Longfellow Bridge Over the Charles River
It might not be very obvious, but I wasn’t in Boston for pleasure. I was here to meet with my colleagues which I have never met in person before. I found out that they are real people and they actually have legs contrary to what zoom shows me. Of course, there would be the meetings since we were already there. But it wasn’t all just serious stuff like meetings, there was also time reserved for some fun. Someone suggested that we do the duck tour. I am no stranger to duck tours. I have seen them in Singapore and even in Dublin.
Duck Tour on the Charles River
Basically, these are amphibious vehicles. They look like a ship but they have wheels so they can move on land. When it hits the water, the propellers fire up and it can move in the water. This particular duck tour in Boston takes its inspiration from amphibious vehicles which were used in World War II. Obviously, they were used to carry personnel and weapons, but these moved slow but they were useful for their purpose. These days, they are used for amphibious tours which are popular in cities which are by the water and Boston is no exception to this.
Another Duck on the Charles River
The tour takes us around the city of Boston, much of which I have already seen the previous days. Our guide “Captain Runamuck” was very knowledgeable in the history of Boston and he would be pointing out things about the local history of Boston. This also includes are more recent history about the Big Dig which moved the central expressway underground. At one point the duck entered the water and I was honestly surprised how smooth the transition was. I suppose the wheels just have to be large enough to make sure that the boat is lifted up above the road that it doesn’t get damaged. I even got a chance to sit behind the wheel of the duck in typical tourist fashion. I enjoyed the ride much more than I thought I would. It was my first time but there was so much interesting stuff to see along the way that you don’t really notice the time pass.
For more details about the tour we booked visit https://bostonducktours.com/duck/captain-run-a-muck/
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