The Grandeur of the Boston Public Library

Colette and I had long wanted to visit the Boston Public Library, as the Instagram photos we saw were always so amazing! And since our visiting friend loves both books and art, we decided she might like to see it too. So after spending most of the day at the Museum of Fine Arts, we headed over to the Public Library, arriving just one hour before it closed for the day. Note: this is not enough time to discover all of its wonders. But we were glad to at least see a bit of it.

After entering, we ascended the grand staircase, guarded by two proud lions and surrounded by beautiful murals.

Then we entered the adjacent room at the top of the stairs. Oooo...positively transported me back to old England! The wall paintings, "The Quest and Achievement of the Holy Grail" depict the Arthurian legend of Sir Galahad and were painted by Edwin Austin Abbey (1895). Just stunning!

This led us to the next room, the one we had seen so often in Instagram photos. Took our breath away!  The Boston Public Library is the second largest library in the United States, second only behind the Library of Congress.  Among its collections is the private library of John Adams.

All around the edge of this room, where the walls meet the domed ceiling, are the names of the world's most famous authors.

We briefly viewed the John Singer Sargent murals, "The Triumph of Religion", and then the library was closing and we had to leave.  Must return again to see more!

Back out onto the bustling streets of Boston we went. The farmers' market was set up in Copley Square, just across the street, and Colette bought some bread from their bread vendor.

Hot and thirsty, we stopped in at our favorite sweet stop in Boston, L.A. Burdick, for tall glasses of iced hot chocolate, before heading home.