Mum and Dad arrived on October 10th amidst great excitement from the Appletons. We all went to the airport to meet them in the evening. The first few days we allowed them to acclimatise and then the sightseeing started. 

We took the ferry from Boston harbour to Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod. It was the first visit to Cape Cod for all of us and Provincetown lived up to expectations. It was a lively, vibrant, bohemian little town with lots of history and a surfeit of interesting little shops to wander round and cafes and restaurants to stop off at. Mum and Dad had somehow missed in the guide books that Provincetown is a mecca for the gay community and they didn't know quite what to make of the many flamboyant and openly gay couples strolling the streets. From my point of view it just added to the colour and atmosphere of the town. We did a trolley tour as the quickest way of getting an overview of the town and the beaches and enjoyed driving through the narrow streets, spotting the historic houses and hearing about how the early settlers, who had landed in Provincetown before making it to Plymouth further north, had given up on the area when they discovered there was no fresh water available. The scenery and beaches were stunning, the town was fascinating and Barry and I were hooked. We're determined to get back there for a weekend in the Spring. 

On the boat on the way to Provincetown. The two-hour voyage was somewhat rough and there were many, many people hanging over the sides of the boat making a contribution to the god of the sea (none of us featured amongst them). Thankfully, the return journey was an easier ride.

Arrived safely!

Rachel got hijacked by a fire service PR crew and earned herself a plastic fireman's helmet!

One of the many small lighthouses which are such a feature of Cape Cod.

Many whale watching trips go from Provincetown.

Local artists have decorated many of the benches in the harbour area.

The trolley tour!

The sun was shining but it was rather cold, particularly going around the coastal roads.

Dougal's enjoying the ride!

The boat back - still cold and windy, but thankfully not quite so rough.

The following day was a bank holiday so we took Mum and Dad up the Prudential Tower to the observatory for the spectacular views across the city.  After that we stopped off for an ice cream and sat out at the Christian Science Plaza, one of my favourite corners of Boston.

The following weekend we hired a car and headed out to Concord, an historic town which was the site of one of the key battles in the American War of Independence. We took a back road route to do some leaf peeping along the way and saw some beautiful vistas of the multi-coloured trees which make up the New England Fall. Having been a sceptic that the New England Fall is really that special, I am willing to eat my words and admit that it is several levels above anything that we see in the UK. It's largely due to the different tree species here in which the leaves turn anything from bright scarlet to salmon pink and sunset orange. It is something which should be on everyone's bucket list.

Anyway, we arrived at Concord which is a thoroughly attractive small town. We had an enjoyable wander round, admiring the historic and aesthetically pleasing buildings and the colourful trees and then sat out in the warm sunshine for coffee and cake. Very civilised.


Concord's Post Office. One of the many attractive buildings.

 

One of New England's many, many historic sites.

Coffee and cake time!

Nice trees!

Another nice building and more nice trees!

And again!

The Minuteman National Park. The Minutemen were the American part-time soldiers who were on alert to respond at a minute's notice if there was a threat of a British assault. Within this park area, which is just outside Concord, the Minutemen defended the town successfully against the British Army. The Park had only just re-opened again when we visited after being closed for almost three weeks during the US Government shutdown. All National Park Services sites were closed for the duration of the shutdown which meant that our planned visit with Mum and Dad to JFK's birthplace just a mile or so from our house didn't happen as it was another National Park Services site.

We ended our day out at Crane's Beach, a coastal favourite amongst Bostonians during the summer. It's a beautiful long, sandy beach and we enjoyed walking along it but it got a bit chilly as the clouds came in.

Another day, another trolley tour ... This time around Boston. A number of different companies offer sight seeing trolley tours around the city and it's as good a way as any of seeing the main sights in a short period of time, particularly as you can get off and back on at a number of different stops.

One of our stops was at the US Naval yard at Charlestown. The US's oldest still active Naval ship, the USS Constitution, is based here. Also at the Naval yard was one of a number of pianos which were located temporarily around Boston to encourage locals and visitors to tinkle the ivories. Isabel had a go and was hoping Dougal would join in with some singing but he seemed more interested in looking around.

The USS Constitution. It doesn't go into battle any more but is used as a ceremonial ship when the occasion arises.

Rachel being piratical!

Before Mum and Dad left we crossed the river to Cambridge to meet Barry for lunch and to have a wander around Harvard Yard. Barry had suggested we had a look out for the Appleton Chapel and we managed to find it (or at least where it used to be)! Appleton is an historic name in Boston - there were Appletons amongst the early settlers and the name Appleton features as one of the signatories to the Declaration of Independence (I think I'm right in saying that). But there are a handful of streets and sites bearing the name Appleton in Boston and Cambridge.

A few days after Mum and Dad went home Isabel's best friend Amy arrived with her Dad. Izzy really enjoyed having Amy here as she has missed her friends from home and she relished catching up with all the Porthcawl gossip. Amy went to school with Izzy for a day which they both seemed to enjoy!