Though rain clouds persisted, we made the best of our time in the city. We toured Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, enjoyed lunch at the Reading Terminal Market, strolled the the Historic Antique Row, and finally explored the Philadelphia Museum Art, followed up by cocktails at the lovely Water Works.
This was my first time in Philadelphia, so I had to make time for the typical tourist to-dos...first stop Independence Hall! I was particularly interested in seeing this because Bob and I recently watched "John Adams" the HBO mini-series.
I learned that what I always thought was the crack in the Liberty Bell, was indeed the repair.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art was wonderful - it was much larger than I expected, and I later realized I missed entire sections - sadly much of the European Art (1500-1850).
We entered the museum from the back entrance, and so we walked down the famous stairs that Rocky ran up. I did step inside of his shoes for a moment.
I was personally very excited to see some paintings by Henri Rousseau, who until now, had not been someone I looked to for inspiration. (Below are "The Merry Jesters" and "Carnival Evening")
The armory was incredible!
On the way to the airport, Bob's brother took us to Fort Mifflin. The fort represents the only pre-Revolutionary fortification.
While I found the Fort fascinating, I couldn't help but feel sad and disturbed - knowing that so many people had suffered and died within the walls. I asked a woman working in the gift house about spiritual entities - she went on in detail about experiences she and others had. She also told us that the folks from the show "Ghost Hunter" had been there and reported significant findings. Read more here.*Star Island off the coast of Portsmouth was also investigated by the "Ghost Hunter" crew. Read their findings here.
