I went on a student lead tour of the campus at Harvard.

Harvard University admits only about 1,500 new undergraduate students each year, but there are around 40,000 graduate students. The tour was really of the undergraduate area, and the buildings in the photo above are mainly halls of residence. First year students are all in one hall, and after that they change residence and are mingled.

The buildings are almost all well proportioned and well designed.

This modern Science building is the exception, and seems to be universally derided.

This is labelled ‘John Harvard’, the founder, but is thought to be modelled on a son of one of the early heads of the university, as no pictures of John Harvard actually existed when it was made!

After the tour I went round a corner to this building, which was far more interesting. It is the Harvard Museum of Natural History, which is a teaching resource, so displayed very differently to most other museums.

Oxalis acetocella – the common wood sorrel

There is a whole large room devoted to a display of plants made from glass, and then painted. A father and son were employed for decades making the scientifically precise models. The skill required is unbelievable.

Jasminum sambac – Arabian jasmine

Another much larger room is devoted to a huge collection of minerals, both pure and their ores, all arranged by their chemistry. This was case 22  (one of several showing oxides) out of over 70, and there are large cupboards with larger samples round the walls.

Some of the colours are amazing.

Wulfenite from Mexico

Crocoite from Australia

Azurite from the USA

This is amethyst in huge quantities as it is only part of the original rock.

Upstairs are artefacts from indigenous cultures from all over North America. I think most are reproductions, while some show modern interpretations of older cultures.

This totem pole was the largest item exhibited.

This was definitely one of the most interesting museums I visited. It makes no concessions whatsoever to being entertaining, it is arranged purely for scientific clarity.

On a grey, damp day I took the subway all the way out to Forest Hills. I was presumably somewhere near the tennis venue, but I saw nothing indicating where it is. I went to examine a typical large American cemetery founded in 1848, in what was then countryside, but which the city has now reached. I have been interested in American cemeteries ever since reading ‘The Loved One’ by Evelyn Waugh as a teenager.

It comprises 275 acres of undulating, rocky terrain, with a lake, many trees and interesting monuments.

This clock tower is on one of the highest points and chimes every quarter hour. The whole cemetery is criss-crossed by roadways, but jogging and cycling are banned.

There is a definite class / wealth divide. The higher rockier parts have larger monuments and crypts, are separated by longer distances from other plots, and are usually for extended families.

Whilst on the lower ground round the edges, graves are much closer together and it is more like large British municipal cemeteries.

This section is used by the Chinese community

Round the lake is very peaceful, and further than most parts of the cemetery from any roadway.

The cemetery grows its own annuals (behind is a crematorium), and the rules are very strict. Plots are very expensive and effectively when you buy it, you endow your plot’s maintenance for ever. So no plot is ever neglected.

There are very strict rules as to what is allowed. A few people have planted shrubs, but any annuals or temporary items are cleared at the end of October each year.

This Christmas Tree must have only just have been put in place.

The Fenway area of Boston is where you find the classical musical life of the city, with music schools and auditoriums. I failed to photograph or visit any of them

I went to the area to visit the Christian Science Center, a church and library.

The church which I did not go inside 

The Library

I was curious to know what Christian Science is about, as at the age of 8, my form teacher was a Christian Scientist.

Having spent a considerable time looking at the displays and interactive exhibits, and talking to one of the guides, I am not much wiser.

Nowadays the reduced number of the congregation all read the same texts each day and interact on-line about them. They have many claims of ‘cures’ but they all seemed (to me) to be illnesses that could well have a large psychological component, so possibly changing one’s mindset to that of Christian Science might be enough to effect a cure.

One thing is certain. Mary Baker Eddy, the founder, was a force to be reckoned with, despite an early life of undefined illnesses, which she seems to have cured herself of by reading selectively from the Bible.

I left Boston for Buffalo a day earlier than planned, as a major snowstorm was forecast. I found a flight but it was then cancelled, so I ended up hiring a car and driving well over 450 miles. I encountered snow with 60 miles to go, and the last 40 miles were interesting to say the least. Having left Boston at 3.45 pm, the first hour I only progressed 12 miles and I eventually arrived at my cousin’s house at 2.30 am.

This is my hire car next morning, as it continued to snow most of the night. Where my cousin lives only had a bit less than 2ft of snow, but I had apparently driven through an area 8 miles to the south which had 5 ft.

The next day I managed to sprain my ankle, so no photos of Buffalo. We went to my cousin’s holiday home at Waverley Beach in Canada (only about 20 minutes by car!) for Thanksgiving, as they have many relatives who also have holiday homes nearby.

My cousin’s house is the large white one on the extreme right

There had been less snow there. Lake Erie extends from the left of the photo. It must be beautiful in the summer, but was very bleak whilst we were there.

After a week of slightly above freezing temperatures, the snow has now all but gone in Buffalo.

I return to the UK at the end of the week, so this will be my last post until I venture abroad again, hopefully in the autumn of next year.