Boston - Aquarium and Beacon Hill

The jet lag woke us up at 05:30. At first, I thought I was at home and had to go to work.

But, thankfully, it's vacation time!

So, I turned over and dozed off again, but at 06:00 it was over.

We got ready very slowly and left the hotel at 09:00. Quickly to the deli around the corner, get breakfast, and off to the ferry dock at Charleston Navy Yard. We sat in the sun there and enjoyed breakfast...

Aaron had a ham sandwich with cheese, Nicole had a turkey sandwich with cheese, and I had an egg salad sandwich with cholesterol, but without any taste.

It certainly made us full!

The ferry to downtown Boston took about 15 minutes and docked right at the New England Aquarium. That's where we went in!

And what do you think of when you think of the American East Coast and the New England Aquarium?

Exactly, penguins!

Those were at least the first animals we saw. And there were quite a few of them...

By the way, for all those who are not so familiar with fauna: the creature with the blue bucket is not a Magellanic penguin, but one of the female keepers at work...

Penguins are of course only found in the southern hemisphere, but the aquarium has a focus on marine life, so it is very generous with the geographical origins of the exhibited animals. The penguins' migration background was therefore not the main focus...

The aquarium is impressive for two reasons: on the one hand, it houses a water petting zoo with stingrays and catsharks, and on the other hand, a huge tank was built where a coral reef has been recreated. Especially this tank was very impressive!

After visiting the aquarium, our son had to suffer: Nicole and I wanted to see the 'Beacon Hill' district, a neighborhood that was built in the 19th century by wealthy merchants and is now an architectural highlight. To put it plainly: What Beacon Hill is to Boston, Horst is to Gelsenkirchen. Or even to the Ruhr area...

The entrance doors were particularly impressive...

But the rest of this district is worth seeing as well...

After our son had to endure this torture...

...we relieved him and followed the 'Freedom Trail' back to the ferry dock.

We went back to the hotel to freshen up, and then to the pub 'Blackmoor'. We discovered this place two years ago and were thrilled, and in the last two years it has matured even more: it offers delicious food, European football on TV, and excellent beers, including Schlenkerla from Bamberg. OK, they also have Veltins on tap, which doesn't necessarily speak to quality, but you can always strive for improvement...

After about 8 beers (Nicole had 6, I had 2) we walked back to the hotel. Or we swayed. It's a matter of perspective.

As a conclusion, we had a nice view of Boston at night...

...and off to bed.

Tomorrow we will get our rental car and head north.

To the penguins.

Or?????