Charleston Update

We had a lazy morning today for the first time since we left the Keys. In the afternoon we took our bikes to tour Charleston. Gotta say it again, what a great town, so much to see and do we can't possibly cover it all in this short visit and I can't possibly convey how fabulous it is with a few photos, but here's a bit of what we saw today. This is a fountain at the city park that is along the waterway.

The historical part of the city is the tip of a peninsula that was laid out as a city in the 1700's Many of the streets are quite narrow.

At the southern end of the peninsula is the "battery", so named because it was originally set up as a line of defense against the constantly invading French and Spanish. The homes built in the battery in the 1800's overlook the water and are among the finest in the city.

This is the sidewalk we rode on to see these lovely homes.

Each home is unique and beautifully restored. The flowers are all in bloom and the landscaping is meticulous. Many of the homes have elaborate formal gardens in the back, but they cannot be seen from the street. Notice the vines covering the archway. This is commonly seen with vines sometimes covering the entire foundation.

The wrought iron work on this one was spectacular.

There's been wedding receptions on the patio of the marina for the past two nights. We were relieved to know that the Chicken Dance and the Macareena are played at weddings in SC, just as they are in MN. There are also tour boats, schooners, party boats and the water taxi all running out of this marina. Just a few blocks away is Harris Teeters, a nice upscale grocery store, another reason to love this location. It was cloudy today and there is a bit of a storm front coming this way, so our departure tomorrow is tentative at this time. We've had calm and sunny days since we left the Keys and have become almost complacent about checking the weather, but will be keeping a close watch tonight and tomorrow.