Day 22 Shopping, followed by museums

Lachie decided he was awake in the early hours of the morning, so I joined him in his bed for some stories, until he went back to sleep. When he woke the next time it was a much more civilized 7 am. After breakfast we dropped Lachie off to Day Care, then dropped Tim off to work and continued onto Walmart, which is open at a very sensible 8 am, unlike the other shops which open at 10. I had to buy a new card reader. My last one was just not working anymore. I also had to replace my brush, which I think I left in Newark. Sarah needed a few things for Lachie. Then we went to the drive through ATM, so I could get some more Canadian dollars- easy to do when it has an English option.

From here we drove through the Lower Town to park near the ferry. Easy to find a park when it is early in the morning. 

Our first museum was the Musee de la Civilization, where we bought the best buy: the “Three Museum Pass”. One of the major exhibitions was of Australian Indigenous Contemporary Art. Beautifully presented and some of the best Aboriginal work I have seen. Very impressive.^st century. “Quebec Then and Now” had lots to see and read, despite having very dim lighting. Then we went upstairs to join in a guided tour, with a very good docent, of the “This is our story- First Nations and Inuit in the 21^st Century” of the Quebec area. It was a really interesting tour. The similarities between our Australian Aboriginal people and these cultures were extraordinary. The exhibition had input from all the concerned peoples both in presentation and context. From here we went down to the toilets, the shop and out to get some lunch down by the ferry area.

  A quick look at the exhibition of social changes in the 20/21

Lunch was excellent. I had the vegetable soup, a goat’s cheese salad (supposed to have wapiti- but it definitely wasn’t. It tasted like some kind of tuna??) I had the triple selection of crème brulee-wonderful! Sarah had the calamari, salad, and the chocolate cake. All the food was lovely, just disappointing not to get the meat we requested.

After lunch we went to the Place Royal Museum- four storeys high, but narrow. The basement had a vaulted ceiling, a display of what rooms looked like in the 17^th century, and a selection of clothes that you could try on. You had to wear covers over your shoes. 1^st floor the shop, 2^nd floor was filled with items found during construction in this area. ^rd floor had items connected to native / white trade. We watched the 3D video about Samuel de Champlain. (Presented in an unusual way through the eyes of an artist.)

As we were walking back to our car, we noticed that the church in the square was open (Notre Dame des Victories) One of the oldest churches in North America. Although severely damaged during the siege of Quebec it was rebuilt in 1763. It was a fast look. The stain glass windows were most impressive.

From here we went back to the car, home via the Boulevard Champlain to Sillery/ Sainte Foy and the large Metro supermarket to buy a few things for tea, including GF gravy.

We picked up Lachie and came home. I prepared the vegetables for dinner, while Sarah gave Lachie his afternoon snacks. It began to rain. They left to pick up Tim and I cooked the rest of the meal and prepared today’s photos. Dinner was a delicious Australian rolled roast lamb. However when it should have been ready, the centre was still quite raw. So I sliced off the cooked meat and put the rest back in the oven for slightly more time.

After the dishes it was time to sit and begin my diary, but I was half watching Master Chef, so it took longer than it should.

Day 21 Costco and Domaine de Maizerets

Lachie had a restless night and got up at 5 ready to start the day! Unfortunately that meant we were up to start the day. I read my book on the history of Quebec until 6, then I went out to the lounge. Tim worked from home today, so after breakfast we left him working and drove to Costco to get some supplies. Lachie was asleep in the car within five minutes and it is only fifteen minutes away! We drove over the St Charles River, which is tiny compared to the magnificent St. Lawrence and past the huge ice hockey stadium. We woke up Lachie to go shopping.

Statues to commemorate Irish immigrants

The usual structure in Costco, but the cost of Canadian beef was really surprising. Cheap cuts were still $40.99 per kg. The more expensive down to $36.99, but in larger quantities. I loved seeing duck on display. It bought back memories of France. GF and LF food available. What I was cranky about was a display of “Aussie Bites” which were made in California! We bought our items and headed back home.

After lunch Lachie finally succumbed to sleep on the couch after many unsuccessful tries. We woke him up at 3:30 and headed back down to a lovely park called “Domaine de Maizeretes”. The oldest of the buildings is Chateau Ango des Maizerets .Once a 16^th century seminary built by the French stood here and was subsequently rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fire. Once during one of the invasions of Quebec City. Many of the large trees were planted in 1853 and it now offers 11 kms of walking trails. I would love to see the gardens in spring, or autumn with its huge deciduous tree, crab apple trees, lilacs and huge beds of peony roses.

Lachie had a wonderful time riding his bike along the paths, but you had to be careful not to go off the paths into the stinging nettles. It was lovely to see so many people using the park for walking, riding or playing petanque. We climbed to the top of the observatory tower and it was surprising how far you could see. We even went into the maze, but someone had cut a track right to the centre.

one of the "locals"

We returned home and Tim went to get his bike fixed while we got dinner and Lachie got crankier and crankier. An early bath for him and then an early night to bed. I typed, Tim checked out his phone and Sarah went to the gym downstairs. It took ages to try to research the history of the buildings in the gardens because so little was written about its history and the translations were poor.

in the maze centre

Day 20 Petit Champlain et Place Royale and Vieux Port, Quebec

Another good night’s sleep. Breakfast. Tim rode his bike to work and we drove down to the Lower town/ Port area. The area's correct name is Petit Champlain et Place Royale and Vieux Port. We parked near the ferry area. They have an app for the parking payment and you can extend your timer on the app as well! Shops do not open until 10.

Of we went through the most beautifully preserved areas of the area. Not only preserved, but enhanced with amazing murals on public buildings.

The atmosphere was additionally enhanced once again by the addition of amazing flower baskets and tubs. Again the area was spotlessly clean. Lots of photos to take, some interesting doors, lots of signs for historical information. (Only some in English.) We walked up and down to the various levels. We had morning tea at one café and watched the tourists coming through in large and small groups. As a tourist it is difficult to get used to the tax on top of the item price -15%.

At least in Australia what you see on the tag is what you pay.

Lachie had had a sleep in the pram after morning tea, so we were able to walk down to the Vieux Port market area. Normally he just runs and runs beside the pram and occasionally gets in for a rest, usually a very short rest, but this was a good long nap. WE were able to look at the vast range of products for sale. Ranging from the unusual-quail eggs to the usual fruit and vegetables. Seeing the packets of duck and goose fat bought back memories of France. Huge baskets of blueberries and strawberries, large bags of beetroot and cucumbers (pickling time), chocolate coated blueberries, cheese, sausages, pasta, fish, and of course maple syrup in small to large containers.

Mouth watering- but not GF or LF

When I ran out of cash I tried the ATM, only to discover my card wouldn’t work in a local one and in the next “international” ATM- empty of cash! Lucky I had Sarah beside me with her purse. We bought our items and then continued along the boardwalk past the boats in the harbour, which freezes over in the winter. The one area of the town which does need some consideration is the row of huge silos. Perfect place to paint next because at the moment they are not at all attractive. While walking past the boats Lachie woke up, popped on his sunglasses despite the chilly wind blowing over the water. We gave him one of the apples. I had a bite to start it off- YUK- reminded me of Croftons. Hard skin and soft inside.

Back to the car and we drove home for a very late lunch- 3pm- followed by a quiet afternoon of Lachie playing with his trucks and watching TV, while I downloaded photos. Tim rang to say that his bike had a flat tyre, so Sarah went to pick him up and I minded Lachie. I gave him a chocolate covered blueberry, he sucked off the chocolate, but obviously didn’t like it and kept the blueberry in his mouth for the next hour, until Sarah coaxed it out.

I made spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner, while Sarah was gone. After dinner Sarah and Tim took Lachie to the park to ride his bike, where he impressed all the locals with his skills. When they returned, Lachie had his bath and went to bed after Sarah read him some stories and I washed my hair. Tim went down to the gym. I typed my diary and Sarah finally sat down to watch TV. 

Day 19 A drive to Sainte Anne de Beaupre and Ile d’Orleans

Overcast all day, with a few light drops of rain.

A great sleep last night and breakfast, which included a delicious Gf bagel. Sarah’s toe was still looking black and blue.

We set off for a drive to Beaupre to see the cathedral and then to the large island (Ile d’Orleans) in the middle of the St Lawrence River. We drove past the industrial area near the port. One large cruise ship was in port and the mill was processing wood chips. The road that ran along the side of the river met small communities now and then, several large caravan sales places and a few other light industrial shops.

We went past the impressive Montmorency Falls.

Montmorency Falls

I could see the gondolas going up from the base to the chalet at the top, even if they were quite a distance from the road. We continued onto Beaupre. You couldn’t miss the cathedral. On the car journey we had past so many small churches with tall spires, but this was huge.

 We stopped at the Cyclorama of Jerusalem- no photos allowed. It is America’s largest panorama and has been on display as part of St. Anne’s since 1885. It was made in Munich from 1878 – 1882. 14 M high and 110 M in circumference, showing 80 kms around Jerusalem. Interesting, but I think the price of entry ($11 per adult) was far too high.

Cyclorama of Jerusalem

 

Next we went to the cathedral. They were having a celebration around it. The basilica was built to honour St Anne. The first chapel was built in 1658, followed by the second church in 1661, the third church in 1676, the first basilica in 1876 and the present one in 1923. The Romanesque architecture is outstanding in the way that is combined with a 1920/30 approach to mosaics, paintings, carvings and stain glass windows. The building covers 45,000 square feet. As we went into the church, mass was about to begin and no photos were allowed. So I stayed for mass (in French) and as soon as it finished started taking photos. It is one of the most beautiful churches.

The church is part of a huge complex, complete with information centre, inn and restaurant, monastery, shops, blessings office, toilet block, stations of the cross statues/ centre going up the hill, cemetery, and there is also a camping ground over the road.

St Anne de Beaupre

After taking our photos, we had lunch on the lawn watching Lachie play with his truck and the strange game of zorb ball soccer. We continued our drive back to the bridge, but used the high road behind the churches for a while where we saw some lovely farms and more homes with tin roofs/ sides- some just plain and some pressed into patterns.

We crossed the bridge to Ile d’Orleans, in the middle of the St Lawrence River. The island settled by the French back in the 1600's is 34 kms x 5 kms, so that gives you an indication of the size of the river. We bought petrol and drove right around the island. Again many churches and some tiny ones that looked like shrines? The countryside was lovely.

One of the little villages on the island.

They were growing apples, wheat, strawberries, blue berries, vegetables, cattle and dairy, vineyards and lots of the most beautiful homes and interesting barns. (some cows/ cattle were in the fields , some stay inside.) Note that there was not one home on the island that had an untidy lawn? It was quite surreal.

 After the island we drove back to Quebec, via the port area on the way home. An area that I definitely need to explore. We stopped at the park to give Lachie a chance to play after a long time in the car. Tim stayed with him and Sarah and I walked down to the shops to get a few supplies to cook for dinner.( Meat is VERY expensive. A small steak was $8)) There are so many places to see in the town.

We came home to cook dinner and I sat down to download photos. Another late night finishing typing today’s diary.

Picking strawberries on the island

Day 18 Quebec

Lachie had a disrupted night and so did grandma for a while. Eventually we all had a good sleep until 7:30 this morning. The sun was shining. Sarah started the day by severely bashing her toe on the bed > bruising her toe, which meant she hobbled for the rest of the day and it went very blue and swollen. After breakfast, packing a few snacks, drinks and doing a few load of washing, we went out walking the streets of beautiful Quebec.

Lachie has developed an interesting walking/ running pattern. I have no idea how he manages to sustain such a high level of energy! He runs on ahead and just stops at each street corner, often just sitting down on the footpath, much to the amusement of the locals.

The car was actually parked

Our first major stop was at a fabulous GF LF Patisserie on the corner of avenue De Salaberry and Chemin Sainte-Foy. Never before have I seen such a wonderful display of pastries and cakes I could actually eat, so I bought a selection of goodies and a cup of tea.

We sat outside and sampled the delicious treats before continuing on our walk.

This city is just so beautiful. A mix of French and English architecture. Signs hanging above shops, beautiful hanging baskets, boxes of flowers and plants in corners or spaces. Lovely green spreading trees in the gardens dotted around the city and every now and then a statue or a church. Copper and tin roofs to blind you in the sun, when they are freshly made to replace and original roof and the most magnificent old buildings both within the walled city and outside. Plus the wonderful St Lawrence River, with sailing boats going up and down in the gentle breeze. Many tourists and locals walking or sitting and eating.

One memory was the bride at the Le Chateau Frontenac (a Fairmont hotel) getting into a huge red truck and the bridesmaids in the back. Or the bells ringing in one of the churches. The magnificent Notre Dame de Quebec with its “Holy Door” and beautiful stain glass windows. We did a huge loop on our walk. Rue Saint Jean was a lovely area, as were the gates at Porte St Jean, and Rue Saint Louis with lots in the middle.

That is why there are so many photos of today. There is just so much to photograph and so much more to see.

We returned home at 3 to eat a late lunch (we had filled up at the Patisserie earlier in the day). After eating Sarah and Tim went out shopping for supplies and I folded the washing, typed and uploaded photos while chatting to Lachie. Looks like my card reader has given up the ghost. Luckily I had the cord for the camera with me. We ate dinner, by now Sarah’s toe was very sore. She had walked 5 kms today on it. After dinner and Lachie went to bed they sat and watched the Amazing Race in Cuba and got sick of me saying “been there.. been there… been there”.

Day 17 Newark to Quebec.

Woke early to answer emails and pack before breakfast. After breakfast I stripped the bed and took my luggage downstairs. Charlie took some photos of me around their house

and then Christa drove me to the airport. We had a good run and I was at the airport a little after 11, bag check in, through security and into the gate area. Waited at gate 21 my original gate for an hour while I typed up yesterday’s diary and watched a pigeon walk around the floor- no sure how it got through security?

My original flight was for 1:30. At 1:00 they changed the gate and then the departure time to 2:15 at exactly the same time I ran out of credit on my phone and there was no WiFi. I fail to believe that small airports like Lincoln and Cedar Falls have free WiFi, but Chicago and Newark do not. Well Chicago did, but you couldn’t connect. So I sent a text to Sarah not knowing if she is still using her phone or not and had no other means of contacting her.

So more typing and then more issues. When I went to read my book on my computer I discovered with 120 pages left to read, that it had run out of time and I will have to get it from the E-library again. I went over to Hudsons. On the way I noticed a huge queue for the women’s toilets. Continued on and bought a book and the queue had gone so I stopped there on the way. Sat down and discovered that I had read it and took it back and exchanged it for another book. Back to discover they were boarding.

Straight on board along with the other 17 passengers! Seat 3A for me. We taxied out and straight off up in the air.Took lots of photos and read on the “long“ trip at just over an hour. I was so surprised to see the number of rivers and lakes on the way.

New Jersey

Coming into Quebec

Landed and quickly taxied to the terminal.

Into the terminal at 4 pm. and laughed out loud. Four customs/ immigration officers to serve us! I had problems with my officer. She spoke English and needed to know what I was leaving behind in Canada. (Troy’s quilt and some biscuits ) She had trouble understanding the word “Quilt” and “bed” which apparently sounded like bear? Finally out of that section into the baggage section. The bags took about 15 minutes to come out of the chute. Through to the customs man who was just standing there at the end of the room to collected the form and out the exit.

No Sarah to be seen and I had no way of contacting her. I walked up and down for a while. Then sat to wait and tried my computer which picked up the WiFi at the airport. Just as I was writing to her, she came through the door with Lachie.

She had been caught up in traffic. We drove to pick up Tim at work. There were lines of cars on every road. The roads as described by Sarah previously were not in excellent conditions in some places.

It was interesting to see the difference of architecture between here and Newark/ Iowa. Very French influence evident. We drove the long way home to their wonderful apartment, which had once been a monastery. All rebuilt and very well appointed. Lovely place and so close to the restaurant area.

I gave Lachie his quilt and Sarah her boxes of Shapes biscuits then we walked down to the restaurants and had dinner. I had a lovely roast chicken, beans and mashed potato, Sarah had ribs, Tim had a kind of pizza. Lachie had a kid’s meal. We walked back through the park to see the lovely reflections across the river.

Back at the unit at 8:30. I sat down to download but it wouldn’t go through. I needed to transfer photos so while that was happening I finished typing up today’s diary. 

Day 16 To the Statue of Liberty and down the coast of New Jersey.

Today I woke early so I could upload to Facebook. It had just been too late last night to write my diary, or to upload. Breakfast and then we set off with the kids, Charlie and I leaving Christa behind to do more work around the house- certainly not to rest. She doesn’t know how.

The girls were reasonably quiet on the trip down to the ferry. We parked the car and Charlie told me about the structure that was once the largest clock by the shore. We parked by the old railway terminal buildings, which are in disrepair, but the terminal building is magnificent. Millions of immigrants passed through this system on their way to a new way of life.

We stopped at the “Empty Sky” September 11 memorial for the 5000 workers, who died in the twin towers from New Jersey. Their names are engraved on a lovely structure, but VERY difficult to photograph because it is so shiny.  Ahead is the magnificent new building, which was not completed on my last visit. Now the tallest structure in the Western world. Photographing New York from this side was great, but the sun made it lose the definition and colour that I got later in the afternoon. We missed the first ferry by 10 minutes, but they are coming and going on a regular basis, so we just waited. The good part of that was we knew we would get the top level. It is a very different view from that of the New York side. I liked it better.

As we were approaching Ellis Island, I suggested we not visit this one (I’d seen it in the past and it is definitely a place to visit, but not with small children in tow and we had tickets to the museum and pedestal at the Statue.

So we stayed on board and just got off at the statue. Same as last time, just no snow this time. However, now they have redone the torch. It is gold plated and so shiny against the sky. We did the obligatory photos and then made our way through yet another batch of security to the pedestal and museum (MUST pre book for this one). I had to put both my camera bag and small back pack in the locker, regardless of previous screening. So I stuffed a spare battery and small camera in my pockets and had my larger one around my neck. Once inside we were so lucky to have a ranger explain the history of the lantern to us and we saw the almost original. It was modified so many times after its initial creation. Parts of this one have broken off with age and it was so corroded that a brand new one was created to match the old- except now gold plated. The museum was just fascinating to see the story of its creation and its creators. One of the most significant things for me was seeing the section about Emma Lazarus who was the actual writer of the famous “ give me your tired, your poor , your huddled masses” etc. She donated this poem in 1883 to raise funds for the statue and it was eventually engraved on a plaque and put on the statue in 1903. I don’t think many Americans have any idea of who wrote it.

We climbed the 419 steps up to the top of the pedestal where you get a good view of the harbour and buildings but the kids and Charlie found it hard work. Back down the steps to lunch from the café. I minded the 2 youngest while Charlie braved the queues for food. I had made my lunch which was a great idea each day. However the drink that I chose had been partially drunk and put back on the shelf, so I had to return it through the crowds. We ate outside where again the weather  was once again just lovely albeit slightly hot in the sun.

We lined up with all the other masses for the return journey. Bunting decorating the docks to celebrate the 100^th birthday of the National Parks service. The trip back was a photographer’s dream. New York was perfect.

From here we drove down the coast, through some heavy traffic at times, to our next destination of the Navesink Twin Lighthouses.

There was a group of photographers and models at the lighthouses, modelling evening wear.

From the lighthouses Charlie drove us down the coast road past BIG homes, bigger homes and very big homes. All of which had been ruined in Hurricane Sandy. Some of the homes were on a spit between the ocean and bay/ inlet. In one section the ocean side of the road had a very high dyke to try to stop high tides/ storm damage. We drove past some famous entertainment places and onto the “gingerbread “ homes of Lakewood. So many homes were just beautiful.

There is one section there of tents. You can’t buy them, you have to inherit and they put them up in summer and dismantle them in winter!

By now the girls were very restless and it was time to return home for the amazing dinner that Christa and Oma had prepared. Salmon and salad. Both yummy. We ate outside again, but this time I had my insect repellent on. Mary Beth and the girl’s younger sister joined us. After clearing up I sat down to download photos and finally went to bed about 11. Another amazing day.

Day 15 Lancaster County in Pennsylvania

Day 15 Lancaster County in Pennsylvania

An earlier start today, as we had a long drive. Christa’s friend, Linda, arrived at 8:15 and we set off at about 8:40. Soon we were out of the suburbs and into the countryside once again driving along these huge freeways again, until we went into the smaller local roads. Crossing over into
Pennsylvania into familiar fields of corn as far as the eye could see, except when interrupted by acres of tobacco, the occasional dairy and sometimes vegetable crops. Tobacco cut and stacked in tent like structures drying and waiting to be picked up. While you may see some horses, you often saw donkeys/ mules in the fields. There were so many very pretty rural scenes.

Once again I was busy snapping away at all the barns and homes. But this time the homes were bigger, especially those on a farm, which was a surprise. I found out later Amish and Mennonites often house generations of family. Some homes were very close to the road and many were very old, with a combination of brick and wood. There were a large number of huge semi-trailer trucks on the road trying to avoid the roll tolls, plus tour buses, making it a little more difficult to negotiate on the narrower roads. At one point we saw a truck with a lovely Dutch Pennsylvania symbol on the side- but it is actually a “hex” symbol!

After laughing ourselves silly about the names of the towns, we had gone through Paradise into Intercourse, our first major stop was the Amish home and farm. 

A fabulous resource of information. It was originally constructed back in the 1805 and ran for generations as an Amish farm, but is now a tourist destination/ shop. What is slightly more disconcerting is that right next door is a huge Target store.

The docent was great. She was able to tell us all about the variety of Amish and Mennonite families and showed us through the various rooms. We began in the lounge which was changed into a prayer room each time it was this family’s turn to host. The big grey “bench truck” would come and drop off the benches, the room would be cleared and the room set up for the service. They relied on propane gas as a source of energy or batteries. So most of the products had been changed over to one of these. The fridge was a propane fridge. The sewing machine ran by battery. But today they would use generators when raising a barn if required, but send it back when finished.  Slightly disconcerting to hear that they were educated until only the end of elementary school and exempt from Federal education rules.

I was interested in the quilts and the clothing. No buttons to be used for the older people, so some used hooks and eyes, but most used straight pins or safety pins. They had a weekly newspaper, were mostly self- sufficient, but now could be seen shopping at Target next door or sitting in our restaurant at lunch time. Although they don’t drive cars, they will happily be driven by their “English” friends. The horse drawn buggies were lovely- unless you were following one on a narrow road. Of course they are famous for their furniture making skills. And there were many road side stalls selling fruit and vegetables.

We spent a long time at the farm, doing the tour and then walking around. After the farm we went to find lunch. On the way I had a huge find. Men cutting corn with a horse dawn machine. We all had a smorgasbord at Millers restaurant, which had the most explicit allergy guide to their food that I have ever seen, making it relatively easy to make my selection.

After lunch I had a quick look around the quit shop next door, where I was slightly disappointed. Huge number of quits for sale and the quilting on most was great, but it just looked like they had been churned out for the market. The manager was able to provide us with information regarding some possible sightseeing.

We spent hours driving through lovely countryside stopping at a variety of places, avoiding boys on bikes and the buggies, sometimes for a purpose and sometimes just to look. One large collection of stores was in Intercourse. We went into the pickle and jam shop. You name it they had it on the shelf. (Black raspberry jam?) Lots of taste testing there. Each little shop had a focus and was filled with tourists, mostly Italians on bus tours. The quilt shop there had a slightly larger range of quilts, but again nothing new and made for a tourist trade. In one of the larger local supermarkets I found a lovely African violet for Oma.

Eventually we were running out of time and had to make our way back home. On the way home Linda needed a bathroom, so we made several attempts to find one, but a combination of darkness and unknown areas didn’t help. After two unsuccessful detours, we continued home, arriving close to 9 pm. Then Linda set off for her drive home and we had a light snack for dinner before I settled down to upload photos, not getting to bed before 11.

What an amazing day! Another tick on my bucket list.

Day 14: Manasquan to Philadelphia

Up at 7:30 to check the computer before coming down for breakfast. Another sunny warm day. Made my lunch after breakfast of a delicious GF bagel. Christa must have ransacked every shop in the whole district. She has it all.

The girls arrived at 9:30 and we set off soon after. This time Christa was staying behind and I was in the front seat. We drove down the same freeway, but going in the opposite direction. One sign that I did notice was at each bridge warning about each bridge having frozen ice. (Apparently the air on top and under the bridge is so cold in winter that any fluid on the bridge can freeze.)

It seemed that the trees were just on the cusp of turning. A few leaves here and there. Probably just after I leave.

It was interesting seeing how much agriculture is still happening in New Jersey. More corn, some fruit trees , some growing on V frames, some draped over semi circular frames and a few flower farms. Despite the GPS there were a few very complicated lane changes up to and including finally getting over the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and the Delaware River into Philadelphia.

Charlie was aiming to get parking at the Independence Visitor Centre. Full. So we found some close by. Unlike Australia only $28 for 4 hours.

Charlie got our tickets for the Independence Hall tour and then we sat and watched a video on the time of the Independence movement. From here we went over to the Liberty Bell for some photos. (security screened, because some deranged person tried to smash it years ago)

Another security check when we went to our 12:45 tour of the Independence Hall to hear about the reason for the separation from England. Always interesting to hear it from the “other side”. Followed by the actual building where they decided on the wording of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The talk was excellent but too many details to remember.

After a quick toilet break we had a late lunch and walked over to the Philadelphia Mint, where they make coins only- one of three in America. Another security check and no cameras allowed. An interesting process, but the girls were restless here. The process is much more computerised now but still lots to see. On the opposite corner was the cemetery where Benjamin Franklin was buried, but we were there at 3:45 and it shut at 4. So we just took photos outside.

I definitely am going to add Philadelphia to my list of places to return to for a longer visit. One day was not long enough.

It was 4:00 by the time we reached our car and set off following the GPS and the easily confused signage. Finally on the tollway at last, with only one stop for bathrooms. We arrived home at 5:45.

Christa and Oma had prepared a lovely meal and we were joined by the girl’s parents and Sasha’s mum. It was lovely to sit outside and eat the feast. The families left at 8 after cleaning up and I sat down to type and download. Chat with Oma and Christa meant that Charlie finished downloading before me.