Day 11: to Boston

Due to the middle of the night alarm, it was a slow wake up for all of us.  It sure was nice to sleep until 9am!  Today is the day we end the driving part of our trip and am super glad!  I also know that I must endure the Boston traffic which was a nightmare when we arrived.  Before we return the car, we head to the Minuteman National Historic Park near Lexington and Concord  . . . you guessed it Junior Ranger time!  I admit I really do enjoy these projects more than Colin and am amazed at how much I learn from the book.  I agreed to help him a little.  At this point we have been on our trip for 11 days and my patient level is not that great . . . Colin and I had a moment but continued with the exploring of the site.  It was one of the best multimedia presentations at any national park or historic site we have visited.  The people dressed up in period clothing and the old houses were fun to explore . . .

So why was this place so famous?

This is what it reads below the Minute Man statue . . .

Yes, this is where the shot heard round the world was fired.  It was a beautiful site . . .

 The trees were so big, green, and beautiful . . .

View of North Bridge from a distance . . .

It was also a difficult Junior Ranger booklet but with lots of adult help we managed to get it completed.  Colin working so hard while standing on the North Bridge . . .

Doesn't he look thrilled!  I think at this point he said, "NO MORE Junior Ranger books this trip!!!!"  Well, I could not make that promise.  Everyone was content so back to the Back Bay area of Boston to return the rental car.  I have never been so stressed driving . . . it was awful.  So much traffic and construction that the GPS had me going in circles and with a pounding headache.  It was beyond stressful.  I finally got back on track and arrived to gladly hand over the keys.  It was a short few blocks in a taxi to the hotel.  The guy at the hotel recommended a local place called Jacob Wirth that served German-American food.  I thought how great is this!  I would not recommend it to anyone who has eaten real German food because it was nothing like the German food I remembered from Germany.  Our hotel was near the Chinatown area of Boston so we decided to walk around and see what it was like.  One word:  YUCK!  It was so dirty and nasty that we didn't stay long and headed back to the hotel to relax because tomorrow is a big walking tour day!