we took a trip: part 3
We made it to Boston! The last two days (Saturday and Sunday) were spent here and overall it was quite nice. We had some light rain the first day, but nothing we couldn’t sit out in a nice little bakery or walk through under a polka dot umbrella. We did learn that Boston isn’t such a happenin’ place on Saturday morning. It felt like the city had been out partying hard the night before and everyone was hungover, sleeping in, or watching tv at home with a bowl of cereal. I rather enjoyed this, but David wished it had been more lively. Either way, we had a refreshing few days with nothing to do but walk around and take it in. And walk we did. More on that later. My favorite things about this city were the colors (red brick, black wrought-iron, teal aged copper, and gold details on so many buildings), seeing the very very old stuck right next to the new, and the water (both the Charles River and the ocean). I talked too much on the last post, so I’m going to let the pictures do more talking today. Enjoy!
On Sunday, we walked the Freedom Trail, which I loved, and I’m not even a huge history buff. Kudos, Boston, on a job well done. It was an awesome way to see the city. The only thing that made this a bit less enjoyable was the amount of walking we had already done in the previous five days. On its own, the Freedom Trail wouldn’t be difficult at all. I consider myself to be in decent shape. But then I remember that I sit in an office most of the day, and my legs simply aren’t prepared for long (super long) walks every day of the week. Definitely should’ve prepared for this a little. Now, I felt pretty sheepish admitting how sore my calves were by day three of our trip. They didn’t feel any better until we’d been home several days (back to sitting in the office). I decided I needed to investigate the total number of miles we walked so I had an excuse for all my whining. After a little google mapping of each little walk (and one bike ride), I discovered that we covered 48.1 miles total (14 of which were on a bike). So 34 miles of walking. That is a lot. That is why they have subways. That is why I felt like an old lady.
The USS Constitution had an exciting day the Sunday we visited. We got to the end of the Freedom Trail (this boat is the last stop) and the boat wasn’t there. They only tug it around the harbor every fourth of July to keep it active, so we knew it was odd for it to be anywhere but the dock. However, on every 100th anniversary of its last battle, the tug it all the way out of the harbor and it sails on its own in the ocean. This was the 200th anniversary, so she was out sailing. We did catch a glimpse later that afternoon when we took a cruise up the Charles River.
We spent the evening in the North End, which is incredibly adorable with its narrow brick streets and Italian restaurants lining every sidewalk. I wanted to eat at every single one. The two highest recommended ones had long lines, but we decided most of these places had to be good and if nothing else, authentic, so we took our chances on one we hadn’t researched beforehand called Trattoria Il Panino. So delicious. Get the ravioli.
We’d also heard of the famous Mike’s Pastry, so we stopped there for a cannoli after dinner. Crazy long line (pictured below, bottom left), people everywhere, but dang, that cannoli was good. There was also some kind of crazy Italian festival that night so the streets were packed with vendors, spectators, and an Italian marching band. That many people in one place is slightly overwhelming for me.
Love this shot of us on the subway. One of my favorites from the whole trip even though technically one of the lowest quality.
We loved being in Boston and all over Maine. Still don’t want to be home. But I think those are the best trips that end just a little before you want them to. Let me know if you’re headed to any of these places and want details, because you know we over-planned and I have a well-organized itinerary. 🙂 Cheers!