Boston, Massachusetts
Boston, home of Harvard University and winding streets that make no sense. We arrived in Boston in the late afternoon and eventually managed to navigate our way through the rabbit warren of streets to Cambridge, where Harvard is located. It is a really nice little city – if you are not driving that is!
We spent the following morning exploring Harvard Square and the surrounding streets. It is so quaint but solemn all at the same time. Even though it is summer break there were still intellectuals sitting in cafes, discussing very deep and significant things I’m sure, and academics marching around on important missions.
The Widener Library houses 57 miles of bookshelves and 3 million volumes - kind of impressive
The grounds of Harvard are stunning. It is actually quite an imposing environment. You can almost feel the pressure in the air that the students must be constantly under, There seems to be a great weight of history and expectation of success and it gave us an insight into why Harvard graduates have doors open for them left, right and centre. Oh, and seven US presidents including Obama, graduated from Harvard. Not too shabby a record I say!
We spent the afternoon in Boston itself, which is full of great old buildings and cute cobblestoned streets. It is quite a distinctive little city and I’m sure there are more than a few hidden gems around the place if you had the time to explore or knew some locals for the inside word.
Swan Boats in the Boston Common public garden
An actual wine cellar spotted while walking the streets of Boston