Flower Hat Jellies and the Freedom Trail

Today was my first full day in Massachusetts, and it started with a trip to the local Roman Catholic Church.  The church is just a few blocks down the street, and so I walked myself and caught their 9:30 mass.

I am in love with old buildings, and this church is sincerely old and beautiful.  It has a tall, dome like ceiling.  The many stone columns along the pews lead up to a stone altar and a hand-wooden carved backdrop.  I am uncertain how old the church is–but it must have survived quite some time.  I spent most of my time admiring the intricate wooden statues.

Another interesting thing to point out about the church is that they offer a lot of Spanish masses every Sunday, as well.  There are two English masses, and then two Spanish masses every Sunday–far more than I normally ever see.  Kelly says there is a large Hispanic population in the area, and as a lot of people from Latin America are Catholic–that makes sense.

There weren’t an awful lot of people who filled this mass churcha t 9:30 in the morning.  I was kind of surprised.  However, the congregation was full of a large ethnically diverse group.  African-Americans, Asian, Hispanic, European…I’m pretty sure the priest is from Ireland.  Again, I am reminded from my time in Japan how difficult it is to fit different cultures into one spot.  Religion pulls a lot of people together.

After church, I returned to the home (of which I now have my own key for the week) and waited for Kelly to wake up.  We had lunch (by this point it was getting close to noon) and then headed to downtown Boston.  I’d bought a Citypass for the week, which was a fantastic idea!  For $45 I am able to go see 5 main attractions within Boston…easily making up the price twice over.  My first stop was the New England Aquarium.

[singlepic=630,320,240,,left]The Aquarium is right on the bay in the downtown area.  It is kind of pricey without the Citypass–at about $19 for a student.  The line to get inside on a Sunday afternoon was enormous.  I would not recommend going here on a weekend if you can help it.  Kelly and I waited for 20 or 30 minutes to get to the ticket counter, and it was all in the blazing hot sun and no water.  So at the very least–remember to bring a water bottle!

Once inside we were able to see a whole array of different fish.  There were also a select amount of birds and mammals on display.  All of surrounds a central holding tank that you follow up until you reach the top and can look down into the water.

[singlepic=628,320,240,,right]There were three types of penguins in the aquarium.  African penguins, little blue penguins, and the rockhoppers.  We just happened to be there when they were feeding them, so we watched as attendents came out in their wet suits and pales of fish.  They kept tabs on a sheet as the penguins ate, and if a specific penguin wouldn’t eat anything they would try over and over to find a fish that they would enjoy from the pale.

[singlepic=626,320,240,,left]Outside were the seals.  Both harbor seals and northern fur seals are kept outside in big tanks where they can be trained daily by the aquarium staff.  We caught the end of a seal training session in the back tank.  They showed us the seals and the tricks they could perform, including a lot of tricks that make it easier for a vetrinarian to take care of them.  The seals would open their mouths on cue for brushing.  Of course, they also knew such things as spinning, kissing, and touching their nose to certain targets for show.  Seals are like aquatic dogs.

Inside, we saw fish from all over the world.  A lot like the aquarium I visited while in Osaka, Japan, they have miniature habitats created for these fish.  From piranha to electric eels to jellyfish and urchins, there is certainly a lot to see.

[singlepic=603,320,240,,right]Kelly’s favorite jellyfish was called a flower hat jelly.  It looked like it was make out of goop and confetti, and just sat at the bottom of the glass.

My favorite creature was probably the sea dragon.  They look like seahorses, but with leafy and wood like decorations.  The fact that they can exist in the real world at all bewilders my small brain.  If creatures so creative like this can truly exist…who is to say more fantastical creatures like fairies and griffins do not?

The main tank was filled with a lot of bigger fish, including a nurse shark and a tiger shark.  There was also a sea turtle, although he kept to himself.  Scuba divers scrub the tank clean often, and the sharks leave them alone while they do their work.  Apparently the sharks are happy to eat little fish in the tank.  The turtle feeds on great leaves of lettuce–all given to him at the top of the tank, where we could watch the staff at work.

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[singlepic=633,320,240,,right]Tired and thirsty, we left the aquarium and headed for some of Boston’s best ice cream, Emack & Bolio’s.  It is right next to the aquarium and easy to find with a large ice cream cone sign in the front.  The shop itself is very small and easily crowded.  Their selections are few, but good.  I sampled a few flavors on popscicle sticks (instead of sample spoons…which I thought was strange), and it reminded me a lot of Handel’s Ice Cream–altough Handel’s has far more interesting flavors.

I ended up with a Passion Fruit Sorbet to better fight the heat.  Kelly got two scoops of something very chocolate and something coffee-like.  They were really expensive at about $3.75 to $4.35 for 1 to 2 scoops.  I think I’ll stick to Handel’s and Jeni’s Ice Cream back home in Columbus.  It’s cheaper, tastier, and far more creative.  Still, it wasn’t bad.  If you’re walking by, I would still recommend trying

[singlepic=643,320,240,,left]After we finished our quickly melting ice cream, we headed for a very historical part of the city.  We walked through Quincy Market, which was filled with almost any type of food you can imagine.  From a Mac n’ Cheese stand to Starbucks to sushi, it was a great place to find a quick and interesting meal. Even more interesting, this market has been open to people since August 1826.

[singlepic=649,320,240,,right]Across from the Quincy Market is the Faneuil Hall.  This is another very old building and has been a meeting hall since 1742.  There are shops in the bottom portion.  Above that they are currently doing repair work on the front of the building.  In the back there is a statue of Samuel Adams.  Many people play music here or bring a stereo to dance to.  It is very lively on a weekend.

Following what is known as the “Freedom Trail,” we continued into the skyscrapers.  The freedom trail is about 2 1/2 miles long and leads tourists around historic Boston to important Revolutionary War sites in the area.  It is marked by red brick in the sidewalk–literally a red line that you can follow.  From what I understand it’s a pretty cheesy tourist trap, but I was thrilled by it.  Or at the very least, I found it interesting.  We passed the old state house and several colonial-dressed guides.

Finally, we headed back to Cambridge for dinner.  Kelly’s mom made us tofu and veggie burgers and also bought Kelly a chocolate cake from Rosie’s Bakery.  I really need the recipe for the burgers, because they were delicious.

[singlepic=671,320,240,,left]As for the chocolate cake, I already have plans to get me a bag of baked goodies from Rosie’s before I leave.  The cake is rich, but not to the point of being sickening.  As a big bonus, the icing is creamy without being runny, and tastes more like a milk product than those grocery store want-to-be icing versions.  When I want to lick the icing off of my plate, I know it’s a good cake.