Anna and I spent a couple of days exploring Salem, MA in mid-October. A number of streets were blocked to traffic and instead of cars, were full of wizards, witches, and assorted other strange creatures. Of course the city was absolutely mobbed with fun-seekers and it was damn near impossible to find parking that didn't cost you a broom and a black cat. The only room I could find was in Danvers at a Motel 6, your basic bed and blanket. Everything else was booked solid. What the heck--we were just going to sleep there anyway! We watched a play, "Cry Innocent!" put on by a group of college students about a particular witch trial. They actually went out into the street in full 17th century garb and captured the poor unsuspecting woman accused of being guilty of witchcraft. She was dragged through the streets while onlookers yelled out, "Hang the witch, hang the witch!" Some ignoramus screamed, "burn the witch, burn the witch!" until someone explained that the English burned witches, we Americans just hanged them. He then correctly bellowed, "Hang the witch, hang the witch!!" The trial was conducted in a very old building, complete with judge, several witnesses, and the audience as a jury. People in the audience were allowed to ask questions of the witnesses and the unfortunate accused. One lady from Brooklyn tried to put her 21st century mores and ideas onto these 17th century people and was damn near put on trial herself by the judge. A fun time was had by all!
On Sunday we could not find a parking spot for love nor money, so we took a tour of the House of the 7 Gables and then headed out to Rockport, artist colony extraordinaire. Of course the place is full of art galleries and funky little gift shops so we two females were in seventh heaven. Rockport also has a "Park and Ride" where you park outside the town and a bus gives you a lift in to the village and back again for a dollar each way. (Salem ought to thing about something like this.) Anna and I finally headed back home to New Hampshire late in the evening, with definite plans to explore this part of Massachusetts again.
