Philadelphia Freedom - Part Two

Our bus driver took us to the National Consitution Center and dropped us all off there.  Many families wanted to visit the U.S. Mint which is just across the road, but with the very strict security we decided that we didn't want to try that.  My boys have visited a mint before - but it was in Canada!  Sometime perhaps we'll be back in Philadelphia with our own vehicle so that we can leave all our disallowed belongings where we can get at them as soon as we're done.  Anyway... so we picked up a walking guide and off we went.  Our first stop was the Declaration House, where Thomas Jefferson wrote the text of the Declaration of Independence.







Naturally, it was closed (open to visitors only for an hour each day, at lunchtime) so these pictures of the outside were all I could manage.



There is supposed to be something called The Signer's Walk on Chestnut Ave, but we didn't find it.  Our next stop was probably the highlight - The Liberty Bell.



The boys posed with the bell - don't they look thrilled?  LOL  They both have this "thing" about refusing to smile for pictures.  Obviously they were born at the wrong time - their expressions would have been perfect for the early days of photography when no one smiled. 





Then I got a turn to pose while Harrison snapped a picture.  I was rather dismayed later to realize how fat I look (probably because I am) but hey - it is a picture of ME with the Liberty Bell.





Then we got a look at Independence Hall...



Again, we could only view the outside, because all the tour tickets were gone for the entire day.   As with the mint, I suppose we will have to plan another trip to Philly in order to get the full effect.  Here is the back of Independence Hall, where there is a beautiful park where we rested for a bit (it was a HOT day).



We found a couple of storytellers in the parks, and that was interesting - well, to ME it was.  I think that would be something fun for younger kids to do - as there was a walking guide to all the storyteller stops. 



I'm not sure if this little house is now a private residence or what - but there was a sign at the back (from where I took this picture) that explained that city dwellers of the day had small gardens behind their houses such as this one.



This is the garden pump, there was a bird sitting in that rosebush, but of course you can't see it in the picture.  Oh well.





Continued....

(is there a limit to length of entries?  Haven't come up against that before)