Leaving Boston Behind

We're gonna back-track a little bit to our last week in Boston.  It was all a bit hectic and exciting.  We both worked through the end of April, which was Monday the 30th.  This also happened to be the night we had to be out of our apartment and have our car packed for the trip... there was a solid 24 hours of no sleep and, of course, we managed to lock ourselves out of our building with just an hour left to be moved out. Fun! We spent Tuesday through Thursday nights with our families, then hit the road Friday morning. Throughout our last week we managed many farewell dinners and some fun around Boston. It rained during all the big moments: as we left the apartment, our last night in Boston, the morning we left for the trip... good thing rain means good luck!

-Amanda

 Both of our companies we so supportive of our endeavor, and made sure we had the proper send-offs.

Leaving our apartment was probably the most difficult part of the week.  This had been our only home together. Locking up the apartment truly seemed like the end of an era. And that's me zonked out after unloading the U-haul!

Our last big event in Boston was the Saturday before we left.  We went with friends to the Bacon and Beer fest and it was pretty perfect - all the beer and bacon delights you can imagine.  Then we came back into Boston on Tuesday night for our private farewell to the city.  We had been given tickets to a Sox game and imagined we'd bike to the game and frolic in the city - perfect, right?  But it was raining and miserable.  So we cabbed to the game, stayed only for a couple innings, then called it quits and ate oysters and had cocktails instead.

On Thursday we had a little farewell gathering in New Hampshire with the families and some friends. It was so good to spend time with everyone before we left.

Then we headed out bright and early Friday morning!  Russian tradition is to "sit for the road" which is basically sitting down for a second before leaving on a big trip.  This is Taras's mom and I taking a sit!

We cannot thank our families, friends, and coworkers enough for all the support and encouragement they have given us these last few months!  You all truly made this decision a million times easier.  xo

A Little Update

Hello, friends!

It's about time we pop in and give a little update on the trip. We have been busy packing up our apartment (seriously, how did we accumulate so much stuff in four short years?!). The fridge is officially empty - down to the last pbr - so we're eating our way through Cambridge this week. We're both wrapping up work and have been meeting up with friends to say our goodbyes - this is really happening! Our final farewell to Boston will be none other than the Bacon and Beer Fest this upcoming weekend. Boston couldn't send us off in any better way.

We've adjusted our departure date to May 6th and have some great guest bloggers lined up for our first week of traveling so we can get used to our new life on the road. We won't be blogging too much for the next little bit, but we're trying to stay active on Pinterest, facebook, and Instagram - come visit!

1 - On Saturday we took a little photography course and I got to try out my new makeshift camera bag (vintage Ghurka bag scored at the Brooklyn Flea for a steal a couple weekends ago - just popped in a camera insert then good to go!).
2 - Packing is exhausting. Especially when husband wants to keep all his college notebooks. 
3 - Some refreshments to help motivate Friday night packing sessions.  The week before we relied on pbr. #packingjuice.
4 - We picked me up a new bike for the trip because I needed something a little lighter than my stylish commuter bike, Caroline (I already miss her).  I feel so sporty! The new bike needs a name - help!!

-Amanda

Boston Harbor Islands

The Boston Harbor Islands are about five miles off the coast of Boston.  There are 12 islands and peninsulas ready for endless exploration. Accessible by boat, the islands are full of history and are ideal for even a half day adventure of walking, exploring, fishing, swimming, and more. Ferries run regularly out of Boston from May through October. Each island is unique, but all are popular for delivering gorgeous views of Boston. Fun fact: the book Shutter Island was based on the Boston Harbor Islands and parts of the movie were filmed here, too!

The islands that we have visited are Lovells, Spectacle, and Georges. Visit here for our time at Lovells Island. Spectacle Island is great for swimming and has a large dock, making it a popular destination for boaters. For a period of time during its history, trash was dumped on Spectacle Island.  Even today, people find pieces of glass and china along the shoreline.  Any findings must be turned over to the rangers and are then arranged into art murals at the island's visitor center. Georges Island houses the historic Fort Warren, which defended the harbor from 1861 through the end of WWII, and was used as a prison for Confederate officers and government officials during the Civil War. On the island you can walk around and through the fort structures, and there's also a great museum that covers the history of the island.

-Amanda

Spectacle Island wall mural made from collected glass and china:

One of the museum exhibits shows what traditional meals were during the prison days:

Boston on Dwellable

Camping | Lovells Island

The photo above is Boston as we were pulling away in the boat, on our way to Lovells Island. The views of Boston from the Harbor Islands do not disappoint! Also exciting, when your boat crosses the path of the planes landing at the Logan airport - for a moment in time it looks like the plane will land on your head.  Eeep!

Lovells Island is one of the Boston Harbor Islands where camping is available. There are six smaller campsites and two large group sites. During our stay, only the smaller sites were filled and we didn't notice many daytime visitors, which means we basically had the whole (tiny) island to ourselves for a weekend of exploration.  And explore we did. Lovells Island was used for defense of Boston and today there are structural remains of old gun batteries and of Fort Standish. Around the island there are partial foundations that are equally rad and creepy to walk through. The shoreline on one side of the island is sprinkled with random debris and old lobster traps and another side boasts a shoreline that is smooth and clean for lounging and swimming (sans a lifeguard).

As for logistics, a group of us chartered a private boat to take us from Boston's waterfront to the island and back.  The Harbor Islands do have a ferry, but the schedule for arrivals and departures to this smaller island are not very frequent.  We also had camping equipment, so a private boat was easier and not super costly when divided amongst the group.  The island has no utilities and is carry on, carry off.  We brought our own drinking water and then had to bring all our trash back on the boat with us to Boston. There is one solar powered compost toilet for the island.

It was kinda spectacular to camp on a seemingly private island, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with Boston in the background.

-Amanda