Plymouth

The homelessness found in other parts of America is far less noticeable in Boston. I don't know why but I am sure that some of is due to the fact that the temperature drops to below freezing for extended periods and living on the streets would not be a viable option. The reason I mention this is that I finally succumbed to a pan handler. I was walking through Boston Common and this guy was sitting on the wall behaving like a twitter feed. He was giving football scores, news headlines along with directions to tourist attractions. He was working so hard at it they I gave him some change. 

I headed out to Lexington and Concord after checking out of the hotel. I was up far earlier than planned as the housekeepers clearly had a lot of work to do because they were knocking on my door asking me what time I was checking out. I was not very happy. Anyway both Lexington and Concord are beautiful towns, in particular Concord. I went to the site where the first shots were fired in the American Revolution (Lexington Green) and then to the bridge in Concord were the shot that was heard around the world rang out. Here the colonial Americans gave the official order to their militia to fire on the Lobster Backs (British). This was an act of high treason as everyone there considered themselves to be British at the time. This was essentially the start of the American Revolution.

From there I headed to Plymouth where I am staying for the night. I have already checked out Plymouth Rock which is exactly that, a rock. I chiefly know it from the old Cole Porter song "Anything Goes" which was about the risque behaviour in these modern times (1934). Literally right accross the road is where many of the early pilgrims are interred. I think of the 104 who landed in 1620 forty five of them were to die in the first year. There is also a replica of the Mayflower floating just across the road. You can see it all in ten minutes if you're a little slow.

Don't get me wrong about the importance of this place to both British and American history but you can only get so excited about a caged rock. Tomorrow I am off the Providence, Rhode Island. Partly because it will be another state so I can add that to the list that I have visited but mainly because I always loved the line about it in the old Eagles classic "The Last Resort". Depending on how charming I find it I will either stay two days or push on to somewhere in Conneticut (either Hartford of Lyme) and then I ditch the damn car. I will bore you all with how much I have hated driving it when I get home. Then it will one last knees up with a week in New York. Followed by that 22.5 hour flight home.....ahhh!!

Now it seems that there has been news about the sarcophagus. On my way out of Plymouth I wandered around the town again. I stopped by the rock and the Mayflower and the sarcophagus where I got talking to a guy. It turns out his job is to turn up tomorrow with a crane and move the sarcophagus six feet to the south so they can build a three storey gift shop. Apparently there are five (I think he used the word) selectmen who determine such things. I suggested he remove his own name from the job and add theirs along with phone numbers. I will stay abreast of this online. I can almost guarantee there will be a stink over it.