Charleston has a lot of Heart! This beautiful city welcomed us with open arms and it was difficult for us to leave her embrace. Although we saw most of what we wanted to see the first two days here, we stayed the extra night just to take our bikes out and ride around town; a "self-guided tour" taking in the history of this place, the splendor of the old homes, the holiness of the churches & their cemetaries and the Southern hospitality of the delicious restaurants....In and out of the many alleys and cobbled stone streets, we photographed wrought iron gates which adorn the historic homes like jewelry around a beautiful woman's neck...Named for a man, King Charles II and originally called Charles Towne, there is a strong feminine essence here that nurtures and protects and feeds your soul.
A horse and carriage ride our first day here proved to be the best way to really get a nice overview. Our driver, a young man with a history degree, was a wealth of information and gave us a sense of the pride of this city's people. Charleston is as much about its people as it is about history. We browsed the many booths of The Old City Market, the place where slaves were once bought and sold. Today this open air market sells local art & jewelry and the wonderful sweet grass baskets handmade by the Gullah women, direct descendants of those who were once slaves sold right where they sit today and weave. Market Street itself is lined with shoppes and restaurants...Two of our best finds were not found in any of the travel magazines or websites; small & intimate, located in an old pink house on Pinkney Street, our favorite place for lunch was The Cru Cafe: the best Calamari in the Universe...and Carolina's on Exchange was perfect from start to finish...our biggest treat so far on the entire trip, but well worth it...the grouper was heavenly.
We went to the South Carolina Aquarium which took us on a journey through this beautiful state. From the mountains to the ocean, the rich biodiversity of South Carolina was fun and interesting to experience; especially since we have seen the salt marshes, coastal swamps and ocean inlets firsthand!
The highlight of our stay in Charleston was our tour of Fort Sumter. Only accessible by boat, there is something that comes over you when you walk through the brick arches and enter this place where the first shot of the Civil War was fired. There is no holding back tears when you try to imagine the emotion of that moment. That moment and all the wonderful moments that touched our hearts in Charleston will stay with us forever.
A horse and carriage ride our first day here proved to be the best way to really get a nice overview. Our driver, a young man with a history degree, was a wealth of information and gave us a sense of the pride of this city's people. Charleston is as much about its people as it is about history. We browsed the many booths of The Old City Market, the place where slaves were once bought and sold. Today this open air market sells local art & jewelry and the wonderful sweet grass baskets handmade by the Gullah women, direct descendants of those who were once slaves sold right where they sit today and weave. Market Street itself is lined with shoppes and restaurants...Two of our best finds were not found in any of the travel magazines or websites; small & intimate, located in an old pink house on Pinkney Street, our favorite place for lunch was The Cru Cafe: the best Calamari in the Universe...and Carolina's on Exchange was perfect from start to finish...our biggest treat so far on the entire trip, but well worth it...the grouper was heavenly.
We went to the South Carolina Aquarium which took us on a journey through this beautiful state. From the mountains to the ocean, the rich biodiversity of South Carolina was fun and interesting to experience; especially since we have seen the salt marshes, coastal swamps and ocean inlets firsthand!
The highlight of our stay in Charleston was our tour of Fort Sumter. Only accessible by boat, there is something that comes over you when you walk through the brick arches and enter this place where the first shot of the Civil War was fired. There is no holding back tears when you try to imagine the emotion of that moment. That moment and all the wonderful moments that touched our hearts in Charleston will stay with us forever.
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