I think I'll go to Boston.

Well, here I am. In France. I still can't quite believe it. But getting here was enough of an adventure in and of itself. 

Here we are, driving to the airport. 

Me: excited.

 Megan: not so much.

 We went out for our last meal together at Leatherby's. Our fave. Did you all know that they are expanding?? It's about freaking time, we thought.

 Why yes, we did order the exact same thing. Why not stick with what you know you love? And we LOVE those chicken fingers and fries. 

 Oh, Hamilton's Sundae. So. Good. 

So after my final meal in Utah, I hopped on a plane headed for Chicago. I spent a long, freezing night in the airport (note to self: if ever you have to sleep in an airport again, 1) don't sleep by the giant windows, 2) bring a blanket. I can deal with being uncomfortable and even with having lots of noise all around, but I can't sleep if I'm cold. So, that was fun.

The next morning, I got up, got ready, and got on a plane bound for Boston. I'll be honest, I wasn't too upset with flying in this round-about way to France because it meant spending a day in Boston. Totally worth it. 

I made my way from the airport to downtown, and then I took a self-guided tour of the Freedom Trail. Basically it's this red brick line that runs all throughout the city, past some really cool historical places. If ever you have just a few hours to wander around Boston, this is definitely the thing to do!! 

Here's what I saw:

The Massachusetts State House

 This cool statue thing that I'm pretty sure they have a replica of in one of the Smithsonians. 

Park Street Church

 It was on the steps of this church that the hymn My Country 'Tis of Thee was first sung. Cool, huh?

 This was not a stop on the Freedom Trail; I just thought it was cool.

 King's Chapel. 

 Statue of Benjamin Franklin in front of the Old City Hall. Franklin attended school here--the first public school in the U.S. 

 Old South Meeting House. This is the second oldest church in Boston.

Voila, the Freedom Trail:

 Old State House. This is Boston's oldest surviving public building. So many cool, historical things about this: the Declaration of Independence was read from the balcony here in 1776, and right below that balcony was the site of the Boston Massacre in 1770.

(tell me you don't remember this picture from elementary school.)

 Statue of Samuel Adams in front of Faneuil Hall

 And right behind Faneuil Hall is Quincy Market, which just has a lot of places to eat and shops.

 I sat and listened to these guys play for a little while. They were awesome, besides the fact that they had a cello, which is my favorite instrument by far. They were called "Tall Heights," and I'm still very tempted to buy their CD.

 I ate lunch here: and it was great. 

 After my lunch break, I picked up what was left of my force (along with my purse, backpack, and rolling bag), and headed to the next stop: Paul Revere's house. This is Boston's oldest, private building downtown. So cool. 

 And yes, they just have tour guides who are dressed like this giving tours left and right. It was adorable. 

 Next stop: The Old North Church. Obviously, this statue in front is Mr. Revere himself, out on his famous midnight ride.

 Check out that organ!

 Have I mentioned how much I love National Treasure? Okay. Well, just throwing that out there. 

 And then I sat down on this bench for about 20 minutes, no longer able to walk. But I sure as heck was enjoying being in Boston!!

It was just about the perfect layover. I have to say, I am a huge fan of Boston. It is just so full of life, and history, and beautiful buildings, and churches, and little Italian places (okay, I would've had to just move right in if all of those were French places, but Italian is still nice), and it's just wonderful. I will definitely have to go back!