch
Paul Revere and his midnight ride
The irony that the son of a man the british executed at Salem for being a wizard becomes their undoing
Washington Garden, behind Old North Church
The third lantern, to celebrate 200 years since the lanterns were lit
Inside of Old North Church
Families owned pews - tiny little boxes...
With high walls - I'm sitting in one and can't really see the front
The gorgeous organ
Washington's bust
After this I was tired - so I walked back home. How I've missed Charlestown.
Just kidding! I walked across the bridge to the American Charlestown, the town in which the battle of Bunker Hill took place (the result of Paul Revere's ride). I spent a bit of time giggling at the coincidences. Then I went to the final stop on my tour for today - USS Constitution. Visiting the museum, I learned of a second war between Britain and America that happened in the early 1800s, which USA won because a lot of British ships were tied up with Napoleon and USA innovation and superior ship building materials. Old Ironsides herself was a feat of that innovation, creating a larger, stronger ship that could outmaneuver those ships of the British fleet with similar numbers of guns. It helped that cannon balls bounced off her oak sides. I also got the opportunity to write my name on a piece of copper that is part of the current refurbishment of Old Ironsides as she is in dock. So my name will be on an American Icon. Pretty neat.
The seal of Charlestown, showing the Obelisk that marks Bunker Hill Battle
Charlestown Square in the 1700s - hasn't it changed?
USS Constitution's "Ironsides"
The view along USS Constitution's Deck
To top off a busy day, I had my highlight of Boston. I went to see the Yankiees defeat the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park! It was amazing! I sat next to a lovely set of brothers - one a Red Sox supporter, the other a Yankiee's fan. Brian, the Yankiees fan, asked me how often I come to the game - apparently I talked like I knew what was going on. He was very helpful in explaining all the technical rules and tactics I've never heard of and was positively lovely.
Me at the end of the game - I even got the awesome non-committal shirt
My view was awesome - the sun didn't last long
Brian explained that the Green Monster (above) is named because it's unusually tall. Most stadiums do not have that green wall like that
Fenway Park is much smaller than most baseball grounds, but like the WACA in Australia, the locals love the tradition too much to change it
My view by night. Brian explained that the Yankiees are like the Manly Sea Eagles of the Baseball - seen as so rich they buy themselves championships (which is why they have nearly ten more than the next most successful team) and no one likes them
Finally, an explanation of the title of my blog. The astute among you will have noticed that every blog title is a song lyric relevant to the location I am blogging about being in. So perhaps Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond breaks the pattern. Nope! It's the theme tune to Fenway Park and is sung during the middle of the 8th innings. From the 7th innings onward, the game has been going on for nearly 3 hours (it doesn't feel like it) so they play a lot of traditional music to get people up and on their feets, breaking up the boredom. That's the 7th innings stretch onwards.
So good! So good!
Tomorrow I have a full day in Boston then on the train to DC! Two weeks down, two to go. I can't believe it's already half over.
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