So. Tired.

What a day this was.  We are finding with every big city we encounter, we have one marathon day, and then calm down a bit.  Today was our Boston Marathon.  We were up early and out the door to catch the train (just for the experience) into downtown Boston.  It's pretty wild catching the train when you live in a small town and it is a foreign idea.  We felt like white tourists, do not doubt that for a minute.

Amongst the Black, Hispanic, Puerto Rican, Asian, Jewish and even the very ethnic look of the Italians, we were clearly the visible minority.  Reading our map and wearing our day packs we stood out like sore thumbs on the train stations and streets of Boston, but mostly we got smiled at and helpful comments, the Bostonians are very sweet.  In a rough sort of way.

So our day started with the Grand Tour of Boston with a trolley tour company (very popular in this city)  with entertaining and informative guides who walk you through the major sites and areas of the city.  After that, lunch at the Cheers Pub, which is actually the Bull & Finch Pub, but the one that Hollywood designed the Cheers show after (very deeply cultural experience, moving, really) we rode the Swan Boats.  And, as luck and good city tourism planning would have it, there they were, the Trumpeter Swans, two of them, on the lake in the Public Gardens of Boston.

Boston Common

Cheers Pub (The Bull & Finch)

The Swan Boats

Following the Freedom Trail

Boston Garden has a really interesting design quality.  Years ago (around 1900, I believe-pre-automobile at least), a famous landscape designer planned city garden/green spaces around the perimeter of the city.  These green park areas, including Boston Common are referred to as the "Emerald Necklace."  They make a striking contrast to the architecture of the city as you are through, around and in it.  The trees in these areas were chosen as examples of trees all over the world.

We saw all the highlights on today's tour, including Fenway Park, the Old City, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Berklee College, MIT, Cambridge, TD Gardens (Boston Bruins Arena) and more.  Once we were off the trolley, we started the foot tour, well laid out pathway of the Freedom Trail, which highlights the areas, people and politics of the American Revolution.  This is how we spent the bulk of the afternoon, ending the tour at the Old North Church, famous for it's steeple, which housed the the two lanterns "Two If By Sea" that signified the town to be ready for the British who were approaching Boston by sea.  One lantern in the steeple would have meant that they were approaching by land.

The Old North Church, at the end of the tour and obviously in the North End of Boston is also the home of Little Italy.  So we wandered about Little Italy to find a place for dinner.  The proprietors of these establishments, dozens of them by the way....hung about the doors of the restaurants to encourage the walkers-by to try them out.  We ended up at a little noisy place where we had a lovely evening, eating and chatting with the staff.