Saturday in Boston

We are on the 8th floor and I have been very good to use the stairs going down.  Luckily the doors will not let us take the stairs going UP.  My calves are sore from just going down.

Debbie, Joe and I walked to Starbucks and Jamie joined us.  It was very close.  We tried to decide where to go for breakfast.  We finally picked Mr Dooley's but it did not open until 9 am so we went back to the hotel to wait.  Then we went back for an Irish breakfast.  I, of course, had the Irish Eggs Benedict.  I forgot to take a picture before I removed the English Muffin.  oh well.

Then we all gathered and walked down to the Aquarium to join the rest of the group for the HOHO bus tour.  We stayed on the whole way but some of the others got off.

sisters & 1 brother

some scenes from the tour

once we got back to the beginning.  We got of and went for our harbor cruise - that was fun.

center of Quincy Market where there was some seating.

lunch

After the cruise we went to the Quincy Marker for lunch.  Some people just had ice cream for lunch. I had Indian food.  Then we meandered our way back to the hotel.  I got my new battery

Debbie, Linda, Nathan & I went to find a place with ambiance where we could sit outside and have a glass of wine.  We found a nice place near Feneuil Hall.  We have that route pretty memorized now.

Nathan was giving me a hard time with my wine and reflections attempts.

Note Nathan & Linda in the reflection of Debbie's glasses

We sat and listened to some street musicians.  We regrouped again.  This time Pam, Joe, Nathan, George and I started walking to dinner early so that we could go by way of the Boston Commons.  This did not work quite according to plan.  We have been getting letters and calls about our car rentals for tomorrow.  Roads will be closed due to the half marathon.  So Pam went off to deal with Alamo and the rest of us kept walking in a liesurely fashion. We followed the Freedom Trail some.  

Pam & Joe met us at the Boston Commons.  But we were left with less time to wander through the Commons 

we wander through the park

Then we hurried to the restaurant.  I did not get a good picture.  It was very loud and crowded.  At first we thought that we did not have a reservation but then I called Rachel and found that it was just under a different name.  22 people.  It was a little confusing but once the food came we found it to be delicious.  We ordered way too much.   Sue joined us at our table.  I have not had much time to connect with Rachel.

We stopped at a wine & spirits shop right near our old Stay Alfred Apartment.  Nathan & Linda bought a bottle of port for us to share.  So we gathered in the "library" for wine and chocolate.  It is handy that they have this room where we can meet.  It is quiet and comfortable.  Rebecca has had the flu and has been sick and in her room all day.  So we have not seen much of her.  I hope that she feels ok to go to the wedding tomorrow.  

Linda came to the room to learn how to put a sari on.  

Columbus to Boston

Nathan is working hard

Rob, George, Mucci & I went on a walk.  Very pretty neighborhood.

Rob took us to the airport around 10:15 am.  We had lunch at the airport.  Not overly exciting 

We got to Boston with no problems.  Nathan called Lyft to give us a ride to the hotel.  That worked out well.  Once we settled in to the hotel, I went and wandered around. Tried to get the lay of the land.  Found where we would have dinner.

Soon Jim & Pam, Debbie and Joe arrived.  We met downstairs in the restaurant for a glass of wine, before meeting to go for dinner.  Linda showed up just as we were getting ready to head out to dinner.  Perfect timing.

Rebecca, Linda & Nathan

Jim, Pam, Debbie & Joe

I had a most delicious steak medallions, spinach & rosemary potatoes.

Then we wandered through the North Market.  All part of the Fenueil Hall area.  Scoping it out for other meals.

Back at the hotel we met in the downstairs "library". for wine and chocolate.  Nice ending of the day.  

Columbus, OH

After breakfast we headed off to a Chocolate factory for a tour - Anthony-Thomas Chocolate.

All kinds of mostly milk chocolate

The largest Ohio Buckeye Chocolate.  Buckeyes are like Reeses peanut butter cups.  This particular one is actually all chocolate- all 235 pounds!! So it is a fake buckeye.  We then had a tour, at the end we got a free buckeye.  

Then we headed off to lunch.  Dorothy and Ed had driven down to join us for lunch.  

We went to the North Market.  Cool place, reminded me of Europe markets.  All kinds of food stalls of every variety and also stalls of other things.  It was an indoor market, though they have an area set up outside for summer produce.  

We first walked around to see all the choices and then we each picked what we wanted.  I chose Indian, of course.  George and Nathan had Thai, Rob had Mexican, Dorothy & Ed had middle Eastern.  

They had an upstairs seating area.  It was pretty full when we got there.  

This was looking down from above.  It was nice the way it was so open.  After lunch the group went down to get ice cream.  I held down the table.  Then we went to one of the stalls to buy salmon for tonight.   

Dorothy & Ed followed us back to Rob's place.  They only stayed a short time before they headed back to Defiance, OH.  

George and Rob took Mucci in the car to go to a park where he could run around some.   They had a good time.  Nathan has caught a cold and so he rested. Rebecca was organizing her stuff and I worked on our Barcelona plans.  

Later I went on a neighborhood walk and got caught in a rain storm.  

Once George and Rob got back, George, Nathan & I played a card game.  Then it was time for Rob to fix dinner. 

 He made salmon burgers, baked beans and salad.  Good. meal.   Sorry, it is out of focus.

Travel Day almost all day

We were up at 3:30 am to head of to the airport for a 6:40 am flight.  We had some bags to check this time. Mostly Rebecca's stuff.  One bag is full of things that she will use this weekend and then we will bring them home.  The first leg was pretty uneventful.  The second leg was delayed for an hour because of storms somewhere.  It was a very bumpy flight between Chicago and Columbus.  Even the flight attendents stayed seated the whole flight.  But we made it just fine.  Rob (George's brother)  met us at the airport

We had a nice tour of Rob and Lisa's new home.  12 foot ceiling, very spacious, open feel.  Very classy place.  We to their black lab dog, Mucci (pronounced Muchi), for a walk.

It is in a new development.

nice philosophy


We went on a nice neighborhood walk, saw the community garden.  This is an unusual bird house "apartments"

We then went to Marcella's for dinner.

Lisa (Rob's wife) joined us for dinner.  She has been working long hours.

I had a delicious chicken marsala.

Then we came back to the house and relaxed.  Nathan shared his box of See's graduation chocolates.  Packaged with a clever "cap".   

Rob with Mucci

Travel Day home

The end of our time in Durham has arrived.  Time to clean up and pack up.  We went to Nathan's apartment to help him get packed up.  We were not much help so Jeanne and I went back to the hotel to get Rebecca and to check out.  We met Nathan and George at el Patron for lunch.  I had a very good sincronizada.  It is like a quesadilla.  It was very good.  I saved half to eat on the flight home.

 Jeanne left right after lunch.  She was driving. to see a friend on the way to Cleveland, then Madison, then back to Ely.  All the other various people have gotten safely back to where they started from.

Nathan had to put the stuff here 

and much of what was here

 
into here!!! Nathan did it. Of course he is very practiced with this.

We had to call Uber to get a ride to the airport, since Nathan's car no longer had room for us.  This is the first time we have used Uber.  Very easy.

I saw this large art work on the wall at the airport.


up closer

Up close, it was all computer keys.

The flight to Chicago and then to Portland was uneventful.  Rebecca was on our same flights.  We all got to sit together on the first leg but not the second.

We took the shuttle to the parking lot where we had left the car.  We got home just before 11 pm.  We had a very nice time, but as usual it was great to get home.