Historic Philly

Our next stop was Philadelphia, a long, long drive from Palmyra. After six hours in a van, none of us wanted to enter another four-wheeled vehicle again. Ever.

On the way south, we passed some wind-powered generators. Huzzah for clean, renewable energy!

After a good night's sleep we had (mostly) recovered from our drive, so we decided to venture into Philly's historic district. Here's a photo of some tourists standing inside the Liberty Bell. OK, not really, but the picture made me laugh when I first saw it.

Here's a somewhat more respectful picture of ye bell, with Independence Hall in the background. The Bell's visitor center was very informative. I learned that the Liberty Bell didn't actually play a huge role in the Revolution, but in subsequent years it became a powerful symbol for abolitionists, suffragists, civil rights activists, and others championing the causes of freedom. I particularly liked the biblical inscription around the top: "Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof Lev. XXV X"

Inside Independence Hall, we saw the room where the Founding Fathers debated and approved the Declaration of Independence, and later the Constitution. It's nice to have an image to associate with the events. And no, we didn't get to climb up to the Hall's tower and look for a clue that would lead us to the biggest treasure of all time. That geeky thought did cross my mind, though. :)

I think Phillip enjoyed the U.S. Mint even more than the historical sites. It was interesting to see the automated coin-making machines and learn the process for making medals. Did you know that Charles Schultz received a posthumous Congressional Medal? It's nice to know that our leaders honor not only war heroes and philanthropists, but also some of the people who make us smile.