Boston MA #2

Another amazing day in Boston with Caitlin.  We had a bit of a late start after watching the footie for a little while (Eng v Belgium).  Getting around town, as yesterday, by walking (miles!!) and the Hop on Hop off bus narrated city tour, (I could now successfully take an AP exam in Boston history and fun facts). Today's highlights included a stroll through Boston Gardens (extra), wandering around Boston Public Library (beautiful courtyard)  and a fascinating guided tour inside Trinity Church, (main picture) where many of the designs (extra) were based on motifs found in Byzantine churches (reminding us both of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul), and four of the magnificent stained glass windows were by Pre Raphelite Edward Burnes-Jones, made in England by William Morris (1882) and shipped to Boston.  Our guide was very well informed and I found this church fascinating. Today is also memorable for eating almost all of  a 1400+ calorie slice of lemon meringue cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory;  and rounding off this much cooler day with a couple of pints of decent beer in the downtown Irish pub. 

Trinity Church: (taken from Wikipedia) The building's plan is a modified Greek Cross with four arms extending outwards from the central tower, which stands 64 m (211 ft) tall. Having been built in Boston's Back Bay which was originally a mud flat, Trinity rests on some 4,500 wooden piles, each driven through 30 feet of gravel fill,  and constantly wetted by the water table of the Back Bay as they will rot if exposed to air.

Its interior murals, which cover over 21,500 square feet (about 2,000 m²) were completed entirely by American artists.  Four windows were designed by Edward Burne-Jones and executed by William Morris. Another four windows were exceptional commissions by John La Farge, and revolutionized window glass with their layering of opalescent glass. Trinity Church is the only church in the United States and the only building in Boston that has been honored as one of the "Ten Most Significant Buildings in the United States" by the American Institute of Architects (AIA).