Okay so this is Sunday 12/06/11 and wee will be leaving Boston to travel up to Freeport in Maine. Before we do we are going to go and see Old Ironsides ( I was going to do a mother in law joke here but thought better of it)!! So after breakfast which was lovely, Anne stuffing herself with blueberry pancakes, syrup and cream and me having the more refined meal of eggs benedict we made our way to Hertz ( got you there didn't I?), to check we could pick the car up around 3pm, we could so decided we would ( throwing in a short poem there, do my talents know no bounds I ask?). Anyway off to catch the tour bus as our ticket was still valid. Whilst waiting for it to arrive we chatted to ????? One of the tour staff about our association with the two countries. It is clear that the Americans do still have a high regard for the Royal Family and apparently the latest Royal Wedding was massive TV here. He also spoke about how much they like our comedy shows such as Blackadder, the Vicar of Dibley and Are you being served. I thought it odd that they would even understand our humour but apparently they do. Too soon the bus arrived and we were off with yet another guide although not the best we'd had ( odd that we'd never had the same tour guide twice). We had gotten on the bus at stop 6 and were not getting off until stop 3 so we were on for quite awhile, there's 15 stops on the tour, so we settled down to hear yet another version of the tour, each of the guides/drivers put their own spin/interpretation on the story so it made it quite interesting.

Arriving at the berth for our visit to the mother in law, oops I mean 'old ironsides' we entered a room where we had to produce I'd and be searched all because the ship is still on active service, even though she was built in the early 1700's she is still an active warship and to keep her that way each year she must sail one nautical mile. They also turn her round each year so that she wears evenly on both sides. On board she is beautiful, lovely wood and metal and of course as a sailing ship, ropes and rigging forever more. From the ship we went to the museum where a great deal was made of how in her 31 engagements she never lost. It was in her first battle that apparently a British sailor was heard to shout " hussar the cannonballs are bouncing off her" all to do with her method of construction and the oak she was made from, she was not iron hulled as sometimes thought.

Back to the hotel area where we had a quick lunch, picked up the cases and back to Hertz. After a little confusion the car was sorted, I have no idea what it is other than brand spanking new (205 miles on the clock when we picked it up), it's White, five doors and automatic.

So we leave the garage, no map or sat nav, 2.5 hrs of driving ahead and only Anne to guide me around the one way system of Boston that even bostonians can't find their way around! But we are off and rolling. Sunday traffic you'd think would be light, not today, the Vice President is in town for a concert, roads are blocked, detours in place and I can feel my blood pressure simmering nicely. Gradually we make progress, head for the sea and take a right I'm told, we do and we seem to be okay, follow the road, we do then the road splits, left or right, we are getting closer, vehicles surround us, which way I plead, silence. Make a decision man, hurry, no time left, at the last second I decide right, wrong. No I mean I went right and as I did Anne finally decides to announce that we should have taken the left fork. Now under any other circumstance at home I'd have not been happy but today not bothered, just find another route I say, is it me, doesn't sound like me!! Anne to her credit using a dodgy map, the directions we'd printed off and her own homing skills eventually guides us to the correct road and we settle in for the 2.5 hrs ride to Freeport, Maine. Nothing untoward happened on the journey other than a new box of State Troopers must have been opened as they were stopping cars left right and centre. I stuck religiously to the speed limit so had no trouble.

Eventually about 5.30 we arrived at the hotel. It has a peculiar name but I call it the Meercat Hotel. The staff are lovely, food and service sublime and the best thing they have a bar which stocks all sorts of spirits including Hendricks Gin, Disarano and johnny walker blue label whiskey. The other good thing is they don't use measures for spirits and the batman always gives you a triple. After dinner last night I had a J & F brandy and Anne a Disarano and it cost £8, a bargain. As you can imagine Anne was giggly and her eyes had gone squiffy.

Weather still not brilliant but we are enjoying ourselves.