Day 5 - Boston and Cape Cod

Fanagel-a-Bagel worked out for us yesterday so we did it again. The bagel cutter there is amazing. When a bagel is ordered the cashier places it on a conveyor that is punctuated with a circular saw blade near the center. When the bagel hits the blade it picks up speed, is cut through and is sent flying to the other end of the conveyor where it is made into a sandwich/or whatever. The bagel is sent with such speed and force to the other end I have to wonder how many F-a-B employees have been injured by a flying bagel.
After breakfast, we hiked up Beacon Hill, Boston's most exclusive neighborhood and saw the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Hines-Kerry. Not far from the Kerry's estate we stopped at the pub where "Everybody knows you name"... Cheers! Unfortunately, the pub was closed but the gift shop was open. At 25% off I picked up souvenirs for the whole family.
Back at the Omni-Parker Hotel, we grabbed our luggage and car and headed out for Cape Cod and a short stop to see Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower II and Plimoth Plantation.
Did you know that Plymouth Rocks has been dropped and broken a couple of times? There is a huge mended gap along the whole front of the stone. After several damaging attempts to protect and display the rock it has found a somewhat secure home beneath a Roman style colonnade. To tell you the truth, the dull lump of grey granite was a bit of a disappointment. It is so... ordinary, almost ugly. The reconstructed Mayflower (Mayflower II) and its stories were much more interesting. Over 100 people lived for over 60 days in the bowels of the ship, out of the way of the crew, without light (as a flame was a danger to the ship) and with hardly room to move. They made the voyage with the same number of people they had left England with, losing one during the voyage and gaining a new baby along the way. It was the first winter in New England that took the lives of 50% of the pilgrims. Proudly, I located the name of my ancestor, Edward Doty, who came to America aboard the Mayflower.
In "Ye Olde Gifte Shoppe" I found a silver Mayflower for my charm bracelet and off we headed for Cape Cod - Provincetown.
I'll sum Provincetown and Cape Cod up as succinctly as possible...
Quaint bed & breakfast, German tourists, gay community, galleries and small shops, sand, wind, pomegranate martinis and lobster, a comfy bed, hot shower, espresso, fruit and yogurt, a windy walk on the beach, incredible waves, knocked the sand from my shoes, brushed the sand from my hair - beautiful!