The last leg

The trip was ending, and we were sad to think that we would have to come back to the "real world." We decided that we would take our time driving back to Boston. So, we were a little hungry and decided to check out Freeport, Maine.



What a lovely little place! We ate lunch outside on the patio at the Azure Cafe!





I had the best lunch ever! It was an eggplant parmesan sandwich. The best part was that it came on those lovely northern hot dog buns!!! Divine!!!!

After lunch we took a stroll through town. This is where the L.L. Bean flagship store is located. Funny...we didn't even go in there! Instead we hit the little mom and pop stores to see what unique items we could find! We also checked out the farmers market! It was an outlet shoppers paradise neatly nestled in a bustling little small town!

We, of course, had to get ice cream! It seemed to be our vacation tradition to check out every ice cream shop we encountered. We bypassed the shop that had the regular old Hershey's ice cream to try the homemade ice cream right next door.



We were lured in by the sign...



No, we really didn't want to try the lobster ice cream, but once inside it was impossible not to. The owner was there strongly encouraging us to give it a chance. So, we did. It was not bad! Maynard's was one of only two shops in Maine that make lobster ice cream! Believe it or not there are really lobster chunks in the ice cream! The base is butter pecan ice cream. So, the instructions were to let the ice cream slowly melt in your mouth and allow the warmth of your tongue to warm up the lobster. It was interesting! Can't say it would be my first choice, but hey! we tried something new!

We chatted with the shop owners and their employees for a while. They even let us taste a local strawberry! She went in the fridge in the back and brought us each a Maine strawberry! One of the young girls working there was so friendly! She told us that they really only get 3 warm summer months and then it starts to get chilly again. They get snow for 6 months and a dusting of snow to them was 5 inches! Wow! I'm glad we don't live there!

So, after saying our goodbyes and thanking them for such wonderful hospitality we got back in the car and headed south to Boston. We got there pretty late, checked back into our hotel after dropping off the rental car, and ate a quick dinner!

We got moving on Saturday after getting some much needed extra rest and decided to take a trolley tour of the city! It was a wonderful experience to ride the entire trolley loop and hear about the history of the city.



We hit some of the same sites as we did while walking the city on our own before, but now we were with Rob...



He was quite hilarious! He had lots of good information!

We stopped at Fenway Park...



We saw a Boston Terrier that reminded us of Lexi (we sure did miss our fur-child)...



We found out that the street shown here...



...looked just as it did 200 years ago thanks to City restrictions! Notice the signage...



We saw M.I.T. sailboats out on the Charles River! If you're from Boston you would say "Charles Rivah".



We learned that the images shown on the outside of some of the buildings in "relief" had a purpose! They signified what actually was going on inside the house in that particular room. You might not be able to see it in this picture, but look closely just above the first floor windows.



We saw statues...



I think he told us this hotel was the oldest continuously operating hotel...



And, the Old South Meeting Hall...



The Old South Meeting House was built in 1729 as a Puritan house of worship. It was also the largest building in colonial Boston.

The Old South Meeting House is best known as the site of where the Boston Tea Party began. In the winter of 1773, more than 5,000 colonists gathered at Old South in a meeting to protest the tax on tea. After many hours of debate, Samuel Adams announced, "This meeting can do nothing more to save the country!" Protestors stormed out of the Old South Meeting House to the waterfront where they dumped three shiploads of tea into Boston Harbor. They changed American history forever.

We had to stop a couple of times for the foot tours...



And, to photograph another cool dog...



At Quincey Market we stopped and checked out the craft fair on the street and walked through the busy, bustling shops...





Then, there was Faneuil Hall...



We saw the USS Constitution through the fence...



USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. It was first launched in 1797. Constitution is one of six ships ordered for construction by George Washington to protect America's growing maritime interests. The ships greatest glory came during the war of 1812 when she defeated four British frigates which earned her the nickname "Old Ironsides," because cannon balls glanced off her thick hull. The ship was restored in 1927 with contributions from the nation's school children.
The Charlestown Navy Yard was built on what was once Mouton's or Morton's Point, the landing place of the British army prior to the Battle of Bunker Hill. It was one of the first shipyards built in the United States. During its 174 year history, hundreds of ships were built, repaired and modernized, including the World War II destroyer USS Cassin Young. Today, thirty acres of the Navy Yard are preserved by the National Park Service as part of Boston National Historical Park.

Ok...look at this picture closely...



In the center you will see a white steeple! That's where the "One if by land, two if by sea..." thing happened! Sorry I don't have a better picture!

And, a statue of a great hockey player, Bobby Orr...



I got very emotional when the tour guide was telling us about this building, the Old State House. This is the very balcony where the Declaration of Independence was read...



Also known as Boston's "Towne House", the Old State House dates back to 1713. This Georgian style structure was occupied by the British during the Revolution and was a continuous reminder to the settlers of British dominance and presence in the colony.

The Old State House was the center of all political life and debate in colonial Boston. On July 18, 1776, citizens gathered in the street to hear the Declaration of Independence read from the building's balcony, the first public reading in Massachusetts. The Royal Governor presided here until the new State House was built on Beacon Hill in 1798.



We also saw the Theatre District...



And, a very important landmark...



Yes, this is the real thing! Who remembers that show?

What a fabulous whirlwind tour! All excerpts in italics were from the City of Boston site! Please do read more about this wonderful city. If you get a chance and can go visit, it's definitely worth the trip! We plan to go back one day!

After our tour we did some shopping and eating before venturing back to the airport via the "T", which is their version of the subway! Dynamo and I shared a piece of Boston Creme Pie at a little bookstore/restaurant! We gathered up our luggage and decided to try the subway for $4 to get back to the airport. It was a much easier and nicer experience than the subway in New York. The guy working the gate helped us get oriented and chatted for a while before sending us on our way! He being from Minnesota asked me to "drink a gallon of sweet tea" for him when I got home!

We met a nice family from Jersey on the "T" and followed them for some of the way. Everyone was friendly and helpful. We felt very safe and thoroughly enjoyed our ride back to the airport!

Thanks for reading about our vacation! We had a fantastic time and hope you enjoyed reading about it!

P.S. We're still Yankees fans so don't forget that!