After
a break whalewatching in Provincetown and Hyannis, I returned to Boston and
picked up the Freedom trail where I left off, outside the Paul Revere house.
Armed with my map I wanted to 'do' the old thing before catching my night
bus to Washington that evening. So it was with anticipation that I strolled
down Hull Street to the Old North Church.
Just before this
is a lovely courtyard where wall plates commemorate those who died at the
battle of Bunker Hill. With trees and benches this is a beautifully genteel
part of Boston and the streets narrow here to give a real sense of the past.
The Old North church itself is a lovely Anglican church made of whitestone and
a wood-beam carved interior. It was packed with tour groups when I was in there
so I left and followed the red trail uphill to the Copps Hill burial ground.
With the
exception of New Orleans, this is one of the few parts of America that still
looks the same way it did hundreds of years ago. This is reinforced by the
brownstone Georgian houses and cobbled streets and the absence of traffic. The
burial ground itself is a beautifully kept cemetery with trimmed grass and
expansive views over Boston harbour. This is where British troops aimed their
cannons ready for the battle of Bunker hill. And the tip of the Bunker Hill monument
is visible from this high bit of ground. In fact in this spot you get a good
idea of Boston's original intention, that of a port.
Then under the
underpass (why have they put a freeway through the centre of historic
Boston?) and across the bridge to Charlestown. Here the Freedom trail became a
little obscured as it passed a construction site. And there followed an amusing
sight of tourists scouring through the dust and rubble trying to pick it up
again. Then the wonderful Charlestown naval yard with USS Constitution -
"Old Ironsides" which was built in 1797 and was used in the war of
1812. This was a terrific ship to explore and I like so many other tourists
couldn't help but play with the Bofors gun.
Then up through
the Brownstone streets to the Bunker hill monument. This area is gorgeous and
the walk uphill takes you past Georgian houses and ornate lampposts. At the top
of the hill is a huge tower marking the spot of the battle of Bunker hill.
Inside is an uninformative museum with diorama's showing the battle. But also
300 steps leading up to the top of the tower which give excellent views of the
harbour and north Boston.
On my way out I was accosted by a character dressed
in 18th garb who informed me the monument was to commemorate the battle and to chant
"Down with the British! Down with the British!".
I looked at him
with amazement.
"But I am
British."
So that was the
end of the Freedom trail and I must admit it is a wonderful idea and showed me
parts of Boston I would never have wandered into on my own. It has that
wonderful sense of stepping back in time and its inhabitants are very proud of
its history. But in many ways it was very unsatisfactory. As you wandered the
streets you noticed the names - Hull Street, Fleet Street and Richmond Street. And
realise there are stories behind the names. I wanted to know what life was like
in 18th century, for rich or poor, black and white. However, one little dog caught my eyes - spooked and snappy it had clambered onto a ledge outside the apartment. As I watched people took an interest in the little dog
But as I waited
for my bus to Washington I walked along the Charles River to the Harvard bridge
and looked across the water. There were joggers in the park and yachts and
rowers on the river, all silhouetted against the skyscrapers of downtown
Boston. And there is no denying it - this is a great city.
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