Charleston Days 2 and 3: A Run with War

Run, run, run! That's what I wanted to do on this first morning in Charleston. Let's see the sights!

Down Ashley Avenue we go, past Colonial Lake and down around Battery Park. And this guy had come out to say hello!

Along the waterfront, I could see Fort Sumter in the distance, as well as Castle Pinckney in the foreground (could not find much info on Castle Pinckney, except the Pinckney family was one of the first in the Carolinas, and the name is still found in town; someone has bought and is restoring Castle Pickney, so perhaps next time I'll go see it in the flesh!). Past some B&B's, along the original city wall, and then I found it! 

Pronounced "Hazel" Street, but it sure does look like "Hassell" Street! That makes me wonder if my folks were ever citizen here. 

I got a little bit lost (Charleston is not set up on a very good grid system), but eventually I found my way back to the B&B and showered in time for breakfast! I met the nicest couple from Florida. We had peach crepes with blueberry sauce and some really good cream stuff. Delicious! 

After breakfast, I wrote some postcards (but I think I had an absent-minded moment and forgot to put addresses on some of them... whoops!) and took the opportunity to rest a bit, and then I went to meet my friend Paul Garberini again! We'd agreed yesterday to meet this morning for a 17th and 18th century tour. He was so kind, he even gave me a book about Revolutionary Charleston because I was so interested in it! 

Fun facts: North and South Carolina began as just one colony, Carolina; it split for some complex "crown colony" reasons in 1729. Carolina began officially in 1663 with eight land grants, one for each of the original Lords Proprietors. Their names are still distinguishable today! And the picture below shows a portion of the original city wall: 

And this is what happens if you try to repair a wall using original bricks but present-day mortar: 

Oops! The wrong mortar eats away at the old bricks! 

Fun fact. Charleston is the only walled city in what is now the United States. The other two walled cities in North America are St. Augustine, FL; and Quebec, Canada. 

We also stopped in at the Old Exchange and Provost. It would have been the first building that ships would see as they came into the Harbor in the 1770s. This building served as a prison, post office, place to pay taxes, town meetings, and the place where the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time in Charleston on August 5, 1776. 

And now about Fort Moultrie. It has a lot more history than Fort Sumter, believe it or not! As a matter of fact... let's just go there! Paul finished up his tour with me, then offered to drive me to Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island! You can only get there by car (and maybe by boat), so I wouldn't have been able to go otherwise. Across the bridge we go! 

So, the British navy came in to attack Charleston in 1776. Fort Moultrie, made of sand and Palmetto wood, was Charleston's first line of defense. You know what's good about Palmetto wood? It repels or absorbs cannons and bullets! So it was basically indestructible. Colonel Moultrie was, of course, the hero of the battle, and that is how the fort came across its name. 

Fun fact. Have you ever noticed the white spot on the South Carolina flag that looks like a crescent moon? And the Palmetto tree--which, incidentally, is South Carolina's state tree? 

Hm... That white shape on this fella's hat looks an awful lot like the alleged "crescent moon" on the flag. And the Palmetto tree... wasn't that the material the fort was made from and that made the for impervious to cannon fire? Why yes! It seems as though we have indeed found the origins of the South Carolina State Flag. There is much more speculation, of course, so believe what you like. That's the fun of history... sometimes we don't know for sure, so we can occasionally decide which ending we like best and go with it! But truly, that explanation seems to have the most credibility of all the theories Paul mentioned to me.

Anyway, Fort Moultrie has the Revolutionary history, Quasi-War history, Civil War history, and I believe more, but I neglected to write those down. Oops! 

By now it was lunch time, and Quick Whit's little crepes did not hold her over as long as she'd have liked. Time for a hamburger, which is something I usually only have once every couple of years--but I was sure craving one! Paul dropped me off at the Blind Tiger Pub, famous for its speak-easy days during Prohibition! 

Meet the Broad Street Burger: Fried green tomatoes, goat cheese, and sweet potato fries. There's a bun under all that as well. Quick Whit was satisfied the rest of the day! Mmm-mmm! 

Moving on! More to see! More to do! To the Old Exchange and Provost! 

It was quite intriguing, the Old Exchange and Provost. It served so many different purposes, and a tour of the basement (which served as a jail) revealed the original sea-front wall, as well as the fun fact that the Carolinians hid several hundred pounds of gunpowder from the British for years--while the British occupied the building! Sneaky sneaky...

And we're walking... Walking as fast as we can... But it's too late! I had just missed the dolphin cruise boat, but fortunately I could still hop on the Water Taxi--if I ran to catch the boat! Fortunately for me, the Water Taxi guys were very good-humored. I saw at almost every stop that they regularly have to wait for stragglers! Here's how the trip started out: 

Lovely, partly sunny, breezy...

And this is how we ended up... dark and ominous! Uh oh! 

The rain mostly stayed to the north of the city, but when it started to sprinkle, I was fortunate enough to duck inside a shop. The woman working there was so kind and so friendly... I miss the South! 

And we're walking... the rain didn't last long, so I was back on my way in no time. I walked over to a CVS to pick up some blister band-aids. No, I was not wearing new shoes, I was actually wearing my last pair of running shoes, which I thought would be ideal for walking so much... but nope! Those blister band-aids really are miraculous, though--cushiony, water-proof, multi-day use. They're great! 

And back to the B&B. Walking, walking, walking. I feel like I really got to know the residential streets of Charleston! I stopped off for some to-go food from Hominy Grill, even though I was not yet hungry since lunch, because it was just a block away from the B&B, and it came so highly recommended. I got the fried green tomatoes (when in the South!) appetizer and the buttermilk pie: 

Ha! That was good for a giggle. =) 

The Ashley Inn also provides snacks in the afternoon/early evening: fudge, fruit, cheese, wine, etc. The fudge was quite possibly the best I ever put in my mouth! Wow. That was worth coming back for! 

So then I showered, ate, put pictures on Facebook, slept the best sleep ever, and got up again the next morning for another run! I was feeling ambitious (and feeling the finality of my last day in Charleston), and Paul had told me about a nearby park, so off I went! 

Lovely fountain. 

Tur-Duck-En? 

Beautiful flowers! 

That is exactly what I wanted on my morning run. What a way to greet the day! Hampton Park is a beautiful running spot, or anyone interested in running where you travel! 

After a shower and a few moments of resting those wearing feet of mine (and re-bandaging), this is what greeted me on the piazza: 

Yes, a beautiful, sunshiny day and a sausage turnover with scrambled eggs and fruit! What a delight. I spent my final hours in Charleston enjoying the B&B, reading, and starting on my blog as I waited for my taxi back to the airport. My sweet husband greeted me at Dulles airport. Join me next week as I visit my friend Carol Sims in Memphis, TN! 

But for now, please enjoy these pictures: 

Charleston Day 2: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100304569841918.1073741859.52700845&type=1&l=5731e8d54b

Charleston Day 3: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100304579826908.1073741860.52700845&type=1&l=ee1e7fbd7e

Charleston Day 1: A Whale of a Tale!

Hello, all! As some of you may know, I made a recent trip to Charleston, South Carolina. Come along with me through this enchanting garden!

Steve teases me because when I travel, I hit the ground running by expecting on-time departures and arrivals and scheduling activities very soon after anticipated arrival. Turns out, he's right. But he wasn't there to tease me in person! 

And in the spirit of packing in the fun, let's go! First things first, let's get to the B&B: The Ashley Inn, named for the Ashley River to the west of the B&B, named for Lord Ashley Cooper, one of the original 8 Lords Proprietors of Carolina. 

Fun fact about Ashley Cooper: his secretary was John Locke. Another fun fact about Charleston in general: the Cooper River runs to the east of the Charleston peninsula. Yes, Ashley and Cooper. And apparently some Charlestonians say the Ashley and Cooper Rivers join at Charleston to form the Atlantic. 

Renting a car was going to be quite expensive, and the bus could take a long time from what someone at the Inn told me. But a cab was relatively inexpensive, so I opted for that! The cab driver was a Christian, which made for a good ride. He was so kind, and when he found out I'm a Christian, too, he started calling me sister. =) One of the best parts about traveling is God's aptitude for putting Christians in the most needed and unexpected places. 

And before we even got to the the B&B, I got a text from my own personal tour guide saying he was there waiting for me! I arrived and checked in just a few minutes later, changed into my rain boots (for the threat of rain and the puddles from an earlier storm), and off we went! Paul Garberini of Uniquely Charleston Tours was an absolute delight! He's as passionate about his tours and his city as I am about mine! We had such fun. Come read about what I learned! 

We rode in his tour van as he pointed out sights along the way--Ashley Hall, which is the girls' school Laura Bush attended; the 1801 jail where the last hanging in the country occurred (Neeley Duncan in 1911); Colonial Lake; the ruins of the original Charleston Museum, which was the first museum in the country, but it burned to the ground in the 1970s. 

Moving right along! Tours guides always know the best free parking spots, even in the trickiest of cities. We parked behind the Unitarian Church. The garden picture at the top is from the graveyard behind the church. It's a truly beautiful building, and it has a secret... there's a church inside the church! Instead of tearing down the first church when they wanted to update it, the just built around it. 

And onward we walked to the fanciest part of town: South of Broad Street. And boy are those homes beautiful! Particularly this one: 

This is the Miles Brewton House, 1769, one of the oldest homes in Charleston, and it has stayed in the same family all this time! It's also been considered the finest in town throughout its history. Generals of various sides in various wars have stayed here for that very reason. The sign beside the house states the following: 

Miles Brewton House

Private Residence

Outstanding example of Georgian Architecture in America. Built between 1765 and 1769 by Miles Brewton, Revolutionary patriot, with designs of Ezra Waite, architect. Inherited 1775 by Brewton's sister, Rebecca Motte, Revolutionary herione, in whose family it has remained. British Headquarters 1780-1782, under Clinton and Rawdon. Federal Headquarters 1865.

Next stop, Battery Park. There's a hotel there where JFK entertained a certain lady during World War II--a woman whom a certain federal agency kept records on... because she was a Nazi spy! 

Round the park we go, gazing upon beautiful homes, B&Bs, the river, Fort Sumter, Castle Pinckney... and fig ivy steps: 

They have to use fig ivy instead of the stuff they use in England because of the type of bricks they made there in Charleston. The English ivy would break right through the bricks! Another fun fact about Charleston home style: the black color on the shutters, doors, etc., is actually GREEN! It's still called Charleston Green. It starts off as a true green, but as oxidization happens, it turns black. I'm not a chemist, so I don't understand why, but that's what they say! 

We saw some more sights, and Mr. Garberini even went over the two-hour timeframe for me because I kept wanting to know more! He took me back to the B&B, and then off I went on my own! 

See? Here I am at the Charleston Visitor Center! It's actually a very cool visitor center, in a building that was originally a train station. 

So, where did I get the name for this particular blog post? At the Charleston Museum (in a different, unburned location). Many, many years ago (in 1880), an Atlantic Right Whale swam into Charleston Harbor, but there was one problem--he couldn't find his way out! Soon thereafter, the men of Charleston began to hunt this whale. Large as he was, people paid 25 cents a piece to see him when they brought him ashore on Concord Street. Now we can see his skeleton, hanging elegantly from the ceiling of the Charleston Museum. 

I stopped in at a couple of house museums after that. The Joseph Manigault (pronounced "man-i-go") House is one of the oldest house museums in the country. The other house I went to (and I hoofed it, just making the 3:30 tour!) was the Heyward-Washington House, where my friend George Washington stayed on his tour of Charleston in 1791! But you know the best thing about the house? It has a functioning necessary! Yes, I used it. 

See? 21st century plumbing!

After that I went in search--in search of historic Charleston after museum hours! I found the market--oldest in the country--the waterfront, the Huguenot Church, St. Phillip's Episcopal Church, but the one I really wanted to see was Philadelphia Alley!

It's a very beautiful place, and quite peaceful. Just one question, though... was it founded in 1766 or 1776? ;)

And by then, it was suppertime! A friend had recommended Magnolia's, and while it's quite a fancy-dancy type of place, but if I'm only going to be in this town just over 48 hours, I have to make my meals count. Please feel free to lick your lips and salivate as you gaze longingly at my shellfish and grits--shrimp, scallops, and lobster in a rich lobster sauce over creamy grits! That's fried spinach on the top--we are in the South, you know, where we fry our vegetables to make them good!

And while I should have stopped there, I did not. I thought about the cobbler, passed over the cheesecake, thought a moment about the strawberry shortcake, but at last I settled on the truest of summer delights: sorbet and ice cream! The sorbet was peach, and undeniably some of the best I've had, but the delight came in the form of an ice cream I've never seen in a store... Yes, every meal should end with a scoop or two of white chocolate ice cream. Yum! 

Poor Whit, eating alone. Not quite. My sweet, hard-working husband arrived home and fixed his supper at the same time I was eating mine! We texted throughout my meal. The actors sitting next to me may have thought me terribly odd--riff-raff in shorts and a t-shirt, eating a fancy meal alone and texting--but there's no one else I'd rather have been spending time with, even just virtual time! He sent me this picture, likening me to Samantha and himself to the frog prince:

Holding hands--so sweet!

Ok, I know we're all exhausted, but we have just one more treat. It's a ghost tour! Our guide, John, was amazing! He was very knowledgeable and engaging, and when I told him I, too, am a tour guide, we got to talk guide-y stuff. Touring is much more regulated in other cities, though I'm glad it's still pretty free and easy in Old Town Alexandria! Some of our stops included Poogan's Porch, the fourth most haunted restaurant in the country; The Mills House Hotel, where ghosts breeze through as frequently as the guests, despite the fact that it was demolished and rebuilt in 1971 just as it was first built in 1853; the Circular Church, housing the oldest grave in Charleston (from 1695); and the most famous haunted place in Charleston, St. Phillip's graveyard!

That was day one in Charleston--don't worry, there's just one more day, but that will be reserved for the next post! If you'd like to see more pictures, please feel free to go here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100304320706188.1073741857.52700845&type=1&l=ee09dc59e8

Join me next time for Charleston Day 2: A Run with War