Month: October 2022

The last time we visited Boston was in 1985, so we were happy it was our first point of call. The weather made a 180 degree turn and when we docked at the cruise terminal, it promised to be a spectacular fall day.

Next to the ship was an impressive building that originally was a military warehouse from 1918. It is now the Boston Design Center and the head office for the Samuel Adams Brewing Company.

Our “Boston On Your Own” excursion bus took us to a jumping off point near the Boston Aquarium, where we saw these Boston Harbor Tour boats.

Heading up State Sreet we couldn’t miss the Clock Tower on the old Customs House. It is now a timeshare condo.

It wasn’t long till we reached the Old State House. This is where the inhabitants of Boston first heard the Declaration of Independence read out publically.

This is the tower of the Old South Church. This former Puritan meeting house is now a museum. It was the site of many revolutionary meetings, and it’s where the Boston Tea Party got started.

It was a nice day to visit graveyards, so we stopped in at the Granary Burying Ground in Beacon Hill. This is the 3rd oldest cemetery in Boston, established in 1660.

Many Revolutionary War figures have their final resting place here – Paul Revere, John Hancock, and of course, Sam Adams himself. Interestingly enough – considering a famous beer was named after him – Samuel Adams was not a brewer. He did however, produce and sell malt to a number of Boston establishments before he got into politics.

Most of the granary tombstones are so weathered you can’t really see who’s buried beneath. However there is a large cenotaph dedicated to the memory of Ben Franklin’s parents. Ben of course made more of a name for himself in Philadelphia.

We stopped in Boston Common where we got this tather obstructed view of the “New” State House (built 1795.) Probably a good idea the tree was in the way, as the building is being restored and there’s all sorts of scaffolding and heavy equipment parked in front of the Capitol.

Moving on tto Tremont St. we saw the King’s Chapel. Originally the oldest Anglican Church in Boston, it has been a Unitarian church for a couple of centuries.

The King’s Chapel burying ground is even older than the Granary. It contains the remains of some Puritan philosophers plus (possibly) William Dawes, Paul Revere’s little-known riding partner.

Next we moved on to Faneuil Hall, a Boston marketplace and meeting hall opened in 1742. It’s pronounced “Funnel Hall” in Boston, although I doubt we’d say it that way in Ottawa. A number of pre-Revolutionary War protests and demonstrations and were held here. “No Taxation without Representation” as it were.

And of course, Mr Sam Adams put in another appearance at Faneuil Hall.

By this time we were finished shopping and sightseeing, so we had a rest at the Rose Kennedy Greenway, not far from the Aquarium. Then it was time to pile back on the bus to return to the cruise ship. A beautiful day to take a Freedom Walk in the “Cradle of Liberty.”

The frontal system that affected us in Bayonne moved offshore with us as we started our journey. The captain slowed us down to let the low pressure move ahead of us to the east. But it was a bumpy ride,

We were grateful we had a midships cabin in the center of the ship. It would have been a lot tougher at the bow or stern. Waves were about 3-4 meters high which is invigorating – even on a massive ship like the Adventure. The second day at sea dawned grey and choppy.

Later on things had brightened up considerably but we still had lots of rock and roll. It was fun walking around the ship. The water around here was only about 100 meters (300 feet) deep, so it was easy to get the surface stirred up. Would not want to be out here in a nor’easter.

By late afternoon things had calmed down a lot, and we were grateful to have a smooth sail the rest of the way to Boston. We have been on quite a few cruises, and this was probably the roughest start we’ve had in a while.

One thing we wanted to avoid during this cruise holiday was airline travel. Canadian airports have been a zoo as travel has resumed after the COVID shutdowns. We didn’t need long lineups and lost luggage.

There are only two US cruise ports within reasonable driving distance of Almonte. Cape Liberty in Bayonne NJ is the closest – about an 8 hour drive. Doing that in one day is not possible anyway if you want to make the departure time at the port. So we made a road trip out of our journey.

Our travels took us through Syracuse, Binghamton, Scranton with a stopover in Stroudsburg PA. We saw some spectacular fall colors in the Adirondacks and Poconos. Even a snapshot from our hotel room was quite lovely.

In Stroudsburg we were able to do some shopping and pick up some Bonamine just in case of rough seas ahead. The weather was great – no rain, sunny skies on our drive so far. After a restful night we were ready to push on to Bayonne.