5. USA: Charleston

Saturday, June 22, 200 mile drive, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., St. Simons to Charleston, South Carolina.  Sunday, June 23, Charleston.  Early in the morning we take a marsh tour out of Sea Island, given by a lawyer who found a greater interest in the birds and marsh life than in lawyering (!).  Georgia has 7% of the Atlantic Coast, but 33% of the marshes, which are the fresh/salt water grassy areas that cause the yellowy-brown ocean. 



Marsh Tour

Love those Boat Rides!

Lessons to Learn 

By late morning we’re on our way on the short drive to Charleston.  Our hotel, the Vendue Inn, is old and charming, with creaky wooden floors and within walking distance of the many historic areas.  We quickly settle in and explore the town by horse and buggy.  Hurricane Hugo's effects (1989) are still visible; even so, Charleston is beautiful.  In the evening Cathy and I dine at the hotel's gourmet restaurant and adjourn to the rooftop patio for a romantic drink, just the two of us and the lights of Charleston and a nice breeze -- until the children find us!  Still, we enjoy sharing the city with them and admire their cleverness at finding us. 

Sunday morning we attend mass at St. Mary's Cathedral, the oldest church in town.  I feel  out of place in my shorts.  After lunch at Hyman's Seafood Bar, Mara, Robert and I take a long walk on a muggy afternoon, pausing to view Fort Sumter and the dolphins in the bay.  Mara and Robert drag and complain, but always smile when I take their pictures. The weather is stifling.  Later in the afternoon Robert, Mara, Jeffrey and I see "Robin Hood" at the movies.  The temperature has dropped noticeably when we emerge.  Charleston has been drenched.  The evening smells like a hot frying pan that's just been doused with water.  As inhabitants of the desert, one of the things we have most appreciated is the rain, 13 out of our first 17 days.



 



Happy Campers in Charleston

With its English setting, "Robin Hood" cheers up everyone but me.  After two weeks on the road and our departure date drawing near, I am for the first time beginning to think about England.  With those thoughts come new worries about money.  Before we leave Charleston I buy some boxes to store our USA souvenirs and send them home in the car.