From Philadelphia...

Hello again...

Today, we travelled a bit further south. We went to Philadelphia ou Phili for short.

Philadelphia is what we Europeans might consider to be the craddle of the nation, it was there that important men met to fight for the Independence of the country from England. Several batlles were fought until they were finally an independent and sovereign country. They started initially with thirteen colonies.

Philadelphia is a beautiful town, it is wide open , it has large streets with " ancient" buildings nicely preserved to tell the history of the country.

Our first stop was he Independence Information Centre, where we watched a film about the Independence of The United States and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Then, we headed towards the Independence Hall ( the place where it all happened) and we could still see the Liberty Bell, the original one, that rang to announce the population the end of War and Independence.

Then, it was time to stop because travelling can be tiring, too. The Bourse, where was originally located the first stock exchange in the USA, is now transformed into a small shopping centre and food court.

The afternoon was spent exploring the historical places in the city.

Later on, a different, more alternative area of Philadelphia was visited. South Street is a different neigbourhood. Far from the centre and home to minorities, blacks and the poorest ones. Nevertheless, it became a complete surprise. It had fine stores and shops and we ate in an amazing Italian gourmet / kitcsh restaurant, nicely decorated.

By nine o'clock it was time to make the journey back to New York, more or less 150 km far.

It was a most enjoyable day, spent in a clean, quiet and peaceful city when compared to the megapolis that New York is.