Day 5 - Sunday, July 1

Sunday started in Boston...and ended in Nova Scotia!

We got into Boston before 9 am and didn't really have a set plan on what to do. I had read quite a bit about the Freedom Trail but I had a misconception that it was something that we had to sign up with a tour company for. This is not the case at all. This could possibly be the smartest thing a city could have done to highlight their historical importance and even just really cool sights to see.

As it turns out, The Freedom Trail is a collection of points of interests that have been strung together that you can walk through at your own pace or join in on a tour group that will drive you around the trail and narrate for you. The city has cleverly laid a brick path for you to follow to get you through The Freedom Trail. I found a website that had detailed information for each stop as well as a one minute video about the site. So. Very. Cool.

Follow the Red Brick Path

When we got into Boston we drove around for a short while and then decided we'd park near Boston Commons on Beacon Hill. It was early Sunday morning and we were able to park right on the street. As fate would have it, this happened to be the starting point for The Freedom Trail! We gathered what we needed and started on the Trail.

Massachusetts State House

Cranary Burial Ground

Benjamin Franklin's parents and siblings are buried here

Grave Site for John Hancock

Grave Site for Paul Revere

Grave site for Samuel Adam

Benjamin Franklin

Site of Boston Latin School- oldest school and still in operation

Old South Meeting Hall- The Sons of Liberty left here after meeting because they were frustrated with the Tea Tax- the group ended up on a boat in Boston Harbor, at a "Tea Party"

Old State House- hub for civic activities and meetings; the Declaration of Independence was first read from a balcony; every 4th of July it is read from here at 10 am

Site of the Boston Massacre

Time was running out on us and we had to get to Portland, Maine for the 2:30 ferry to Nova Scotia. Of course we had not purchased tickets for that, but it always works out in our favor, right?

Anyway, the last stop that we were able to make on the Freedom Trail was Faneuil Hall, named after the wealthy Bostonian who built it. It is referred to as 'the Cradle of Freedom' being famous for meetings and protests that led to the American Revolution.

Fanueil Hall

What peaked my interest was the amount of information regarding the weather vane at the top of the building. It is a grasshopper who is named Gus. Dean's dad was Gustave and everyone called him Gus- interesting fact number one. As I continued reading (about Gus),  Faneuil copied Gus from the one on the building at the London Royal Exchange Building. He chose to replicate it because it is a sign of prosperity. This is where i felt the camera zoom in on me... grasshoppers, sign of prosperity.... like, I'm assuming Gus is a beautiful green, chartreuse even, lean grasshopper is is quick with his hops...those are the grasshoppers that are sign of prosperity right? Not those big black horse head grasshoppers with red wings that we see EVERYWHERE in South Louisiana right now.... those aren't the prosperous ones right? If they are, we are screwed. I have been popping caps in those guys for the past month or so. As is my mom- her weapon of choice is an electric charged tennis racket! They eat all of my ornamental plants... if they are part of the prosperous grasshopper group, I'll just hold my breath. But then again, based on my current location and happenings, I'd say I'm high on prosperity now! Obviously, the black horse head grasshoppers are NOT part of the prosperity group! Whew!

Sweet Gus up on top

At one of the corners, we came upon this neat little project. It's a free lending library. Becky said that her mom, Mrs. Amanda, would love this spot and I immediately thought about my friend, Melissa Shaddock. What a great idea! Boston, you are killing it!

Little Free Library on the corner

No trip to Boston would be complete without a trip to the bar where everyone knows your name!

We ate a quick lunch (in which I saw Becky eat some of her lobster that fell on the ground...she claimed five second rule...girl is serious about her lobster....). We of course also had a quick drink. The beer was soooo cold and so tasty. I got mocked for the amount of enjoyment I got from it. My 'friends' decided that it was worthy of a comparison.

A boy and his dog.... A girl and her beer

We Ubered back to our car and started towards Portland, Maine. The drive between the two cities is just under two hours. We were leaving Boston just before noon. Ferry departs at 2:30. See any possible issues here?

We only had a few slow spots on the drive to Portland. I have this thing with the estimated time of arrival on Google and/or Apple maps. I see it as a challenge. When I'm driving, it's all about beating that time- shaving minutes off at every possible chance. Well, it was looking like we would HAVE to shave minutes off today as the arrival time to the dock was 2:14. Ferry leaves at 2:30. We don't have tickets and are traveling into another country so passport business would need to take place.

Dean pulled up to the ticket office at 2:15! Dean, Becky, and I hopped out to give the sweetest eyes we could to the crew inside that we could get on the ferry. They walk-ied the boat, the crew, etc- yes they can board but go straight to the ticket booth and register the vehicle and themselves! WOOHOO!!!!! We zipped around and began the passport dance and registering the truck. One of the crew guys that came around saw the plates and of course had worked in New Orleans for a few years some time back so we reminisced with him while we were cleared to enter Canada.

We drove the truck on the ferry and boarded. We found spots at the front of the boat and settled in. It was a really neat experience. There was a two-man band in the lounge area where we were seated. I read for most of the trip- the other three slept on and off. It was a very smooth sail as it was a clear bright day.

Our View for the ride to Nova Scotia

Coming into Yarmouth, NS

We got into Yarmouth around 9. Once unloaded from the ferry we still had to go through customs. I booked a hotel while waiting in line for customs. It was Canada Day so there was a fireworks show going on near us that we enjoyed while waiting in line.

There are many food options on the ferry but we opted to wait and eat once on dry land. We ate a late supper in our hotel before finally getting to bed just before midnight.

In light of our travel choices today, it's poll time!!!!

Results from yesterday:


Wow!!! I'm surprised but so excited!!! LOVE supreme pizza! So happy that you guys are eating your veggies!

Today's poll:


Tomorrow we explore Nova Scotia so we are planning on a full day!