Charleston.. the heart of the south?

 

Before we got to Charleston there were two sea days… and wildlife.

I didn’t take these pictures ( one of the expedition team is a great photographer) but this gives you an idea of the stuff we might see. I of course will miss most of them as I never see wildlife, but its good to know its out there!

 Flying fish are fun to watch.

The dolphins accompanied us part of the trip to Charleston.

Every port has a customs house where the business of the port is done. You can tell this was an English port before the revolution.. similar to custom houses throughout the commonwealth.. 

Charleston has the best collection of impressive antebellum houses and buildings in the country.

I was so busy being impressed by the view that I really cant tell you specifics of who and what.. so today’s blog you just need to enjoy the pictures.

Rainbow row. Most colorful row of houses 

It was really pretty to see. There are horse drawn carriage drives in the city and this was a good business idea I thought.

Is says”hold your horses, we’ll be done soon” nice way to keep the streets clean!

Along the streets there were these big stones.. they were for people to use to step out of their carriages…

The spire of St Michael’s church

Al under the watchful eyes of an eagle

The Heyward-Washington House. Yes, George Washington actually slept here.in 1791 during his visit to the city. The house was owned by a Very Very rich plantation owner who never actually lived in the house but rented it out to Washington during a visit.Here are some pictures of the 1700 era home

Colonial toaster!

 

 

The beautiful garden

Sometimes you get a nice surprise while touring. Have no idea why this man was painted there.

Another church

A theatre

Cobblestone street made with the ballast from ships who came to the harbor.

Everywhere in the parks the trees had hanging nose. 

The large cylinder is a mock up of the Monitor- one of the first submarines. The original is at the naval station being studied. 

Cadets from The Citadel 

Ventilation was important to the homes and everyone seems to have a side porch running the length of the house. It gave relief from the heat in the summer . Since I love porches I’d be right a home here 

After our tour, Al and I walked the couple of blocks to the Central Market to see what they were selling. The best items were the sweet grass woven baskets. When we visited the city early in our marriage we had splurged on a basket for my mother and one for myself. Neither basket was very big and at the time I thought quite expensive.. it’s good to know they have appreciated in value!! I didn’t buy any this time but glad to see the weavers are still working. Instead we bought some roasted nuts for a gift for our room stewards and got the golden prize for ourselves… 2 bags of potato chips! That’s the one thing we never get onboard and miss terribly 😃

We returned to our room today to find the next set of swag! Pins,patches, hats,and travel backpacks! I love getting gifts! Tomorrow is a sea day again and then Fort Lauderdale where most of the passengers disembark. The 84 of us will continue on this adventure. Sea days are full of friends, lectures, workshops and games. We seem to fall exhausted into bed each night.