Thursday 11th October 2018 (updated)

Boston.

As it turned out, the only full day we had in the city, so just as well we got out and about nice and early. The forecast for the day was poor, and getting worse with the possibility of lightning later, so we had better get out of the hotel and about before the bad weather hit.

We do not eat in the hotel, as the cost is not included, and the place is a 5*, so would be expensive. Instead we walk back towards Boston Common, then turn, er, right, and come to a Mexican place that looked OK. We go in and have burritos and smoothies, which was very good indeed. All was served with smiles and bothing was too much trouble. I mean I shouldnt be surprised, but the food and service was great, in what was really another fast food joint. We tip the staff well.

And then onto the trail.

Boston has created a red line, or in some places, two lines of bricks, taking the walking tourist on a tour of the revolutionary sites, one after the other and never getting lost. The only downside is that sometimes there are many people walking it too, but hey, you won’t get lost.

We pick up the trail at the edge of the financial district, and head down towards the harbour walking round Quincy Market, before it crosses over the interstate which now runs underground, and into Little Italy. Apparently, this is the oldest Italian community in the US, and easy to believe, and had a very much more Italian feel than Little Italy in New York.

The narrow streets helped, and many of them being cobbled, and with Italianate churches thrown into the mix. Most have cafes offering espresso and lattes, all look tempting.

We stop for a coffee, pumpkin spiced latte, and was the best coffee we have had since arriving. As we sit there, people who work in other shops in the neighbourhood stop in for a coffee and a chat, all done in exciteable Italian, as it should be. We could have been in Naples, rather than Boston.

From there, the trail goes past Paul Revere’s house, and farther up the street, the church he lit a warning of the approaching British army. Finally, there is a burial ground with stones dating back to the start of the 18th century, oddly not many people stopped to look in, but we did. I had been here before. There were, however, huge groups of people being guided along the trail. I mean, why? Could they not find their way themselves, it is just following a red line after all, and all the sites are marked and have information boards?!

From the burial ground, down a slope, across a major road then over the river by way of a metal bridge with the roadway and footway made by a metal mesh you could see through to the water below, we cross over with a few people also walking. A woman stops us, is this the Freedom Trail she asks pointing at the red line? Yes, just follow it and see where it leads.

On the other side we turn towards the old Naval shipyard, down through a new housing development, and into the old shipyard, and made of cobbled streets and open spaces, it houses a couple of ships, one the USS Constitution, which you can look up on Google. I had also been on that before, so did not pay to go on again, I just walk round the yard snapping details. We sit down to take in the details. I was still suffering from the flu and was overheating even though it was much cooler in Boston than in New York.

There was a branch of the trail leading to Bunker Hill which is topped by a monument, again I had climbed that some 13 years ago, and I remember it being a struggle, and I did not feel like doing that again, especially as both Jools and I are recovering from bouts of colds/flu, and not feeling too sharp. We find ourselves walking with another British couple, they had arrived on a cruise ship that morning, and were doing the city in a day before their flight home that evening. We leave them as they contemplate climbing Bunker Hill monument, we turn back to the city.

We walk down through Charlestown, an old neighbourhood lined with clapboard houses painted in pastel colours.

It was now just after one, so we walk back to Little Italy where we find a good looking place for lunch. It won’t come as a surprise to learn we have insalata caprese followed by a pizza to share. And we splash out on a bottle of prosecco; are you celebrating anything? Just being in Boston, which they were happy enough to hear. Though, of course, this trip was to celebrate our 10th anniversary, so we toasted that.

On the way back to the commercial district, clouds above began to darken, and within a few blocks of the hotel, it began to rain. Hard.

As it was three, we decide to walk back to the hotel as the rain fell down harder, getting back whilst still partly dry.

We stay in the room listening to the radio and snoozing. Some three hours pass and the rain continues as darkness falls.

At eight we go out to look for a place to have dinner. And we find a bar a block from the hotel, they did a good line in craft beers and Guinness flavoured burgers. We were served by a waitress who came from Hawaii, who apologised for her accent. No one should ever have to apologise for that, but like most Americans, she loved our accent, and started saying “cheers” back to us instead of thanks.

And that is it, just back to the hotel to watch some NFL, and that was another day gone.