In Boston we had a chance to visit the most popular and prestige Harvard University established in 1636. We were dropped by the bus's driver in front of the university gate. My mom took a picture with our handsome guide under the umbrella as it's spatter.
The local guide brought us to The Harvard Bixi is a 17-foot high, 27 ton Chinese marble stele located at Harvard University, west of Widener Library in Harvard Yard. The stele was presented to the university by the Chinese Harvard Alumni for its Tercentenary in September 1936. The meticulous carvings of dragons chasing pearls on the sides and top of the marble tablet are the only traces that indicate the stele’s imperial past. The strength of a nation necessarily depends upon the progress of civilization, which in turn is contingent upon the growth of intellectual knowledge of its people. With this belief, many pioneers have devoted their lives to the promotion of education in all countries
Widener Library, our next stop, is Harvard University's flagship library. Built in the early 1900s by Eleanor Elkins Widener, it was given to Harvard as a memorial to her son, Harry, Class of 1907, an enthusiastic young bibliophile who perished aboard the Titanic. She said that during graduation the students are always taken picture with the stately library as the background. We didn't go inside, just see it from outside, the library was higher than others, so many stairs to reach the library's entrance.
We had a nice talk with Sue, an author from Australia, who joined the same group tour with us. She's very friendly and positive person, my mother told her that she looked like my mother's best friend. My sister's showed the picture of my mother's best friend to her. Sue also helped to take our picture together (my sisters and mom) so we had a complete family picture in front of the popular library.
John Harvard (1607-1638) bronze sculpture in the Harvard Yard guarding the University Hall offices of the Dean of Harvard College. Harvard is a founder of the school, the timeliness and generosity of his contribution have made him the most honored. Our guide told us if we rub the toe of John Harvard's left shoe for luck, if you would like to study in Harvard, your dream would come true, it becomes as Harvard student tradition to rub his toe on their way to class to hope for luck on the exam. As most of the tourists rub the left shoe, it made the color becomes light brown, different from the whole statue which is dark grey.
After that the guide gave us freedom to go around Harvard areas, actually the area was quite huge unfortunately many places were closed for tourists. Dormitory was also available for students in the complex. The park was quite nice, some colorful chairs that could be used for relax or discussion arranged under the shady trees. As it was autumn, the trees were decorating beautifully the yard with its colorful leaves.
We went around but we don't know exactly what its building for as there was no name or function tag there. In front of the beautiful west façade Sever Hall we took a picture. The archway admitting entrance into the west facade possesses an acoustical oddity. Whispering directly into the bricks of the archway, while standing very close to one side of the arch, can be heard clearly on the other side of the arch (approximately twelve feet away). It was designed as an academic building with classrooms, lecture halls, rooms for professors, etc., in a style now known as Richardsonian Romanesque though in red brick rather than stone.
On the way back to the gate, we found squirrel in the park. I like the Harvard ambience, it seems nice studying in the comfortable half college town, half cosmopolitan hub. Situated in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard is one of more than 50 local institutions serving more than 200,000 students—making the Boston area America’s premier “college town.” Yet with an intellectually stimulating environment that is steeped in tradition, Harvard is unlike anywhere else in the world
Waiting for the bus, we crossed the street to au bon pain café filling our stomach with bakery and hot coffee to warm our body while enjoying the environment surrounding the popular university. If it's not cold, it's nice to sit outside with the clean and fresh weather and beautiful scenery.
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