Day 13: We fly to Boston and visit Lexington
& Concord
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After an early flight from Saint
John, we spend the rest of the day visiting historic
battle sights, before going to our hotel in Boston.
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This morning, instead
of waking up on the ship as originally planned and having
a leisurely breakfast as we sailed gracefully into our final
port of Gloucester, Massachussetts, here we were, still
in Canada and having to get up at 5:30am on a Sunday morning
in order to catch a flight to the United States.
The good news was that once we reached Boston and began
our tour, we would be more or less back on schedule and
we would still be visiting the historical places of interest
which were high up on the list of places we wanted to go
to when we booked this trip. Unfortunately the visit to
Cambridge couldn't be fitted in and we would therefore not
be able to visit two of North America's most prestigious
universities, Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. |
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Apart from our group
moving out en masse, there wasn't much going on at the hotel
in Saint John at this time. |
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The journey to Saint
John airport took no time at all, being so early on a Sunday
morning. The Noble Caledonia team assisted everybody with
airport formalities and were (are!) amazing. How they maintained
their pleasant, calm and professional outlook at all times
never ceased to amaze us. |
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The airport staff were
the friendliest people we have ever encountered at an airport.
Being a very small airport (ours was the only flight departing
or arriving for several hours) and the vast majority of
their flights being domestic flights anyway, our group was
even more unusual because we were flying to an international
destination on a specially chartered plane, with an airline
that doesn't routinely call at this airport. The staff had
to hand-write all of the boarding passes and baggage labels,
which took some time. Nevertheless, they coped brilliantly
and we all smiled throughout! |
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Bruce was especially
keen to see which plane we would be flying on and had tracked
the aircraft's progress from Montreal. He was really pleased
when he saw that it was a Boeing 737 300 series, which is
a variant that he had never flown on before. He decided
not to let Geoff know that the plane was around 33 years
old. |
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We had never seen an
accessible ramp like this one. We thought it was a very
good idea. |
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Goodbye to Saint John.
We don't know if and when we'll be back, but we certainly
have some good memories and stories to tell about our stay
here! |
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The flight itself was
smooth and the crew were all very pleasant. Geoff managed
to get the window seat for a change and took a few photos.
Here, we are flying over Mispec Bay, New Brunswick. |
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Flying over Grand Manan
Island, in the Bay of Fundy. We later recalled our guide
yesterday telling us that the best quality dulse is harvested
close to the high cliffs on this island. Shortly afterwards,
we crossed into US airspace and into a new timezone, one
hour earlier. At about the same time, the sunshine disappeared
and didn't return for the rest of the day! |
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This is the actual route
taken by our plane today. |
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Nahant,
Massachusetts. |
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Boston harbour islands. |
A southern approach
into Boston airport, |
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On final
approach over the Neponset river. |
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Boston Logan International
Airport. |
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There were fairly long
queues at Immigration, but we were all processed and had
boarded the waiting coaches within around 90 minutes of
landing. |
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Our route today from
the airport to Lexington and Concord, before going to our
hotel in the city. |
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We were going to be
immersed in American history today, visiting the sites where
the Battles
of Lexington and Concord were fought. This was the first
major military campaign of the American Revolutionary War,
resulting in an American victory and outpouring of militia
support for the anti-British cause. |
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There are several memorials
on the fringes of the Common, one being the statue representing
Captain
John Parker, the leader of the Lexington militia. |
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Buckman
Tavern, close to the statue of Captain Parker, palyed
its part in the historical events. |
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Opposite the Common,
on the left, is the Jonathan Harrington House (early 18th
century). |
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Also opposite the Common
is the first state-supported normal school (1839). |
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On another side of the
Common, is the first parish in Lexington. |
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An elegant, (but unidentifed
building) opposite the Common on Massachussetts Avenue. |
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Bruce felt suddenly
unwell while we were visiting the Lexington Battle Green
and spent most of the visit in the coach! It was left to
Geoff to absorb the history and take the photos. (Bruce
recovered somewhat later, but didn't fell terribly well
for the rest of the day!) |
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Back on the coach, we
drove past the Paul
Revere Capture Site. It was here where he was captured
by the British Army in the early hours of 19th April 1775
while riding to alert nearby minutemen of the impending
arrival of the British troops. |
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This is a better image
of the site (not ours). |
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We also passed Orchard
House. This was the longtime home of Amos Bronson Alcott
(1799–1888) and his family, including his daughter
Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), who wrote and set her
novel, Little Women (1868–69) here. |
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Bruce was very happy
to arrive in Concord and more specifically at the "Colonial
Inn". Although he wasn't in the mood for the lunch
on offer there, he was grateful to be in a nice, warm, comfortable
location. He was definitely starting to perk up a bit and
was even able to sit in the dining room and watch Geoff
and the rest of the group eat their lunch. |
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We had to choose our
main courses a few days before, a choice of "Chicken
Pot Pie topped with a Fresh Pastry Crust" or "Ritz
Cracker Crusted Cod with Citrus Beurre Blanc". Geoff
wasn't particularly hungry, so as soon as he had eaten his
main course, we excused ourselves and used the remaining
time available to walk around the local area, including
the commercial area of Concord. |
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Close to the Colonial
Inn, this building is at 30 Monument Square. |
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First Parish in Concord.
"Unitarian Univeralist - All are Welcome!", its
website states. |
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The commercial centre
of Concord. |
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Naturally, we had to
go inside! |
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Corinthian Lodge Masonic
Temple. |
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First Church of Christ,
Scientist. |
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Another photos of Wright's
Tavern (left) with the First Parish in Concord (centre). |
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After our independent
stroll is was time to reboard the coach for a short ride
to the Minute
Man National Historical Park. There we saw the Old
North Bridge, where the British were confronted by the
Minutemen in the first full battle of the Revolution on
19th April 1775. |
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We then drove directly
to Boston and on to the Sheraton Hotel, where we would be
staying for 3 nights. |
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Word had clearly spread
that Bruce wasn't feeling too good, because while the group
waited patiently in the foyer (or should we use the American
term "lobby" here?) for their room key cards,
ours was handed to us as we got off the coach and we could
go straight to our room! |
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Despite the time being
only 6:00pm (later than scheduled), the sight of a comfy
bed was far too inviting for Bruce. After a nice warm shower,
he went straight to bed and didn't surface until the morning
(feeling much, much better, for the record). |
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After taking a photo
of the view from our room, Geoff set off by himself in order
to get his bearings, which he did, and to get a bite to
eat somewhere, which he failed to do because nowhere took
his fancy. He returned to the room and also had an early
night. We would begin our discovery of the city in the morning. |
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