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

Honeymoon Installment #6--Final installment!

We made it! Last stop: Stockholm, Sweden! Thanks for coming along for the wild ride! Fun fact, did you know Stockholm is actually an archipelago, made up of as many as 30,000 islands? That's a fun fact!

Who's ready for a VERY FAST train ride? We are! We decided to take the train to the airport, since that's what most people do, and the train station was basically next to our hotel.

Putting the tired feet up while I can. 

202 km/hr! That's almost 126 mph!

We got there fast as a flash, and made it to our gate with minimal difficulty. (Even seasoned travelers sometimes have travel issues!) For some reason the ticketing kiosks for Scandinavian Airlines found Steve's tickets, but not mine, even though we were on the same reservation, and he even booked them together! That happened on more than one flight during the trip, so we just went to the service desk each time. And each time they told us to go to the kiosk. And each time we explained the situation and they fixed it. Do people really have to assume we didn't try it ourselves or try the most obvious solution first? Oh well--we always got where we were going! And we met some very nice men from Alabama while in line! 

And then we were in Stockholm! First stop, the hotel. Next stop, the Vasa Museum! The Vasa is a VERY well-preserved ship that was raised up from the Baltic Sea in the 1960s and 70s, after having sunk 20 minutes into her maiden voyage in 1628. Yep. Poor engineering. It really is very impressive! We took a tour of the museum to get additional info on the ship, and I had to ask how it got to be so well preserved. The paint was all stripped off over the years, but the wood actually had very little damage. Well, it's because of the Baltic Sea! That's where the ship sank, just off the Stockholm coast. (And actually, the mast stuck up above the water after it sank upright, because the water was so shallow there.) The Baltic Sea is very cold, which helps with preserving almost anything, and there are no wood worms there to eat away the wood! Interestingly, the water did rust away all the nails, so the ship was in over 14,000 pieces when they took it out of the ocean. But all the pieces still had so much of the intricate detail still intact! It is 98% preserved--wow! 

That's a picture of the ship as it is today. 

And that's just one portion of the colorful way it was painted! 

It was a warship, one of the first with two gun decks, and it boasted 64 cannons on the top deck, weighing over a ton each. Yes, it was top heavy. It was also not wide enough. That's what we get for boasting. Pride goes before destruction, Proverbs 16:18. It also goes before a sinking! 

And since it was intended as a ship for battle, who doesn't need some lion's heads carved on the gun "windows" (my term)?

And we know sailors love the women: 

Sorry the pictures are so dark. That's part of the preservation effort in the museum. Light will definitely damage it more than being in the water all those years did! 

The museum itself was very interesting, aside from just having the actual ship there to see. There was a movie to watch about the raising and preserving process, a couple of to-scale exhibits so people can actually walk into the "ship" and see what it would have been like--you know, above water. 

We spent quite a bit of time there at that museum because it is the #1 attraction in Stockholm according to Trip Advisor and many other lists. Well worth the trip! And we got to take a ferry ride over there and back. How fun is that? But my favorite part of the museum was probably the map. I am becoming 100% interested in maps of the "old world."

Sorry it's blurry. That's my husband and his bride standing in front of Scandinavia! 

And there's my handsome husband pointing out all the places he's been to on just this small portion of the world. Isn't he cute? ;) 

Moving right along! There's more to explore! 

Much to my delight, Stockholm has one of the best-preserved "old towns" in the world! The city was first mentioned in official correspondence in 1250, so that's the traditional date of its "founding," but it's believed people lived there as early as 1187! And the streets are accordingly laid out--narrow, windy, up hill, cobbled, lovely! 

But there are also lots of newer things, too, just for Steve's benefit. ;) He likes the newer, younger things. Such as his wife! 

These are only a hundred years old or less. 

The one on the left had the light hitting it just right, and the one on the right is parliament, I think. ...?  

And eventually, it was time for supper. Reindeer, anyone? And Swedish meatballs are a must. 

Oh, and dessert. ;) Well hello, dark chocolate cake! 

And now we move to... the last day of the honeymoon. A bittersweet day, to be certain! But there is still a lot to do and even more to see! First on today's agenda, the oldest building in Stockholm! 

That's Gamla Stan, the church from the late 13th century. 

And that is the most impressive interior! 

And now, the Royal Palace! Yes, one of the oldest monarchies in the world seats itself in Stockholm, Sweden. Sorry, no pictures inside, but here's a picture of the outside. And Steve is carefully calculating our next move: 

OK, last time I'll say it... He's adorable, and so very serious. ;) 

So, we got to see the apartments, or basically the different rooms the royal family used to live in through the years. We also saw what is essentially the basement, which is the oldest part, dating from the 13th century. The palace actually burned down in 1697, and it took until 1754 to rebuild it! So next time we complain about construction taking so long, let's just remember our royal Swedish friends! We also got to see some of the royal garments, robes, thrones, pins, ribbons, sashes, and... get ready or it... crown jewels! Pretty swanky stuff, to be certain! 

By the afternoon, Steve was quite museumed out, but you know me--go, go, GO! I still wanted to take in the Stockholm City Museum, so we decided to meet up at the hotel in time to go to dinner that evening. Not the ideal way most couples spend their honeymoon, but it worked for us! Steve got some relaxation in, and I went to discover more of Stockholm's history! 

 The guy to the left used to stand atop the whipping post, and the guy on the right graces the coat of arms. 

And we know everyone gets around faster in Stockholm on bone ice skates! Because Stockholm is made up of so many islands and there are so many rivers and inlets, it really was faster getting around on the ice in the wintertime! 

And with the afternoon sunlight so perfect and the lovely clouds rolling above, I could not resist getting a  great shot of Old Town Stockholm from across the water! 

Time for dinner! Please come along with us! Indulge with me in some rhubarb bread, amazing Swedish meatballs, and, of course, Cloudberry desserts! 

So, cloudberries grown only in the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. I believe they are seasonal, and they're a little bit tart, but sweet. That is cloudberry cheesecake, cloudberry sorbet, and cloudberry... stuff? Not sure what all else was in there, but it was good! It was truly a culturally and geographically unique treat! 

And so ends the honeymoon of a lifetime! Thanks so much for joining us on our journey. I can definitely recommend any of our stops if you'd like to try them for yourself! 

Please join us again on our next adventure, wherever life takes us! 

For now, please enjoy these pictures!

Stockholm Day 1

Stockholm Day 2