Boston Freedom Trail

"I also like having Chris sitting at my
feet. He has an atmosphere entirely of his
own, removed from the rest of the world,
separated from reason, though
not quite full of peace."

Folks in America (or at least here in the metropolitan, northeastern part I've seen so far) seem very open towards others. I was approached by several people today, got business cards in case I need help with the motorcycle, even got invited to a dinner snack by a very friendly woman who gave me a lot of tips for my tour and established contact to one of her friends who has some experience with motorcycle tours in the US.

I started the day by again sitting at that place at the foot of Franklin's statue. I really enjoy that space. It has an atmosphere entirely of its own, removed from the rest of the city, separated from hectic business, and full of peace.

Then I did the Boston Freedom Trail. Not the “Historical Walk of Boston”, or the “Tour of Important Landmarks”, but the “FREEDOM Trail.” I need getting used to that. It's very interesting, though, to imagine what life was like at the time in that little colonial settlement, if that is actually possible for us, considering our modern background. I sometimes forget what a small nation the US had been at that time (or rather colony, since it wasn't even a nation, yet), and how makeshift these colonial settlements had been, how rough life was.



Ah, the good stuff!
Makes for a nice cuppa.

I somehow felt a bit irritated when visiting historical places, and at first I really couldn't place it. But now I think it is the fact that these places once where the theater of important events, stage to occurrences that changed the course of history, and now they are “just” silent witnesses of a long bygone era, with no function anymore except as carriers of memory, telling stories and yet being mute. They are sights that are visited by people in stupid hats and cameras hanging around their bellies, at best reading some superficial “historical” account of what had happened here and dragging along their bored kids (not that I am doing anything different, except for the kids part). Maybe that sentiment is just an expression of some inner desire for experiencing some important events, not really valuing the “banal” everyday life we enjoy in the rich parts of the world; on the other hand this life is probably just what those that actually suffered through these important "events" would have desired. After all they not just consisted of declaring independence, crafting a constitution and having expensive tea parties in Boston, but were followed by war and chaos.



The Old State House, where among other
things the revolution was debated and the
Declaration of Independence first read
to Bostonians.

And what do they build into it? Not just a
museum, which is appropriate, but a good
part of the ground level is devoted to the
entrance to a subway station.