Boston, Briefly

Old State House, Boston, MA

We're not quite to Europe, but our long layover allowed us to explore one of America's oldest cities: Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has an interesting juxtaposition of historic buildings from the 1600s and 1700s as well as modern skyscrapers that make it the thriving city it is. That was apparent at the Old State House which is the site of the Boston Massacre. The tiny, old building in the center of the city shows that Boston is proud of its heritage and the role it had in the American Revolution.
We walked part of the Freedom Trail including the Old State House, Faneuil Hall, Granary Burial Ground, and Boston Common. Granary is home to the final resting places of some of our founding fathers including Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Ben Franklin's parents.
Speaking of Sam Adams, our Boston stop would not have been complete without a trip to the Sam Adams brewery.  We went on the tour and got to sample an experimental helles that they brewed up. The Boston brewery is used for research and development primarily, most of their production is done at the Pennsylvania and Cincinnati breweries, but they do supply some local accounts with all the Boston Lager they can drink.  Sam Adams has become a massive brewing force in the last thirty years, but they still think small with their pilot brewery here in Boston.
We depart for Lisbon this evening and will have almost the same amount of time there as we did here in Boston. Next stop: Europe!  -Will

Paul Revere's grave, Granary Burial Ground

Beer!