Charleston

The long and winding road took me out of Edisto Beach and up to Charleston.  I started with a carriage ride through the historic district, and once again, that was a good way to get a taste of the loveliness that is this Southern Belle.  I then spent two days walking those streets, taking pictures, fascinated with the architecture and the care of restoration.  Like Savannah, it is a city that suffered after the Civil War, but also like Savannah, it was not burned.  The historic area is much larger than Savannah, but has much of the innate beauty.  I can't seem to get enough of the old homes.  There is the hint of a refined time which has been extended into the present.  And given the graciousness of the population, and their helpfulness in answering any questions, it does seem people here are living a charmed life.

While I have loved the food everywhere I've been, and appreciated the few places where I've had a full kitchen so I could cook myself, I decided to see what I could find in Charleston.  I had  two great recommendations from the carriage driver.   One was an Irish pub where I had shrimp and grits.  I was a little hesitant.  I shouldn't have been, and eating it with a Guinness adds just the right touch.  The other recommendation was one of the most delightful restaurants of the whole trip so far, called 82 Queen St.  I was shown down a little hallway, into a lovely white table garden courtyard.  I had a sapphire martini in honor of Richard, and then sat down to the perfect courtyard setting.  I started with she-crab soup, which includes some of the crab roe.  I had had some a couple of nights before in St. Augustine, and it was way too salty. At 82 Queen, it was seasoned perfectly, full-bodied and, well, crabby, with a hint of sherry.  I then had fried okra as a vegetable, wonderfully al dente, served with a marinara sauce.  My main dish was grilled tiger shrimp with fried goat cheese ravioli.  I was in heaven, sitting under a magnolia tree with a two foot diameter, which was rising up through the courtyard.  I wish I'd had more time to eat here again.

Before I left Edisto Beach, Lucy had recommended that I consider going to a couple of performances at the Spoleto Festival, an annual event in Charleston.  I took her advice.  I attended an opera called "Flora" which was first performed in the old Dock Street Theater in the late 1700's.  It was real cute and enthusiastically performed.  I also attended there the Noel Coward play "Present Laughter."  There's something special when traveling to be able to duck in and sample the local festivals.  The Dock Street Theater has a wonderful history and has been carefully restored.  The play was very cute, very 1940's (written in 1939, but not produced until 3 years later), and a great romp.

I also took most of a day and went outside of Charleston to a Magnolia Plantation, the house and gardens built by the Drayton family in 1640.  I loved the description of the history, the features of the house, and realized that we now live in so much more luxurious creature comforts now than even the most wealthy of that era.  The gardens were lovely.

There was also an exceptional guide on the part of the tour that took one through the restored slave quarters. He discussed how at the same time they were being bought and sold, and considered less intelligent that whites, that they were the ones who brought the technical knowledge of how to grow rice in this climate, that allowed the fortunes which built houses like Drayton and the beautiful mansions in Charleston to be built.  Apparently, slave traders were very careful to send slaves from a specific area of Sierra Leone to the Charleston area, as they were in high demand.  I was intrigued with the research going on here to study and understand the slave experience from the slaves' perspective.

And then there are those beautiful houses in Charleston.  They're all over the place, but the area called South Battery is especially memorable.

Finally, before I left, I took a tour of the USS Yorktown, and very famous WWII aircraft carrier which is docked permanently in Charleston.  It was really impressive and I'm amazed at the level of engineering which it takes to create such a ship.  I was especially interested in the medical facilities onboard, which were pretty up to date for the time, given that this was a floating city.  I then left Charleston and headed on to Raleigh to visit my friend, Michele.  On the way I managed a round of golf in about 90 degree weather.  It's been really hot and humid, and while I tend to like it, I sure appreciate air conditioning after much time outside.