Day 3 continued.....

Boston Commons is a big park in the middle of Boston (Ok- I don't really know if it's in the middle, but it's definitely downtown with all the big buildings.) It also happens to be a public area that the colonists used for public things. Including get togethers and, of course for those days, hangings/public punishment.

It also marks the start of "The Freedom Trail." The Freedom Trail is a 3 mile loop that takes you through part of downtown Boston to see some very neat historical sights that are mingled in with the bustling city.

*Quick side note:This is a close crop of the other pictures because I wanted to show that they actually do have dog walkers in the city. Not just on the t.v. shows. This guy had 6 dogs he was walking.

I started my way down the Freedom Trail so I would have everything figured out when Daniel and I could find time to come do it together.

This is a statue of Mary Dyer. The pilgrims came seeking religious freedom, but it turns out they only believed in THEIR religious freedom. They fought to make sure other religions didn't come in to play in those early days. Mary Dyer was a puritan turned Quaker. She was banished from Boston a few times for defying a law that banished Quakers. She finally was hung on Boston Commons for this same reason.
There were many cool things on the freedom trail, but this had to be a highlight for me. This is the Granary Burying Grounds. These old graves are clear back from the colonial times. I've seen graves from 30 years ago in worse shape than any of these graves.

This grave caught my eye. The bottom half reads: "Stop here my friend and cast an eye. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you must be. Prepare for death and follow me."


This is a monument dedicated to Paul Revere.
and this is his actual grave.


This grave belongs to Samuel Adams.


Also buried here are 5 victims of the Boston Massacre, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin's family (but not Benjamin himself), and Mother Goose. I never did find Mother Goose's grave, even though I looked for an hour.

It's an indescribable feeling, standing and looking at the graves and final resting places of so many great men who lead this country through a nearly impossible situation. Men who had faith in what this county would become. Truly indescribable, so I won't continue to try.

At this point I had been on my feet from 5:30- 2:30 and was tired. I didn't want to continue the freedom trail and have to do it all over again, and I didn't know what else there was to do alone so I went back to Boston Commons and sat for a while. When Daniel called I told him I would meet him back at the hotel and we would have dinner out in Woburn. I went back and rested my feet in the hot tub:)