This was billed as the Independence Day cruise. We would dock overnight in Halifax, Nova Scotia for Canada Day, July 1, and we would dock overnight in Boston for America’s Independence Day, July 4. Each city would feature celebrations and fireworks. I love fireworks. Not everyone feels the same way. Can someone please explain that to me?

Halifax

When we pulled into Halifax on the morning of July 1, it was foggy and drizzly, and none too warm. We put on our long pants and light jackets and headed out into the city. What a wonderful surprise Halifax turned out to be. The waterfront had been redeveloped. There were restaurants, stores, brewpubs, condominiums, and boats. Lots of boats.

Not far from the ship, we stumbled upon a rib cookoff, part of the Canada Day celebration. We had never seen such an event on that scale before. These vendors were serious. They displayed their trophies prominently and had huge advertising. As we wandered about, we began to appreciate the love these Canadians felt for their country. What a festive mood they set.

After partaking of butter-dipped corn on the cob and splitting a rack of ribs, Kim and I left the cookoff and found ourselves in a beer garden. We harvested a couple of IPAs, ripe on the vine. Our plan was to continue through the city for the remainder of the day and stay out late for the fireworks. The weather discouraged us, and we returned to the cruise ship by late afternoon.

Around fireworks time, we gathered with others on the ship to view the show from a distance. We were too far away, and the fog was too thick, so, although we enjoyed Halifax during the day, I didn’t scratch my fireworks itch.

Boston

Boston was a whole ‘nother story. We strolled off the ship shortly after lunch and were greeted by sunshine and blue skies. We walked a couple hundred yards to the Silver Line bus stop. As we waited for the bus, we realized we had no cash for fare. Kim spotted an ATM machine and charmed five $20 bills out of it. When the bus pulled up to the stop, we asked the driver if he could break a twenty for us, and he said, “Never mind. You can ride for free today.” And thus began a great day in Boston.

The Silver Line dropped us at South Station, where we met up with Randi and Al, who live in the city. They are the sort of friends who drop everything and entertain us whenever we get to Boston.

The four of us made a quick plan for the day and set out by foot on something called the Greenway, a lovely walking path along on what used to be an inner-city highway. We ended up in one of Kim and my favorite areas of Boston — Quincy Market. There, we enjoyed a cold drink, several talented street performers, and the general positive vibe of Boston on a sunny July 4.

From Quincy Market, we walked a few city blocks to the nearest Red Line station, purchased subway passes with our credit card, and headed across the Charles River to the MIT campus in Cambridge. We wandered around that fine city until our 7:30 reservations at Legal Seafood. We enjoyed a wonderful meal with Randi and Al then mosied toward the Charles River to stake out our spot for the fireworks.

When the first fireworks began, I found myself behind a tree, and could barely see the explosions. There were people all around us, and of course, the good spots were already occupied. Randi, Al, and Kim squirmed their way into decent viewing positions. I dove into the crowd of standing people in my wheelchair — a move that would typically result in the wheelchair occupant being face-to-face with butts not fireworks. Instead, I elevated as high I could in my iBOT and found myself in perfect viewing position.

The fireworks shot off directly in front of us so that the sounds rattled our eardrums and vibrated our breastbones. My itch was thoroughly scratched. At the end of the show, we said our goodbyes to Randi and Al. We headed, along with thousands of other people, to the Kendall station on the Red Line. The city had prepared well for the onslaught of riders, and soon we were on the subway and headed back toward the ship. At 12:13 AM, now on July 5, Kim looked up and noticed the time on the clock inside the subway car. She turned to me and said, “Happy Anniversary,” loud enough for others to hear.

“Oh, look at that,” I replied. “Happy Anniversary to you as well.” We kissed. Everyone in the subway car wished us a happy anniversary. Before we knew it, the Silver Line had dropped us off in front of our ship, exhausted, but in a good way.

Note: the kitchen made us this anniversary cake at the evening meal later that day.

Being part of celebrations in two great cities made this cruise memorable. But doing it as a wheelchair user, someone whose independence has eroded over the years, was extra special. This cruise was my own, or rather our own, Independence Day celebration.

Thanks for reading about our most recent cruise. If you have specific questions about this cruise or disabled travel in general, don’t hesitate to contact me through the comments section of this blog post or by clicking here.

click here for part 1