The Grand Old Lady

... that's how Boston is called. A city packed with history, that's where the Revolutionary War, the struggle for independence and the renuncation of the Americans from the Brits started in the 18th century with a couple of boxes of tea thrown into the water - the Boston Tea Party in 1773 - and ended in the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

But the city has much more to offer: interesting neighborhoods,e.g. North End (purely Italian), Chinatown (see pic with the elaborate gate) or historic Beacon Hill; fantastic architecture, a popular promenade called Rose Kennedy Greenway (pic on right), the Boston Common and Public Gardens, a huge park with the Massachusetts State House - seen from far apart because of its golden coppola (pic), great museums, public art ... you name it.

We left our hotel in Salem at 8 am, after a fitful sleep of about 5 hours due to our late arrival, and took the train - very old-fashioned, with conductors, not machines, still selling tickets - into Boston (about 30 min) and explored the city, starting with the Italian North End (pic). Main attraction of Boston is the Freedom Trail (connecting historic sites having to do with the Revolutionary War), like the Paul Revere House (pic) or Old North Church (on pic with a statue of Revere in front).






At 10 am we met David with the local tourism office at the great new Boston Public Market (a gourmet market hall, see pic further below) and headed on for a tour of the Boston Teaparty Ships & Museum. It was renovated not too long ago and offers a very "multi-media" presentation with actors, films and other new media.

We were invited for lunch at the Plaza Hotel, another newly renovated gorgeous historic hotel closeby the Common and I enjoyed my first delicious lobster roll (pic). Love lobster!

Took the subway, called Tube ("T"), which is, I believe, even older than the one in NYC, and even more "run down", to Cambridge and Harvard University. Since graduation ceremonies were taking place on the main squad, the place was packed. Main reason for our visit was the Harvard Art Museums (pics below), recently expanded by famous architect Renzo Piano, a wonderful collection of art and antiquities.

Back to Boston . Climbing Beacon Hill, the famous historic wealthy neighborhood of Boston, on to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (pic) back to the North End where we had dinner arranged at a cozy, very authentic Italian place.

Grand finale of the day was our ferry trip back to Salem at sunset, we spent almost an hour on the catamaran high-speed boat.