Monday 4 November 2019
Boston has many fine museums which are world-class. The top two rated in the city are the JFK Presidential Museum and Library and the Museum of Fine Arts. It was our plan of attack to spend half a day at each on this our last day in this fine metropolis.
Up early and we found a new place for breakfast where we each had the Eggs Benedict – Irish: you just add corn hash and potatoes to the mix! With our new found confidence in the public transit system – we successfully managed via two trains to get to the JFK library situated on a beautiful parkland overlooking the harbour with views back to Boston. I recommend this place for all history buffs – it was fantastic and better in my opinion then the new Churchill museum in London. We watched a short film outlining the rise of the Kennedy Clan in America from humble beginnings right up to Jack’s nomination as the Democratic party contender for the 1960 election against Nixon. We then wandered around a beautiful set of exhibits outlining his life from then to the fateful end on 22 November, 1963. There were original artifacts (including the inauguration speech made by JFK – with his last-minute changes marked on the pages!) We saw videos from his life in the White House with Jackie and the various crisis to overcome in his brief tenure as President – including the Cuban Missile Crisis and his visits to Berlin and Ireland. While I am well aware of his personal faults and the problems with his marriage which I cannot condone, one cannot but be amazed at the skill and courage of this young President. Hearing his words once more also made me think about the current resident in the White House and how things have changed so much!
We backed tracked into town and made our way in the afternoon to the Museum of Fine Arts – one of the best in the world. Having been to Egypt last year and seen a lot of their relics and artifacts and also last year seeing the collection stored in the British Museum, I was amazed to learn that the Boston Museum of Fine Arts has the biggest collection of mummies outside of Egypt! It also has a fine collection of art from Asia and the Americas but it was its 19th century Impressionist collection I was eager to see. Monet’s, Van Gogh’s, Renoir’s – the list went on and on – I was in heaven. Nothing beats in my mind for relaxation and inspiration a slow stroll around a world-class collection of art! It was a privilege to have had the opportunity to do so today and with our ventures in the morning added up to another perfect day in the USA.
Father Shane's Observations and Travels 