Today we had to travel from Martha's Vineyard to Boston and it had to be achieved by 3pm or else we would have to pay another days hire for the car.

We were up and ready to leave the hotel by 9am although we did stop off at the office for a cup of coffee before we went. I know that sounds a little odd but your complimentary breakfast, bagel and coffee was available in the office, no tables or anything it was just there to help yourself to. Very odd, people lovely, but definitely odd. Anyway we had coffee and a chat with the receptionist then we left to get some proper breakfast or so we thought. Nowhere was open and nowhere appeared to do breakfast,we had stumbled across the only place in the whole USA that didn't do breakfast! Everywhere else we've been do breakfasts big enough to feed an army, not here. So what did we do, went to the jetty, sat on the little wall and waited for the ferry, only just over an hour!!

It arrived, we were first aboard, no surprise there and got a seat upstairs in the top cabin at a table, almost luxurious! The best part was Anne went to the inboard cafe and got us a breakfast bagel and coffee. the best bit she even managed to get a member of the crew to carry the coffees up-to our table, what a woman.

Within the hour we had arrived at Hyannis and were back at the car. Now usually when you park a car in a large car park there is a one way system, one way in and another out, not here. Oh no here you drive in and then when you leave you drive out the same way. I can hear you thinking not a real issue but it is when like me you have parked the car right at the entrance and the attendant insists on letting vehicles stop behind you so that you Stoke unable to reverse! Anyway eventually we were on the road to Boston. it was about noon when we set off and therefore had about 3 hours in which to travel approximately 60 miles. Easy, well it was until we got to Boston. The journey to Boston was done mainly in excess of the recommenced speed limit of 65mph, I think we traveled a lot of the way at about 80mph!!

Now once we hit Boston the fun began as did Anne's worse nightmare. We ended up lost, several times, visited parts of the city most other visitors never see aswell as ending up on the wrong side of the river at one point. The good thing was neither Anne nor I got upset or annoyed, a little concerned maybe but that's all. Eventually we managed to get somewhere close and I spied a Traffic Warden who we asked for directions. Now to be fair she was really pleasant and tried to be helpful but failed badly, mainly because there have been so recent changes to the one way system and she was finding it very difficult to advise us properly.she did give us some directions to get us closer and somehow by a combination of good luck and some skilful guesswork we made it to the Hertz office with about 1.5hrs to spare. Car handed over and we were off to the hotel, same one we had stayed at when we first arrived.

We got ourselves booked in and went up to our room, spookily room 975 ( my old police collar number ). It was a much smaller rom than our previous one there but for one night it was adequate. Having dumped
Our stuff we decided to go out and visit Maceys. It was a 'short' walk away a mere 20 minutes and by the time we got there Anne was in desperate need of food and drink without which she felt she would pass out. We looked for the cafe in Maceys, there isn't one, I know unbelievable but it doesn't have a cafe or restaurant. In the end we found a tiny Starbucks got food and drink and eventually ate and drank on some seating outside of Maceys. After finishing we spoke to 'George' he is one of Bostons Ambassadors ( people in uniform who give directions etc). He was very cheerful and helpful and I subsequently emailed my thanks to his boss. Anne decided after another look round the shopping area that we needed to go back to Maceys ( see the theme developing here) as we needed presents etc for the grandchildren. Having spent yet another fortune we left but not before a strange man approached me trying to sell me a Maceys gift card his children had got him for Fathers Day which he didn't need, I smelt scam and duly left. We also saw a young lady shopping in Maceys wearing a tutu, yes a tutu, don't ask me why just accept it's America!! After this we went back to the hotel to shower and change before we went for our Ghost Tour, you thought I was going to say dinner, got ya!!

Now the Ghost tour was something else, part on a tour bus and part walking and visiting two cemetery's. The guides and drivers were all dressed up, out guide was a bride who enjoyed killing her new husbands within a few hours of marriage. She'd had 5 when we got on the bus and went round most of the guys asking if they wanted to marry her, several agreed but although I said I would I wanted to be her husband at number 19 as it's my lucky number ( or at least I hoped it would be)! The tour was fun, a bit of a lark and as we were in America it was compulsory to join in and have a lot of screaming and shouting. Somehow when telling the tale of a confederate wife who had tried to rescue her husband from a Union prison in Boston during the Civil War, I got to be the only Union soldier that had, for some unknown reason a dress that the woman could wear when she was executed (she'd been dressed as a man to infiltrate the prison)!! I explained that I only used it on weekends, not sure if the rest of the group understood. After about .5 hrs the tour finished and we went to the Irish Bar near the hotel for dinner. I also got to watch some soccer on the TV in the bar which made a change from rounders or girls rugby. Having eaten and drank a little it was back to the hotel and bed.

Sleep well all and things will continue tomorrow.