Boston

Well, my run of good weather finally came to an end. Since arriving on 18 May the weather has been gorgeous with me only being caught out in one spot of rain for an hour in Calgary, Canada, a few weeks ago. But yesterday, in Boston, Massachusetts (USA) it started raining and hasn't stopped. It isn't cold or windy, just a constant drizzle with occasional heavy showers.

Right now, I'm on the bus again with wifi and power so will see how much I can get done in the two hours until I land in White River Junction, Vermont.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Off the bus and straight onto the metro system to get to a host's house in the 'burbs. Less than $2 to get there and it is probably even another town, rather than part of Boston. I think it is further than Townsville to my suburb, Alligator Creek , which has NO public transport to speak of. Townsville City Council are you listening on how to operate a public transport system?

FREEDOM TRAIL
Anyhoo, Boston a lovely city and the best way to get an overall view of it is to walk the downtown Freedom Trail, the path of Paul Revere's ride. The trail is marked throughout the city with either a red painted line on the pavement or red bricks embedded in the pavement. There are a lot of free guides at the tourist info centres and the guides outline the background info about each major site along the route.

Of course, you can always pay to go on a walking tour with a dude in costume, which is probably more entertaining and would provide more info along the way. One tour is even offered on Segways, those compact electric people movers on two wheels, with everyone wired up to hear the dude's commentary and communicate with each other along the way without having to yell.

But I like the freedom of being able to divert or linger along the way. It is a long trail and I stopped many times and actually didn't get to the very end of the trail. I planned to finish the trail yesterday but it was wet and rainy and I couldn't be bothered.

For lunch I have a lobster roll (with plenty of meat), coleslow, chips, and a big glass of sangria for $15 (plus tax and tips). It is in a lovely old pub and I sit in an overhanging balcony and listen to a table of Jewish and Italian jewellers loudly discussing their trade. Very entertaining.

WHARVES AND DOCKS
After I drop off the Freedom Trail I wander back to Boston via the wharves and see a zillion, billion jellyfish. They are all the same type and have four glow-in-the-dark circles on their underside. Don't know if they are harmless or not and forget to ask about them.

The wharves have been done over and are now expensive condominiums with glorious views and access to everything. While here I check out the ferry schedules to Salem and buy my ticket and then have a glass of wine at the small but busy wine bar on Long Dock before making my way back to the Servas host.

MOVING ON AND FREE FERRIES
After dinner a friend of my host turns up and we sit up until sunrise drinking wine and chatting on the verandah. Actually, this friend was a very attractive Russian man named Sacha - my God! What was I thinking? Why didn't I jump his bones? Haaaaaaaa aaahhhhhhh ... What a night - what a waste ... Although he did introduce me to the comedy and commentary of George Carlin and for that I thank him. But in hindsight, I wish I could thank him for a little bit more - and that Russian accent - oo la la.

So now, for what ever reason, this song reminds me of Boston and the wharves.

Dropkick Murphys - I'm shipping up to Boston



So, now the next morning, I'm feeling very tired and queasy and don't want to get out of bed.

But get up I did as I have bought a ticket on the 2pm ferry. When I get to the docks, Boston has a free ferry day to the other Boston islands. Seems it is a philanthropic gesture to encourage people to enjoy and investigate the islands. Wish I knew beforehand as I might have changed my plans to take advantage of it ... and after going to Salem I wish I had made better use of my time and money.