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Sunday, August 21, 2011

Boston~Walking the Freedom Trail

 Recently I went into Boston to walk the Freedom Trail with some friends. The Freedom Trail is a brick path that connects to all of the historical sites in Boston. Afterwards, we  came away with a sense of awe, and an even greater appreciation for this beautiful state we live in.

Our journey started by purchasing our Charlie Tickets and hopping onto the  “T ”to zip our way into Boston.

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We began our freedom walk at the State House, the architecture is absolutely amazing! We were very impressed with the beautiful and grand interior!

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A mural of Paul Revere galloping on his horse.

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John Adams

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George Washington

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The names of all of the 911 victims are laid out in this flag.

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Of course time flies, and  we have to be moving on.

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A flag from each town in the state hangs from this ceiling.

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My grandfather was William Brewster who came over on the Mayflower, so this one is special to me.

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  This hanging clock light is modeled after Paul Revere’s lantern, it hangs in the hall of flags.

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I love the contrast here between the old and new.

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The Paul Revere House

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The Old North Church

The enduring fame of the Old North began on the evening of April 18, 1775, when the church sexton, Robert Newman, climbed the steeple and held high two lanterns as a signal from Paul Revere that the British were marching to Lexington and Concord by sea and not by land. This fateful event ignited the American Revolution.

http://www.oldnorth.com/history/index.htm

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Each family had their own separate booth in which to sit in. They decorated it to suit their needs. I had to sit in one for a few minutes to get the feel of how it must’ve felt for them.

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Still being lit by candle light.

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A solemn memorial  stands in the garden outside the church. Hanging  military tags represent each soldier who have died as a result of serving our country over in the middle east.

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I have this fascination with old doors, I have to stop and photograph them.

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Since this was the headstone of an American Soldier, the British used it for target practicing. You can still see the bullet marks that were left.

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A kindly passerby left this rose for Mary who died in 1707.

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By the way, I also love old headstones.

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By this time we’re getting pretty hungry and we’re walking around in the North End, which is the Italian section of Boston. Oh my word!, the smells coming out of these restaurants were undescribable!!

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Wondering where we ate?

Cafe Pompei

http://www.allmenus.com/ma/boston/295-cafe-pompeii/menu/

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It was a flavor explosion!

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It was so good we asked for bread to sop up the remaining oil & garlic sauce!!

“Mama Mia now that’s Italian!”

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We topped that off with some dessert over at the world famous

Mike’s Pastry!

http://www.mikespastry.com/history.html

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You know it’s really all about the food !! When you’re in the North End you must visit Mike’s Pastry.

I had the Tiramisu, get to know what good is!

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We’re very proud of our Bruins, we’ve become a championship town and proud of it!

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We’re now back on the trail , walking off our lunch, more history to see & learn.

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We walked right through a bustling farmer’s market and stopped to admire the mountains of fresh fruits & vegetables.

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We’re now headed back into another graveyard , The Granary Burial Ground 1660 where 3 signers of  the Declaration of Independence lay to rest John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, and Samuel Adams.

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Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin’s parents as well as the victims of the Boston Massacre are buried here as well.

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Well it’s 3:00 and it’s very hot, an approaching thunderstorm has cut our walk short, but it does continue on to Charlestown where you can view the Bunker Hill  Monument and the USS Constitution “Old Ironsides”  the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world.

I think that’ll be a fall trip.

My advice to you is to wear a good pair of sneakers, and plan to eat in the North End.

http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/

~*~*~*~*~*~

On a final note… I am very pleased to announce that I will be meeting my good friend Sarah Post in September!

All Roads Lead Home

http://allroadsleadhome-deeb5.blogspot.com/

Sarah will be making a trip out east and will be attending the

Walker Homestead Show

walker fall show!

Sarah will be hanging out with us at

Maria Cardillo’s booth,

Primitives by Maria

Come on by and say “hi” to us we would love to meet you!

It’s the best antique & primitive goods show!

http://www.walkerhomestead.com/Simple-Treasures.html

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Blessings, Bonnie

9 comments:

  1. Great photos and brought back memories of our trip to MA about 30 years ago. Have to get back there. Now a resident of CA - so far.

    Nice blog.

    Charlotte

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  2. Thank you, thank you dear Bonnie, for taking me back to a very important time in history. This picture loaded post has stirred memories of my youth when living in NH, our school would schedule a field trip each year to Boston on the very same trail you have pictured here, rounding out the day at visiting "Old Ironsides" and Bunker Hill. I haven't visited in many, many years but after viewing all the wonderful pictures I feel as though I was right there with you! My Uncle Sully was the head of the maintenance dept. for over 30 years at the Boston Commons until he retired in the early 80's. He had a summer home in NH where we lived and every weekend he would bring a variety of wonderful Italian meats, breads, cheeses and desserts to his friends and family to enjoy along with his traditional homemade ravioli! Such yummy, memories!
    As always, you evoke such wonderful memories of my childhood in New England! My most favorite season in NE is fast approaching and how I wished I was there scour the countryside for "bittersweet!"
    Until next time,
    blessings and hugz,
    ~Sheila

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  3. PS~
    I'm still a HUGE Bruins fan and I love my RED SOX too!
    ~Sheila

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  4. Thanks Bonnie.........I enjoyed this photo journey so very much. I only hope to see it in person one day.
    Linda

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  5. Love walking the streets with you Bonnie! Your photos are awesome... takes me back. We had Mike's Pastry just the other day when a family member was kind enough to bring a collection to a family gathering <3 Guess it's time for a visit back to our old stomping grounds... love the old cemeteries myself!
    ~Kris

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  6. Bonnie your pictures and captions are wonderful!!! I would love to go sometime...maybe on our motorcycle next summer.
    thanks for sharing!
    ~Earlene~

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  7. Bonnie
    Great post~ I feel like I was touring with you~ thanks for sharing
    Smiles
    Teresa

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  8. Oh Bonnie, I want to go back to Boston SO bad now! I have been thinking about it a lot lately and now with all your pictures, I want to MORE now! It was my favorite trip.
    So fun that you are getting together with Sarah!!

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  9. Hi Bonnie, Thank you for sharing the pictures and flavors of your trip to Boston.. I feel like I've had a nice *stay-cation* here in my home in Va. When my husband was living we took a trip to Mystic Seaport, Plimouth colony, Sturbridge and the huge flea market near Sturbridge. I can't think of the name of it right now, but what fun we had.. I always enjoy your blog.. I wish I could make the trip to the Simple Treasures show.. Sarah is a great gal.. I know you'll have a great time.. Hugs, Charlotte

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I love hearing from you!~Blessings, Bonnie