Flashback: East Coast Road Trip Pt. 6

Finally, after what felt like an enternity of being squashed in the front seats of our trusted car we arrived in Boston. Contrary to K I had been to the city before and absolutely loved it. So, I was pretty anxious to show her around and watch her fall just as hard as I did a year earlier. One of the reasons I am so enchanted with it is that it's one of the very few American cities that is best explored by walking through it. And that's exactly what we did.

 

We parked our car and took the quickest route to the harbour front. We arrived on a Sunday and were fast to notice how vastly different the city looks compared to weekdays. Calm ad relaxed as opposed to busy and hectic.

Once we had our first look at the sea we decided on a trolly city tour. I admit, you have to be a little bit lucky in regard to what conductor you'll get. Some are barely doing their job pointing out the important signs and telling the occasional story. But every once in a while there will be a true Boston original who proudly chauffeurs you through his city and knows virtually everything there is to know about every knook and cranny. If you find one of these jewels I recommen staying in the car no matter where you originally planned to hopp off. I promise it will be worth it.

One of the sights I was most touched by is the Holocaust memorial. It is located in the heart of Boston but somehow there is always a very somber and quiet air surrounding it. The six pillars resemble the six major concentration camps and in the glass the numbers given to all inmates are imprinted. The trail that leads youfrom one end to the other is paved with quotes from political figures, survivors, and historians. I think it is one of the best memorials that confronts you with the sheer dimension of horror committed.

The Old State House (we will come back to that later).

We paused for a short bout of street entertainment. I think these guys were sowing off some dance moves. They were way better comedians though.

 

We set down in the park and took in our surroundings for a while while soaking up the sun at the same time (and revering in how very lucky we are to be able to be on this trip).

Wisdom imprinted on a t-shirt.

The Old State House was the seat of the Massachusetts legislature until 1798. Today it is a museum, illustrating the history of the city with a special focus on the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770 which occurred in front of the building.

For the Americans in our trolley Fenway Park was a must-see destination and many hopped off here. I have never seen even a single game of Baseball so my excitement was understandably lower. But Fenway Park definitely belongs into a photo set of a proper Boston trip.

One of the great fascinations I hold regarding the English-speaking world is the emergence of ivy league universities (or the ancient ones in the UK). We don't really have elite universities that are as present in contemporary culture and as vied to be attended. So, all things Harvard, Yale or Princeton can excite me to a riddiculous extend. Luckily for me, Boston is home to two amazing universities. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit Harvard (I had been there previously) but we drove around MIT.

Unfortunately, it was already time to say goodbye again. We departed with a heavy heart (although I still am glad that K got to appreciate Boston just as much as I do) and the promise to return some day.