Saturday, May 10, 2025

BOSTON

 Remember those trolls from Iceland.  When we came to breakfast the next morning at the Sheraton in Boston we saw Brad and Ruth just finishing up their breakfast.  As they were leaving Brad was chuckling so Rick asked what he was giggling at... he whispered to Rick, "See that couple over there...Ruth just said that she thinks they look like the trolls that we saw in Iceland".  I looked over to them and couldn't believe the resemblance...It made us laugh anyway...




After breakfast we all packed up and drove to the Boston Temple for an Endowment session.
It was very nice:)




After the temple we were all hungry and ready for lunch.  
We drove to Lexington, and Rick and I and Trent and Kath decided to eat at this little bakery named Tatte.
The food looked SO good!  They had lots of pastries and sandwiches and soups. 
We enjoyed lunch and then took a few pastries for later.



The others wanted Italian food, so they ate at a place just down the street at Mario's.  They really loved their lunch, as well.  We enjoyed the sunshine for a few minutes while waiting for Darla and Larry to come out.  It was a beautiful day!



We drove through Lexington and then stopped at Louisa May Alcott's home for a few pictures.


We also stopped at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery so Kathy could get a few pictures.
I enjoyed closing my eyes in the car for a few minutes.

Next we drove over to Concord for a few minutes, (I went into a couple of shops) and then we made our way to the Old North Bridge Visitor's Center.
This tree was in full bloom and so I had to get a picture of it!


While Rick was on the phone doing work stuff, we girls walked out to the bridge.
I love this little bridge!  It is so peaceful and beautiful here.







After our time at the bridge we drove into Boston so that Rick and I could catch the Red Sox game.

I had gotten Rick tickets to the game for a Christmas present, and today was the day to cash in.
We got out of the car close to Fenway Park, and Trent drove the others back towards the hotel, and they found a fun place to have dinner.

As for Rick and me, we were in for the time of our life!😀⚾

We first stopped at a vendor to get our Red Socks hat and shirts.  Rick had gotten a hat from Brach and Kendra for Christmas, so he brought his from home.
After putting on our gear we headed into the park!



Here we are all dressed up and in our seats...


We had such a great time!



We ate game food...(pizza, a hot dog, popcorn, frozen lemonade, and of course, water.)
cheered on the team....watched someone get proposed to...sang the seventh inning stretch...watched the Sox get THREE home runs....sang Sweet Caroline with the whole stadium...and cheered some more!

It was a great night!










The next morning we woke up raring to go for another day in Boston.
The night before we had secured tickets for a Food Tour in Little Italy.
We went with a guide named Bobby Agreppino who had grown up in Little Italy and knew all about the area.  He filled us in on all the historical stuff as we walked through Boston's North End.

Luckily, Darla was able to find a scooter for Larry to drive, so he was able to join us.




The first place we stopped was Antico Forno.
We had pizza and then a pasta dish from here.
Good stuff!








Next we stopped at a historical supermarket/pharmacy.  We all got to go in and see the retro stuff they had.
We even bought a few things.  I found some gnocchi to bring home.




Some cool pictures of the area...





Our next stop was the Salumeria Italiano.



We had a taste- test of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto, and cheese.
The balsamic was really good.  We bought some to bring home.




We then were able to get a half sub sandwich each.  I liked it except for the onions...


While we were in the store everyone was watching the TV as the new Pope was announced.
Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope.

Our next stop was an Italian Grocery that was really a liquor store.  It was interesting to see the wine area.
There was a lot of it.  Since we are not drinkers I asked a few questions about wine and learned a bit.



Our next stop was Bricco Bakery.


We learned about the different breads that are made in the bakery.



We came out with one of these.
It's called a Sfogliate and the layers of this pastry were so thin and crispy.
It was filled with a custard.  So yummy!




We stopped at another bakery.  Rick purchased THE best wedding cookies from here!
I thought these pizza breads looked fun sitting in the window.


Lastly we stopped at the famous Mike's Pastry and got a ricotta filled cannoli.
I don't usually care for cannolis, but this one was really good.  I could only take a couple of bites because we had already eaten so much food, but I saved it for later.  


Our group at the end of the tour in Mike's Pastry.




We bought a couple more goodies from Mike's and walked over to the Paul Revere monument to rest our feet.  It felt good to sit and rest.  After a bit, Trent and Kathy wandered over to the Old North Church.  I had fun just watching the little kids get out of school.  Many of them had parents come to pick them up.  Life would be so different to live in a big city.  It really is so fascinating to me.
Although I AM grateful to have raised our children in a small town.  I love the simple life:)


That evening, after dropping Trent and Kathy off at the hotel, Rick and I drove to Happy Feet Spa in Danvers and had a couples' massage.
We then picked up some seriously good chicken tenders and took it to our room to watch TV and relax.

The next morning we packed up ALL of our stuff including all of our souvenirs from Ireland, Scotland, Iceland and Boston.  We had T&K carry some stuff of ours because we were just overweight. 

This ended our THREE WEEKS of travel.  We flew home that evening and got to sleep in our own beds and get back to normal life.  What memories we have made on such a wonderful trip...  Family history,  wildlife, Irish dancing, Irish breadmaking, graveyards, castles, beautiful vistas, the Blue Lagoon, a Red Sox game, wonderful food...but most importantly, spending precious time with family!  

                                                                A trip to not be forgotten!