"Pilgrims and canals" Boston by Sjalen

Want to know the place that gave its name to the much bigger place in Massachusetts? This is it.

How does a Swedish tourist end up in little Boston? Well, during my first visit to England, a two week stay with a penfriend in a village outside Boston was included. I shall never forget this. Anglophile as I was, I had more or less forced mum to go to England with me and mum and I (I was 16 at the time) had started off in London as I said no way could I miss this cool capital on my first ever England trip (that I went back to live in London later is another story). After that first week, it was time for Boston - mum and I split up in Grantham where I changed for the Boston train, somewhat confused by the poor signposting and by being left all on my own somewhere in England :-))) I got on the train and off at Boston and my first memory of the town was how I had to wait, and wait, and wait. Eventually, I made a phone call from the station and it turned out my friend's dad had problems with his car. They turned up after a while and off to the Lincolnshire countryside it went.

A very special two weeks when I felt embarassed at not having brought more gifts as the family was quite poor and I think it was a real eye opener for a Swedish girl to see what it could be like in GREAT Britain. We lived on pork pie and beans most days...But I gained valuable insights into English life as I was taken to the village bingo, neighbouring village pub ('cos we'll get served there") and even Boston's Pilgrim Hospital to visit granddad :-) Maybe this is why I've ever since felt extremely familiar with things when I've come to live in England for various periods of my life. My English also improved as my friend's dad was a toothless scouser - imagine the struggle to understand! :-))) "Gis' a cuppa tea" was his standard phrase to his family...

Boston itself? Well, we weren't there much, unless off to do the shopping at Sainsburys, but as you can see from this picture, it is very flat. Until my friends took me to Alton Towers in Staffordshire I was beginning to wonder where the rolling hills full of sheep that I had seen on "Emmerdale" were...Lincolnshire is one of the main agricultural regions in England and it shows. Everywhere are canals and fields full of sprouts and other vegetables and it's not for nothing that this part of England is called "Little Holland".

I was there quite some time ago now, so If you need more information, why not look at http://www.bostonuk.com/

• Pros:history
• Cons:flat, quiet
• In a nutshell:Holland comes to England