Boston, MA and on to Cape Elizabeth, ME

Wow, what a fun ride so far!! Time to play catch-up….

Ryder and I arrived in Boston last night at around 9:00pm. We met my mom’s long time friend Liz who was so sweet to pick us up from our long flight! We made our way to their home and were fed a gourmet meal of chicken and pasta made by Dave and their niece and husband who were visiting from Long Island. We had a blast eating and talking about our trip and kept Dave up until WAY past his bed time! Poor Dave 😉

The next day, Ryder got up early and let me sleep an extra hour (yay!). We had a great breakfast, packed up our day packs for a two day stay in Maine and caught a ride from Andi and Brett to the Metro Station outside of Boston. The ride into the city was so relaxing. I love how easy the public transportation system is in Boston. We arrived at the Government Center and Ryder dragged me directly to the closest Dunkin’ Donuts. He explained that he wanted to see “what the big deal is.” We ordered two donuts and two iced coffees. The donuts were a hit, the coffee, not so much.

We munched our donuts and strolled around the downtown Boston area. Passing between the skyscrapers we happened upon an older looking structure dating back to the colonial era. We walked around the building and discovered a tour starting in 5 minutes about the Boston Massacre! We signed up and went on this great hour long tour around the old Town Hall in Boston, ending right in front where the Boston Massacre occurred. The tour guide used Paul Revere’s illustrated rendition of the event reminding of my college days (thank you Prof. Murphy). After the tour we ambled around a few side streets, making our way slowly towards the train station.

Down a street we found an old church, which we discovered to be the Old North Church where the lanterns were hung signaling the British invasion of Boston by sea! We walked around the interior of the church until it was time to catch our train. The ride from Boston to Portland, ME lasted only 2 hours. We saw the beautiful countryside, greatly enjoying the comfy chairs and LOTS of leg room! Ryder’s cousin’s, Russ and his son Ben, picked us up at the Portland station and drove us to their lovely home in Cape Elizabeth. We got in and chatted until late into the night.

and now to the present…

Today we took a 2 hour schooner ride out of the Portland Harbor. The views were spectacular! We saw a few lighthouses and three old forts built around the time of the civil war. Emily, Russ and Jackie’s daughter, was so excited to see the sea lions swimming around in the harbor. We had a blast helping the crew hoist sails and spying on ritzy houses along the coast. We got back to the house and went for a swim with the kiddies, Maggie, Ben and Emily and their neighborhood friends. Russ and Jackie served up a true Maine meal of lobster and steak with Blueberry pie for desert. Needless to say, we are quite satisfied and stuffed! 

Now we are watching the Red Sox game, but I just had a call with my dad and can safely say, GO GIANTS!!!