Today we began the "true" southern portion of our
S.outh E.ast e
X.cursion Trip by traveling to Charleston, SC. When pronouncing the city's name the "r" is silent in southern speak, if you mean the one in South Carolina, not the one in West Virginia!!
We were welcomed by temps in the mid-80s and wonderful southern breezes. Splitting the driving between us, David and I got us (Kathie and Ashlie riding along in the back seat of our truck) to Charleston by 3 PM and we were enroute to downtown Charleston by 4:15, hoping to catch the carriage ride tour from Southern Carriage Company before 5 PM. We made it!! and had a delightful hour-long carriage ride with Benjii, our Confederately-attired driver and Amos, an eleven-year old one-ton Belgian draft horse. Benjii said pulling the two tons of carriage and people was a very easy task for him.
Benjii kept up a constant patter of history of Charleston, pointing out lots of churches, causing Charleston to be referred to as the City of Churches and houses dating back to the 1700s, which cannot have their exterior changed if they are older than 75 years!! We saw lots of side porches with doors to the porch from the steps from the street. If the door is open, people are welcome to enter and chat, but don't peak if the door is closed because the owners may be sitting on the piazza in their bloomers cooling themselves. Benjii said many houses don't have air conditioning, but the constant breezes are enough to keep them cool.
Since we were the last tour of the day, Amos was glad to get back to the stable where he would have his 43 thousand calories and shower! Benjii said Amos' favorite candies were jolly ranchers!
We had dinner at A.W. Shucks Restaurant on Market Street which was spectacular! David drove us home via the "new" bridge over the Copper River (pronouced Cuppa--no "r"), called the Revenal Bridge which provided a spectacular sunset shot taken by Ashlie.
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