Beyond the Bell

Beyond the bell

                Walk around and explore America’s most historic square mile.  All that you need to see around this historic city are nearby. It is Philadelphia in Pennsylvania State. There are fifty cultural attractions within walking distance. So you can guess the parking charges! Well, we managed to see four or five taking into consideration the limited time at our disposal in spite of the nipping wind.  So we joined a serpentine queue to have a vision of the Liberty Bell, the background of which I learned as we moved closer and closer. A nice way to keep people engaged while waiting patiently in the queue. The Liberty Bell, a worldwide symbol of freedom is the most prized icon of this city. Ironic, that you need no ticket to participate in this liberty march. The bell was rung to mark the reading of the Declaration of American Independence on July 8^th 1776. There was no way of stopping Sunil from aiming his photo shots from various angles. The bell was supposed to have been ringing all day and almost throughout the night of the day of freedom. When we watched it close by, it had a crack, which was said to have been caused by continuous ringing and because its pieces were chipped away by souvenir hunters. No amount of repairs could set it right, it seems. There was an inscription on the head of the black bell which read a biblical verse: Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof. Breathing the cold air of liberty, we found warm shelter in a nearby museum which housed the American Jewish history. The exorbitant entry fee and the complacency of limited knowledge of world history discouraged us from embarking upon those expensive galleries. But another interesting site drew our immediate attention. It is the Christ Church Cemetery, where the great Benjamin Franklin the Founding Father’s remains were entombed. In fact, he had been the Postmaster General for Philadelphia who laid the groundwork for a nationwide mail system. No wonder the post offices here are very much peopled with a lot of interesting and beautiful activities and unlike in India the courier industry hasn’t invaded these so far. The mail boxes in front of each house is always full with many colourful pamphlets, nicely printed local weekly news letters, and of course even important white envelopes. Besides, Franklin was also a scientist whose inquisitive temperament gave way to a small collection of exhibits, which thank God was open to all. The clean planned city walks led us to its blue water and a long Benjamin Franklin bridge connecting the city with Camden and New Jersey. Thanks to Sunil’s prudence and discernment we walked a long way to an unaccustomed shipyard where two of the ancient war ships were cordially berthed for endless exploration. One was a submarine about which I have only read and heard. Here was  a God given opportunity to climb down steps underneath the water and relive the life of those adventurous sea farers. Narrow steps and walkways surrounded by incomprehensible machines and the smell of engine oil and the nearby sea renewed our unique experience. There wasn’t anyone to guide or enjoin us so that we sat on the Captain’s seat, tried the gear and steering rod. The warship Olympia was our next target. We walked through its wooden floor, ambled along the kitchen, dining rooms, engine room, deck and gratified ourselves with the Philadelphia flavor. We decided to crown our memorable visit with a lavish country lunch about which I had already penned elsewhere.