Philadelphia

Hi.

On Saturday we went to Philadelphia and we had a very enjoyable time walking around Independence Square.

We started the day by viewing the Liberty Bell.  This symbol of freedom was very exciting to see; especially with Independence Hall directly behind it and viewable through large windows.  Independence Hall was a little difficult to see as it was covered in scaffolding.  They are working on refurbishing the clocks on the tower and also repairing/replacing some of the wood ledges in several places on the tower.

We then took a guided tour of Independence Hall.  We stood in the room where great men of history like Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Adams, and many others debated and eventually signed the Declaration of Independence, and later the Constitution.  It was hard to get our minds around the fact that we were actually standing where they set into motion the creation of the "United States" of America.

In one of the wings of the Hall there were actual copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution used by some of the men during their debates regarding wording and philosophy.  (No photos allowed!)   A very impressive place to visit.  We really enjoyed seeing our American history "up close"!

We also found out that there is a "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier" from the Revolutionary War.  Thousands of soldiers are buried in mass graves in an area called "Washington Square".  A monument was built in 1954 to honor their extreme sacrifice for our freedoms.

We will now head to Washington, D.C. for a week (and more lessons in history).  Stay tuned!

Take care.
Don & Sandi