Day 4 - Witches, Clams, Mushy Peas & Strops

Date : 8th November 2008
From : Outskirts of Boston
To: Outskirts of Boston
Via: Salem and Revere Beach
Museums in Salem: 253
Museums Visited: Zero
Silent Car Journeys: 1

Today's photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32017704@N03/sets/72157608789113067/

We're still cursed with hideously early starts to the days and today was no exception as I was on the move by 5:30am and Kate wasn't far behind. After some room juggling (my biceps should be getting pretty bulky from lugging a dozen suitcases around every day - the fried food, however, provides more than an offset), it was back on the road for a day trip to Salem - the sight of the witch burning frenzy of the seventeenth century (I can't be more specific than that). The story from start to finish is this: if you didn't like someone then you accused them of being a witch and they were hung. The frenzy ended when someone accused the governer's wife of being a witch but she was too posh to swing so it ended there. The fuller story is told in The Crucible but I have basically just saved you a week's worth of reading. Stay tuned for crib notes to all the classics going forward.

Needless to say Salem now has a thousand spooky museums ranging from live reinactments of witch trials to the slightly less related Frankenstein and Pirate museums. Still, plenty of opportunities for photos without actually spending a penny. Pure bliss.

Lunch was (thanks to a reccomendation from Jaff, a chef instructor from the FCI) a combination of fried clams and a roast beef sandwich as big as your head at Kelly's in Revere Beach. The seagulls are particularly fat in this neighbourhood thanks to their regular feeding either from Kelly's or from the tourists that visit the place. There was a diet coke incident on the way which caused a strop that resulted in a silent journey back to the hotel. Nuff said.

Coincidental timing meant that Teen Wolf (Adam) was in Boston seeing his girlfriend (whom he loves very much) for the evening so we went over to Cambridge (MIT territory...but I'm not jealous) for a bar hike. I would call it a bar crawl but the bars seemed to be 8km apart. Still, good times, hot dogs, mac & cheese, burgers, buffalo chicken and several beers were had by all. A most enjoyable evening and it was just nice to stay out past 10pm...

Portland tomorrow. Really looking forward to that...