Birthday parade! For me!

This was the longest day of the trip, and I mean that in the best way possible. This morning, Dad and I got up really early. We got up so early that we were too soon for the trolley. We walked around and found a shop to sell us some fruit and yogurt, then we started being tourists in earnest.

We started out in downtown Boston near the old state house and went on a trolley tour. Our first steps off the trolley were at Copley Square, where there were some gorgeous churches and Boston's own public library. It's a beautiful library. 

We hopped back on the trolley just a little while later and listened to a guide explain to us all about several things in between, but we had our eyes on the prize. Dad and I went to Fenway Park. Our tour guide there instructed us on how to properly pronounce "Green Mon-steh." 

That was wicked awesome.

Of course, after that, Dad and I went on to several other places, ending up at the USS Constitution. The tour guides there were less compelling than some of the others we had seen, but they were doing the very best they could do. I doubt they teach a session in Navy basic training on guiding tours. Here I am steering the big ship: 

Following that, we came back to the part of town where our super-fancy hotel is. On the way back, Dad and I went to the Bell in Hand, which is the longest continuously operating pub in the US. We felt obligated to enjoy our typical Sunday beers there. 

After that, we dropped in on the King's Chapel graveyard and the Old Granary burial ground, which is right across the street from our hotel. In fact, we decided to walk back into the hotel just to drop a few things off, and we managed to hit their free wine in the lobby moment. Hooray. I dig free wine. 

After that, we went to set down our extra things so we could be unencumbered for dinner. It was a good idea, too. I got my fancy Nikon camera into the hotel room about two hours before it started raining. 

Dad and I went to the Italian neighborhood and had pasta dinner. We walked back and wound up seeing a parade in honor of the feast of St. Anthony. I assume it was also in honor of my birthday. We walked behind the last float, so technically, we marched in a parade. We stopped for Italian ice, and walked back to the hotel in the rain. 

Fortunately, we had stashed the champagne Cas had sent to the room in the mini-fridge. It was cold, and I called him to have him listen to me pop the cork. He thought that was pretty clever, and of course, he wished me a happy birthday once again. 

Dad and I just drank the last bit and are about ready to sleep. We have a lot to do before we head back to the airport tomorrow afternoon. 

I'm getting my 40-year-old self to bed. Good night.