A five minute walk and we are ready to catch the 10.15 Charlestown to Boston Ferry ... along with half a dozen other people. We all wait outside the unattended ticket office.
The sun comes out and the ferry sails in. Blithely we set off to board, only to be told, we have to have tickets. A disinterested boathand directs us to the ticket office (which we know well). A dishevelled youth ambles up... opens the door as we all rush to buy tickets...only to see the ferry sail off without us all.
We buy four tickets and now always have spare pair in our wallets.
We use the half an hour to walk the lovely tree lined streets around the dock, checking out the impressive Commander's House, but making sure we're back in time for the next ferry.
It's a great little trip over though, tourist boats; coastal vessels; impressive bridges and of course the towering skyline of downtown Boston. Onto the touristy trolley bus which helps us find our bearings and to decide which places we want to revisit. Our first driver is hale and hearty and full of enthusiasm but unfortunately we can't understand a word!!!!
We hop off at Faneuil Hall to find this wonderful street art. A fabulous building
This was the first place the American protested against the Sugar Act, precursor to the Boston Tea Party. It's wonderful golden Grasshopper weathervane helped to identify spies in the 1812 war with the question "What is on top of Faneuil Hall" ... a grasshopper wasn't the first choice of answer.
\What intrigued me though was the statue of Lucy Stone, suffragette, as you can imagine one of only 3 women celebrated.
Also, the public notice board which asked. "What would make you break the law?" The most common answer was of course. "Donald Trump"... Mine too!
The question changes daily and while I found the first question easy, the second caused me some uneasiness. "What makes you feel patriotic?" Apparently the most common answer to that one was "a Hamburger." But I couldn't really answer (maybe I don't like hamburgers!). Perhaps I'm not patriotic and maybe I blame patriotism for much of the wrongs of this world., Who knows? But I'm still pondering.
Much of the market place has become fast food and tourist rubbish and so it was back onto the trolley.
This time we hear the guide say "Free music at the Boston Public Library", now as you know we have a weakness for both and in we go. We are not disappointed ...
What an amazing building... brings back memories of New York Public Library... Go Jeremy Corbyn... keep those libraries open.
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