Boston's Fleet Of Pedal-Powered Swans Hits The Lagoon

The Boston Marathon and associated events are getting a lot of attention this weekend, but that isn't the only spring tradition generating some joy in town. Another annual milestone? Opening day of the Swan Boats in the Public Garden.

The idea for the boats, the only of their kind in the world, came from Richard Wagner's opera "Lohengrin," based on a medieval German story in which a knight crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan to defend the innocence of his heroine. The family that launched the first Swan Boats in 1877 is still in charge of the attraction today.

The pedal-powered fleet hit the lagoon on Saturday. WBUR's Sharon Brody reflected on this classic Boston experience.