We set off this morning to see the Liberty Bell. It was a 30-40 minute walk in the freezing cold. We walked past City Hall and Declaration House (where the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson – it took him about 2 weeks to write the first draft).
We arrived about 10 minutes before it opened and there was no one else waiting there so we decided to go and get a coffee as it was just starting to drizzle. Once we had warmed up we went back and through security before seeing the Liberty Bell. The bell has a huge crack in it which was made worse when they tried to repair it. For more information about the Liberty Bell, check out this link:
https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/stories-libertybell.htm
At the Visitor Centre we decided to ask about the Junior Ranger Programme and so the kids got their booklets and started to complete their 8 tasks. As part of it they needed to go on a guided tour so we went to Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was actually debated and signed. Despite American Independence Day being celebrated on July 4th each year, they actually agreed to independence on July 2nd and it was on July 4th that they agreed the final draft. It was not actually signed until August 2nd. For more information on this and Independence Hall, check out these links:
https://www.nps.gov/inde/learn/historyculture/places-independencehall.htm
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/signing-declaration-independence
We returned to the visitor center and checked in with the Ranger who quizzed the kids on what they had learnt and what they had seen and done. They then had to swear the oath and were given the badges. It is a great way for the kids (and us) to learn a bit more than we otherwise might have.
Everyone was a bit peckish so we walked to the Reading Terminal Market for a Philly cheesesteak sandwich – you can hardly come to Philadelphia and not at least try one. A classic cheesesteak consists of a long, crusty roll filled with thinly sliced, freshly sautéed ribeye beef and melted cheese. The market is quite impressive with so many different foods on offer – it would be amazing to have this available to you every day – I was quite jealous.
The rain was still persisting, although it had at least warmed up somewhat as a result. Due to the weather and the distance to get to the Museum of Art (the other main thing we had wanted to see, for to the “Rocky steps”) we decided to head to the shops instead ?. At least it was warm and dry in the mall. We spent a few hours wandering around the various shops before heading to Macy’s.
We had a reservation to see Santa and the Dickens Village there, but we were a bit early so had a drink at Starbucks and a look around Macy’s. At 5pm we checked in and were guided around to a closed door and Greer was told to knock on the door. An elf opened it and invited us in to see Santa sitting behind the desk. He asked the kids about school and what they wanted. Greer said she wanted a horse and he asked her how he was supposed to get that to her ? and when she suggested he use his magic he said it was already used up with his reindeer- I was starting to like this Santa!
We then walked through the Dickens Village which told the Christmas Carol story of Scrooge. It was very well done. We collected our photos and then took a quick trip to Barnes & Noble (a bookshop) for a few Xmas presents. We walked 20 mins home in the rain – it hadn’t been too bad when we left but by the time we got home it was pretty heavy.
We dropped off our packages before heading back out to Whole Foods for dinner and a few treats for movie night. Mark, TJ and Sophia watched Star Wars and Greer and I watched “A Christmas Prince”.
