Boston

Boston is like a little bit of England that has been taken over by Americans. It's a beautiful city in a pleasant English way rather than an over the top American way. It's full of history and distinction, housing 28 Colleges (Universities) in the metropolitan area alone including Harvard, MIT and Berkley. From its colonial origins to its role in the American War of Independence there's plenty to see in Boston. Its fine art museum houses many European masterpieces (even I recognised some of them - that's how famous they are!). So were it not for all the Americans you might forget which side of the Atlantic your were on.

Many of you may have had to re-read that last paragraph in disbelief, but yes, I really did go into the Boston Fine Art Museum. I met a Scottish minister (the religious type, not political) at the hostel and (since it was free in the evenings) I decided to join him. I was amazed at how many pieces looked vaguely familiar and how many famous artists names I recognised.I had two days in Boston and I elected to spend the first on the 'hop-on hop-off' sightseeing bus. I did one complete circuit which gave me an excellent overview of Boston and then started to get on and off to spend more time at the places of most interest.

I first stopped outside the Boston City Library which is a beautiful building with a highly relaxing fountain in the middle next to which I ate lunch. After lunch I went across the square to Trinity Church which is another lovely old building and a bit of a change from the vast and ancient cathedrals of Europe. However, upon receiving demands to pay vast sums to actually look inside I politely declined.Before leaving the area I took the photo recommended by the bus driver of "the old Boston reflected in the new". At this rate I'll be a real artist soon......Next I took a more historical bent to my wanderings and visited the Old State House Museum. This old building was the centre of the town during the build up to the American War of Independence. It was the site of the Boston Massacre (the circular cobbled area in the photo marks the spot) which was a major event used as propaganda for hatred of the British as well as being the place from which the Declaration of Independence was first read to the public in Boston.

The building has been converted into a Museum which summarises Boston's history and I highly recommend it as a first stop to any visitor interested in history.I swung by Paul Revere's house as well but it was overcrowded and didn't look particularly interesting so I didn't bother to enter and instead proceeded to where the USS Constitution is housed!The USS Constitution, as the Americans love to remind you, is the oldest commissioned ship afloat. So, yet again, the Americans win on a mere technicality as HMS Victory is in dry dock. Typical Americans! Whatever it technically is, physically it is a frigate nicknamed Old Ironsides due to it's seemingly impregnable hull. The museum and tour, however, are excellent so I'm prepared to forgive the Americans this time.

That concluded my first day as I spent a good deal of time wandering throughout this lovely city as well as on the bus tour which included many, many references to how this building was the biggest such and such or contained the oldest wossname. The oneupmanship was incredible! I thought that they were really clutching at straws when proudly announcing that that they had the widest cable stay bridge in the world. That might be impressive to a layman's ears but to an engineer it's like claiming to have the worlds widest skyscraper - it's the length that's the key factor.The next day I spent all day at the wonderful New England Aquarium. Whilst I can imagine that there are better aquariums in the world (good old Kelly Tarlton's, for example, superior in many ways) I thoroughly enjoyed myself looking at all the fishies, seals and jellyfish!Boston was a very interesting, enjoyable and relaxing end to my visit to the USA. It had been an amazing experience to see the splendour of Washington, the pace and scale of New York and the elegance of Boston. The museums and monuments of Washington, Manhattan Island New York and historical Boston I would recommend to any world traveller - but only to visit. I could never live in any other these places. Washington seems artificial and soulless, the pace of New York would kill me and although Boston seems lovely there's just so much about American culture that, to put it mildly, frustrates me. I apologise if this offends anyone, it's just my opinion.

I'll be back though, I'm yet to see the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park or The Rockies. Maybe outdoor America will be more to my liking =)