Row, Row Row my boat

Well not quite... As part of our getting to know Boston we decided to use the "free" cruise offered as apart of our trolley ticket.  Boston has an amazing skyline, modern skyscrapers next to old wooden churches.  Have the feeling of a city growing and expanding by the day.

Very funny Irish tour guide who we understood perfectly but who left the Americans shaking their heads in confusion... Loved it!

Trolley, Trolley, Ring my Bell

Bit of a rainy day, but we are keen to explore Boston.... a sortie into the crazy Boston traffic has persuaded us that a Ferry and Trolley is  the way to go.

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.  

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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.

What's in a name?

Well we are certainly in the midst of American History....We look out onto Breed's Hill where the Battle of Bunker Hill took place... I know it doesn't make sense but that's history!  


We spent the first day chilling out, reading and viewing the hill and monument through the rain.  Then armed with the historical "facts" we set off to explore.  First stop "Old Ironsides"  and the USS Constitution Museum.

Incredible that this ship built in 1797 is still in active service - the flagship of the US Navy.  It will be refloated in 2018.   

This ship was significant in the battles between the British, French, Dutch in the 18th & 19th Centuries.  Its hardwood sides clad in copper from Paul Revere's factory, rebuffed cannonball after cannonball earning the name "Ironsides".

Here's to the Red Caps

And so to Boston.  Amtrak here we come... 

Thank goodness Marilyn told us about the Red Caps... they are great.  Can't believe they exist only on tips.  They pick up your bags, take you down to the platform before everyone else and then get you a seat.. Yeah!  The train was so full some people had to stand for the 4 hours... 10 bucks well spent.  (That's not our luggage by the way, tempted as we were to buy up big in New York!

A four hour trip and we were in Boston.  Marilyn our exchange partner met us the next morning before she flew out to Sydney.  Rare for us to meet our exchangees so it was great to get to know her and her house.  She introduced us to Mitch the local ice cream seller who was quite a character and assured us in his deep Boston voice that if we needed anything he was right there... sure enough each morning we have been saying G'Day.

A quick introduction to the guy who owns the mansion on the corner- who immediately invited us to dinner.  This area prides itself on friendliness and I can see why. 

Then with the keys in our hands... we were ready to start our exchange.

 
In 1863, 4 Monument Square was built by William Carleton a prosperous and philanthropic factory owner.  Among his legacies was the funding of Carleton College, which was named after him.

4 Monument Square is only one of two mansions that have a side plot as a garden.  It is now divided into 4 apartments - one of which is ours.  (Lucky us!) 

 Lovely welcome pack from Marilyn...

Roger's New York...

Coming soon....
While we rehearsed, Roger and Harvey hit the town... Pizza Tours, 911, Space Museum and more... watch this space...

In between rehearsals we did manage to sneak in a few highlights...

An amazing walk, which uses a disused rail line.  Great views, plants, sculptures and of course protests about Trump are emerging.

A quick cocktail at a bar renowned for its views across Manhattan, which turned out to be mainly a view of air conditioners and water tanks!  Loved it though!

Just love all the quirky sculptures in the subways ... Especially the turtle coming out of the sewer....

New York New York

Okay I'll only tell the old joke once...

"How do you get to Carnegie Hall?'

Practice, Practice, Practice ... and practice we did,  led by our amazing conductor Carlos.  Thank goodness we were so well prepared.    Maestro Jonathan Griffith was a demanding conductor who expected excellence and we certainly performed.  


We have become so used to Carlos' gentle style, which is constantly focussed on the meaning of the music, that the more brutal approach was surprising at times.  The performance was technically good but emotionally and musically it didn't come anywhere near our performance at Cardinal Cerreti Chapel.

It was great to meet other singers from around the world, I certainly learnt heaps and wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Check out Manly Daily coverage of  concert here 

New York - Day 3

We all headed in different directions... Egyptian, Islamic, Ceramics... but Jane and I decided to do the "Music" tour which was cancelled.  Instead we did an absolutely incredible tour with Susan, who not only knew her stuff but could impart it in a really interesting way.   We only saw about 8 exhibits but they were fantastic.  Started with Greek and Roman statues and then to this incredible African Artwork. 

It shimmers like an expensive gold material but is made from bottle tops and the metallic wrappings from rum and beer bottles.   It symbolises the triangle between the sugar cane farmers who toiled to create wealth for the British who used the cane to make the rum which was used as currency to pay the workers. 

Rodin's  - The Burghers of Calais depicts the time six of the principal citizens led by Eustache de Saint-Pierreof Calais were ordered to come out of the besieged city with heads and feet bare, ropes around their necks, and the keys of the town and the castle in their hands. They were brought before the English king Edward III (1312–1377), who ordered their beheading. Philippa his queen, persuaded him to spare them and the city of Calais... pure emotion in bronze.

And then....Tiffany...  The best stained glass I have ever seen.  

Museum-ed out.. it was time for a little light lunch at a French restaurant accompanied by a rather nice red!

We did have to prepare ourselves for the evening show

MOutrageous is the word.... Just loved it.  I sang "I believe" for days afterwards.  

Click here and check it out