Bob and Bonnie: Thursday

Bob: Sorry we didn't get anything posted yesterday. We got up early and headed to Philadelphia. By the time we got home last night we were too tired to write. Just said our good nights and went to bed.
There were some very interesting things we did see though.

Bonnie: It was an eventful trip to say the least. First of all, the truck was too tall to go into the parking garage so we had to go to an open lot belonging to the Holiday Inn Express. It was about 30 minutes or more before the shuttle came to take us to the place to buy our bus tour tickets. Then, because Bob had forgotten his jacket we sat down below in the bus, not on top where we could see everything. It was harder to hear and we couldn't see out the windows very well because of mesh over the windows. But, it was an informative tour that gave us a good overview of Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. After our tour we went to the Visitor's Center for Independence Square. Here we got tickets to see the place where the Declaration of Independence was signed as well the Constitution. This was the best part of our visit for me. I really enjoyed our tour guide. It was wonderful to see exactly what it was like for the Founding Fathers. We then viewed copies of the original documents made at that time to show the citizens. We saw the Liberty Bell next and then headed for the Anglican Church where George Washington, Ben Franklin and several others of the Founding Fathers attended church when they were in Philadelphia. We saw Washington's actual pew! We headed back to our car, first eating an authentic Phily Cheese Steak sandwich and looking at Betsy Ross' home. We didn't go inside because it closed at 5. We also went down Elfreth's Alley, an authentic cobblestone street, very small with the houses all attached together and no front yards, much like it was in the 1700s. Much of old-town Philadelphia still is made up of original or very old buildings and streets. Then, we had our adventure going back! We had to pay $16 at three different toll booths on the way up and didn't want to pay them going back so we tried to go back another way. This may not have been such a good idea! We finally got home about 9 pm. But, it was an amazing experience. I am so grateful for the early leaders of our country, who despite very big differences, came up with a workable plan that has made our country what it is today. I am proud to be an American!

Inside Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed