Freeport and Boston

 

Hi all,  We found L. L. Bean, in Freeport, Maine.

 The town is basically outlet stores.  All the older buildings have been converted to an outlet store.

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I found some sandals at the Clarks store

  .  There is also a big mall like structure, and L. L. Bean.  The original store is here, and the signature stores.  There is one huge store that is just hunting and fishing, then a clothing and footwear store (Outfitter) and  a home store.  Quite something.  We are here on the week before school starts!  Smart, No!  Lots and lots of people and kids everywhere.  But is was fun.  I found a few things, and we had a nice dinner in town. 



look at the space we had!
We stayed at a great campground just 2 miles from the town called:  Cedar Haven family campground in Freeport, Maine.  It was a ma and pa place.  We really liked it and were sad we were only there for one night.  The sites were large, lots of trees.  If you had a big rig, it may be tricky in spots, but the owners were so helpful and would be sure to give you a place you could get into.  It wasn't paved or anything, but we liked the space.

another lovely building in town.

The colors are just starting, but we will miss them, I think.

Then on to Boston!  We are in a campground close to the commuter rail that takes 1 hour to get to downtown Boston.  We then took a Hop On - Hop Off bus tour, that included a harbour tour on two different boats and 2 days on the buses.  I wasn't excited about going to Boston, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is a green and interesting city.  It has so much history.  Paul Revere did his famous midnight ride from here.  The Boston Tea Party, and the birthplace of the American Revolution, so many stories in all the older buildings around the town. It has the first College in the new world, Harvard.  It has many, many universities and colleges and MIT of course.  It has the first public library, the first public park, the first subway in America.  Benjamin Franklin was from here. 

 

 It was low tide, so couldn't get a good picture of old Ironsides

Aboard Old Ironsides

 



They have the oldest commissioned war ship, still afloat, the USS Constitution, launched in 1797, nicknamed Old Ironsides.  She doesn't have iron sides, but white oak and live oak, so thick that when she was fired upon, the canon shots just bounced off and she was never severely damaged.  She never lost a battle.  She has been restored more than once, but this is the original ship, over 200 years old and still afloat.

Boston State House

 

 

This is a hospital, they have many hospitals as well, to go along with the many Universities.  They used to have ship building in this area, but it was moved by government to somewhere else, so they are revitalizing the waterfront.

Yes, Cheers was from here!

Remember!

This building was once a power house for the ship building area here, it is now exclusive apartments.

Some of Boston's skyline

This is near Harvard.  Harvard has 400 buildings, so what do you take a picture of, the same with MIT, its a district of the city almost! 

Lots of beautiful buildings, and interesting architecture.

The Old State House, and the site of the Boston Massacre, another event that kick started the American Revolution.  British soldiers fired upon protesting citizens in front of this building.  5 were killed.  1770.

This was the end of our first day.  You can see the fog rolling in.  The pictures that look grey were taken on the second day, in the haze and mist.  It never really rained on us, but threatened all day.  Two long days with lots to learn and lots of walking.  I'm pooped.  Tomorrow, we will check the weather.  We are here over the long weekend, and still need to see Cape Cod.  The weather is iffy at best, so we shall see. 

Hope I haven't bored you, but I really did find Boston interesting.

So long for now.