New England - Day 8

This morning was spent in Salem, MA, 3rd oldest city in America. Our first stop was at the House of Seven Gables. In the area are many homes from the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s. We have learned that the dark colors of these early colonial homes was because the Puritan life was not supposed to be fun and frills, but serious. The colors, therefore, were dark. The house does have seven gables, but it also has narrow stairways, low ceilings, small rooms and a beautiful setting along the harbor. Best of all, the day was sunny. Yesterday, they told us that it rained so hard
the water flowed like a river. (We heard something similar when we checked into the hotel along the shore in Maine. They brought our keys and said that for the past 2 1/2 days it had been pouring as a result of Hurricane Kyle, but that it had stopped the day we arrived.)

After touring the house, we saw a very good movie about Essex County at the Visitor Center and then walked across the street to the Peabody Essex Museum, the oldest continuously-operating museum in America. It is filled with treasures from around the world, evidence of the era when Salem was the leading port, and the maritime trade brought in much wealth.

After lunch at a Greek deli, we drove to Charlestown, across the river from Boston. At what was the Charlestown Navy Yard, we saw the U.S.S. Constitution. Guided by Navy personnel, we were able to go on board, down to the lower deck and learn why it was nicknamed Old Ironsides. Here again it had rained yesterday but was sunny today. The Constitution Museum building had very good movies and displays on what life was like for sailors on board. Other displays detailed the successes of the ship in different battles.

We continued under the city of Boston, through what is known as The Big Dig, and found our hotel on the south side of the city in nearby Quincy. We're looking forward to seeing the city tomorrow. Laurel Johnson, Tour Director