Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving - Terry Pratchett

Wednesday 4th June - Monday 9th June; from New England back to the old.

Salem - Everything was closed last time I went in January. And by everything, I mean everything apart from like one café and 3 witchcraft shops. Salem wasn't as alive as I assumed it would be in June but then again, it was raining. Things were open and I finally got to go on the Salem witch walk. I don't know what I was expecting but to be standing around a ritual table with an Australian to my left and a male witch to my right wasn't one of them. We took part in a spell and we got to keep one of the crystals that had been blessed (now kept in my purse to aid me through my journey). It wasn't so much of a historical tour and more of a 'this is what witchcraft is now' kind of a tour but it used the events of 1692 to show how stereotyping and how tourism in the city started.

Things Sophie spots in Salem; statue of Samantha  in Bewitched.

Things Sophie spots in Salem; a statue of Nathaniel Hawthorne. 

Concord; I would easily say this is my favourite place in America but then where would my time at Walt Disney World sit? That aside, Concord in the sunshine is beautiful. So beautiful that once I've made my millions *coughs* I am going to move here to retire.

First stop - to Thoreau's birthplace! He only stayed here for 8 months of his life but parts of his writings speaks fondly of the place due to the stories his mother told him (supposedly...I've only read about 5 of his essays - I'm alternating between Thoreau & Alcott and because Alcott writes full length novels, she takes a bit longer to finish!) The house wasn't furnished because it has had so many different owners over the years; instead the house is filled with Thoreau's ideas and you can even rent the upstairs room (the room he was actually born in) for a quiet place to write or to reflect.

Felt like a walking cliché/ultimate fangirl wearing my Thoreau t-shirt. I think the tour guide was a bit surprised when I listed off the stuff I'd read from him!

We went to Ralph Waldo Emerson's house afterwards & the whole thing was very cool - it had all the original furniture inside and it painted a more personal picture of him. I say personal picture...I like how in Thoreau Farm, the tour guide kept saying Henry but in Emerson's house, it was always Mr. Emerson. I said to Hillary that this is the image I get from their works on who they are! We couldn't take photos inside because the house is still owned by the Emerson family & they create the rules but a lot of the stuff is very old so you can understand not wanting to expose the contents to cameras. It was cool though to see little bits that Thoreau built; he is such a precious sunflower! Afterwards we went to the Old North Bridge which is where the first battle of the American Revolution started. It wasn't the original bridge (it is made of wood after all) but the view down the Concord River.

Just across the bridge was the Old Manse - it is where Emerson wrote Nature!

Our final stop was to Walden Pond. This time we could walk to the original site of Thoreau's cabin as it wasn't covered with a layer of snow. I even dipped my hands into the pond; it was a nice temperature for swimming...wish I'd bought my swimming costume!! Before we left, I bought myself a 'Go Thoreau' sticker for my laptop as well as a t-shirt with his face on!

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY!

Boston - I didn't do anything in particular while in Boston because things were actually open when I visited in winter, but it was nice to be back in the city & to have a wander around before going home. I bought last minute souvenirs for my family & I even went to see the new X-Men movie (which is SO GOOD!) I also stopped off for a lot of coffee which gave me a chance to read my book!

This is it. This concludes my 2 day shy month of travelling and my year in this amazing country as a whole. I am going to miss it; the food, the dirt cheap diet coke(!!), the people with their accents. I feel truly blessed (and now feel like I'm writing my debut album thank yous) for having spent the year here and for visiting so many states. This really has been the best year of my life! So thank you America for being the home of the great!!

Welcome home balloons appropriately chosen!!

Alas, the end of the year abroad brings me to the end of my blog. I can't believe I managed to keep up with this considering I've failed so tragically at blogs before but I do hope you have enjoyed reading. I've sure enjoyed writing!