Our Pilgrimage to Plymouth

The day started in South Yarmouth, MA in Cape Cod just a few miles from Chatham.  We decided to drive back toward the mainland on Highway 28 rather than the more interstate-like Highway 6.  Highway 28 was basically Main Street through several towns, and we got much of the flavor of the Cape by taking this route.  Donna has always been a Jackie Kennedy fan, so we thought we would even drive through Hyannis Port to see if we could get near the famed Kennedy compound.  Ironically, a man was arrested trespassing inside the compound last night, and it was all over the national news.  We didn't see any signs of that episode just a few hours later, but we also didn't venture too close.  We were just right down the street.  It was a pretty area and worth the drive even if it tacked on a little time by taking the much slower route.

After leaving the Cape, all we really had on our agenda today was Plimoth Plantation, seeing the Plymouth Rock, and hopefully getting to our hotel in Boston at a decent hour.  Plimoth Plantation was interesting, but in my opinion, not worth the very high price of entry all things considered.  The park features a recreation of a Wampanoag (the Native American tribe that lived in the area) village and the English settlement in Plymouth circa 1627 (7 years after setting foot in Plymouth).  While it was educational to learn about the interaction of these two civilizations, the park itself had little geographic authenticity that I am aware of.  I believe they just selected some land a few miles from town and built what they believed to be the structures that approximated what each group would likely have inhabited.

The park employed people who wore period garb and role-played colonists of Plymouth.  They encouraged visitors to interact with the re-enactors and ask questions about their lives.  They also employed actual Native Americans but not necessarily ancestors of the Wampanoag tribe, but the Native Americans made it clear that they were not role playing and were only answering questions in real time . . . a little confusing.  The Native Americans we encountered were dressed (one barely at all . . . not appropriate for kids) in native attire.  The gentleman that we primarily spoke with was from Quebec and part of a different tribe.  For some reason, I felt that our questions and actual presence in the Wampanoag settlement were just barely tolerated.

The craft center was pretty cool.  They had a clay potter and a weaver making period pottery and fabric.  Here's a picture of a woven bed curtain that took 4 weeks to weave.  She had just finished folding it while we were there.

Overall our visit probably lasted a little over an hour if you take out the gift store at the end . . .  again, probably not worth the price of admission - but still educational in a way that was interesting but at the same time leaving you wondering if what you heard was actually true.  I still think that the pilgrims generally get a bad rap.

After Plimoth Plantation, we went into Plymouth and found the Plymouth Rock!  A monument has been erected around it, but it was still great to see it for ourselves and stand near where they stood.

Around the corner was a replica of the Mayflower.  It was a fairly small boat to have made that transatlantic voyage in those days.  The town of Plymouth was also very picturesque.  We hardly spent any time there, but it looked like it had a lot more to offer for a casual tourist or for a resident.  It was a little hard to believe that such a Norman Rockwell-ish looking town existed so close to Boston.

 skipping rocks at low tide

We finally made it to Boston around dinner time.  We quickly checked in, put our things down, and then went exploring.  Our hotel is in the Copley area, a fantastic part of town.  It's connected to a large mall which in turn is connected to many other buildings spanning several blocks.  You could walk a long time without going outside.  After eating dinner at the food court, we did go outside and check out a little scenery.  It's only my second time to Boston, but I love this city.  It's so clean and well-maintained with large sidewalks ( at least this part of town) and great for pedestrians.  I can't wait to explore a lot more in the coming days.  We'll be spending 3 nights in this hotel.  It's nice to finally be in one place for more than one night.