Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th July - Independence Day in Philadelphia

We have spent the last two days in Philadelphia - a city that could be called the birthplace of the American Nation as it was here the Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed on 4th July 1776.

Being here over Independence Day weekend has had it’s plusses and minuses! The plusses were being able to witness the festival celebrating the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth so there was lots going on in the Independence Mall, and the minus was the huge number of people here yesterday. I think a million was forecast - and it certainly felt like it.

After checking into the hotel we went into the centre of things around the Independence Visitors Centre in the historic area of town. There were various stages where re-enactments took place and many people in the crowds were dressed in 17th and 18th century costumes. It certainly has been very interesting and again we have learned a bit more American history although I now need to read about it to consolidate it in my mind.

"The Camptown Shakers"

We didn’t venture out to see the firework display in the evening - it was at the other end of the city, so we watched some smaller displays across the Delaware River from our hotel window as well as watching the concert and magnificent firework display in Washington on the television.

Our hotel overlooks a busy dual carriageway (we are high up and double glazed so do not hear any noise) and last night in the space of a few minutes there were two minor accidents in the road below us - too much celebrating methinks! There were blue lights flashing everywhere.

Today (Sunday 5th) has been a much quieter day crowd-wise so we were able to stroll easily around the historic area. We started by visiting the house of Betsy Ross, the woman who was approached by George Washington among others to sew the first American flag - thirteen stripes and thirteen stars. She continued with her flag-making and other upholstery work until the ripe old age of 76 when bad eyesight forced her to give up. Not surprising!

After that visit we spent the day strolling around the town, saw Benjamin Franklin’s grave and visited the African American Museum of Pennsylvania which traced the history of emancipation and achieving equality. And no visit to Philadelphia would be complete without seeing the Liberty Bell:

We had a 3.15pm ticket to visit the Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed - it was a privilege to visit that historic hall where it looks much the same as it did in 1776.

Among the Festival displays was a replica Civil War encampment

complete with tents, equipment and a pipe and drum band played by a suitably shabbily dressed ‘soldiers’.

We also watched another couple of performances - one by ‘Abraham Lincoln’ who very cleverly answered questions thrown at him by the public - that actor must have had tremendous knowledge of the history of the day; and the other was a 2-person play depicting Abraham and Mary Lincoln’s trials and tribulations as the First Couple.

All in all, a very interesting day