Patiently waiting at the hostel to get going... Look at all these smiling faces... They're a sight we love to see ;D
Now, let's get to serious business: getting to visit Boston and its historical sites.
But before that, let's get set for the day. From the first day, you all showed maturity and responsibility: you had breakfast, prepared your lunch bags on your own, and cleaned up the kitchen! Wonderful!
At 9:00 a.m., we were all set to walk across the hub (=the heart) of the city.
MANET'S IN THE HOUSE!!! At the feet of the Prudential...
In front of the Publc Library, the oldest free public library in the world.
Manet in Boston Common
Manet opposite the State House
We went past Hynes Convention Center, the Public Library, the Prudential building, the Apple store... We walked across the beautiful park called Boston Common, and we went to the Colonel Shaw Memorial.
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw was the Colonel of the 54th Regiment, which was the first African American regiment in the east of the United States. The movie "Glory" by Ed Zwyck gives a very moving depiction of this regiment and the hardships they went through. Most of you watched the movie in class last year, and still had a clear idea of what it dealt with.
There, you met with an amazing person: a reenactor of the Civil War era, Gerard, who was wearing a replica of the 54th regiment uniform, and who gave us a great lecture about the 54th.
Gerard shared with us a piece of cracker which the soldiers used to chew on during the Civil War to stave off their hunger (=tromper leur faim). He is an amazing figure, isn't he?
And from there, on we went across the Freedom Trail. The red line on the sidewalk helped us find our way to visit the most important sites in the history of the American Revolution.
Granary Burial Ground where Paul Revere is buried
Some got a well-deserved break...
... while others were engaged in a frenzy of productivity :D
... while yet another one was busy remaining incognito :D!!
Oh.. Hold up! Reality hit the cat: just as a reminder that we were still in the 21st century, an astounding car appeared from nowhere claiming for an owner. No need to say several candidates showed up... But I think Michael was the swiftest of them all :)
We kept on past the old State House, and Faneuil Hall, and eventually got to the wharf.
The sun was on our side and we felt like we owned the city...
We took a seat to take in all the information surrounding us
And we enjoyed a snack facing a beautiful view which gave great taste to our home-made sandwiches
We resumed walking across a bridge which made us feel as if we were in a beach resort...
... and made it to Paul Revere's house, the oldest house in Boston.
Boy, was it impressive to see such a thirst for knowledge and culture. Pure bliss!
After this bath of culture and history, we made a special stop in...
... our first gift shop!
We then headed towards North End, the Italian neighborhood, and stopped at the feet of the statue of Paul Revere on his horse.
This memorial in the back was created recently and is a dedication to all the victims, military or civil, of the Afghan and Iraqi wars. It is made of lines of army identification necklaces in the memory of all the victims who died because of the war.
And then we paid tribute to all the victims of the Jewish Holocaust...
We felt home going past Haymarket, and further ahead we even saw a break dancing show.
You think the day was over? Noooo! We took the red line on the T at Park Street, hopped off at Central Square and attended a ...
... Batizado de capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, where Mestre Chuvisco invited us as special guests, a most welcome priviledge...
Okay, okay... Night was falling, so we had no other choice than to head back "home" to the hostel. We took a short break to try on our new tee shirts and sat down on the terrace of the Teriyaki House to have a nice sushi dish.
After a yummy meal, we took a digestive walk across Newbury Street, the Champs-Elysées of Boston as our American pen pals like to call it, before eventually heading back to the hostel, with our heads full of blissful memories.
We worked hard for this to happen, and we -you- knew how to make the most of it.
Bonus: Mamadou's pun (=jeu de mots)
