New York & Philadelphia.

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We arrived in New York around 6AM while it was still dark. After going under the Verrazzano suspension bridge that links Brooklyn with Staten Island Lady Liberty soon came into view. The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the USA from France & if you happen to ever visit Paris there is a smaller copy on the Siene river. Interestingly the Statue is struck by lightning around 600 times a year! I was excited today as we were going to go to Philadelphia to see Independence hall & the Liberty bell. It was a horrible wet day the rain continued to pour all day. It was not like rain we see in England it was like a deluge. Security was a bit of a joke to be honest everyone had to go through airport style security removing coats shoes etc. Once through security yoou wait in the square by the hall. Ironically anyone could just walk off the street into the same area. Therfore it is not secure at all. The hall is where the declaration of Independence was signed on parchment paper in 1776 declaring it's independence from England. It was very interesting & one of the guides gave a very interesting & animated talk about it. We then made our way to see Liberty bell. You can see it through a large external window. We went through security again through the exhibition hall & l was in the chamber alone with the security guard. It was amazing. It stood there on display with the crack in the metal. It had been cast at the whitechapel Bell foundry in Whitechapel London. It weighs around one ton. We then headed to a mall where we were told we had to try a Steak Philly sandwich. This is not like a sandwich we have in the UK. It was huge absolutely gigantic. I could only manage to eat about a third of it & could eat no more. It was tasty but we could have just ordered one to share. We headed back to New York still in the pouring rain! Our 2nd day in New York we woke to lovely bright blue skies. It was fresh but a beautiful day. We headed to Central Park to Strawberry fields to see the John Lennon memorial. After that we made our way to the Bethesda Terrace. It is absolutely stunning. We then walked down via the Literary walk & made our way to Times Square. We stopped for a coffee before heading back to the ship moored on the Hudson River. We left New York at 8PM. Next stop Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. My photo is the Liberty Bell.