Classic Beauty
Monday, December 11 to Wednesday, December 13, 2017
After a week in congested, rainy Charlotte, we decided to take a break from driving and stress and visit Charleston, South Carolina along the southeast Atlantic coast.
We spent three days walking the historic city streets from where we parked at the Visitor Center near Marion Square down to the Battery waterfront and everything in between. For a day, we explored separately to take a breather from each other. My favorite street was Meeting Street where there were many intriguing stores and buildings: keys and locks cemented into the pavement in front of an old locksmith store, a Cat Café where you could hang out on couches with cats while sipping wine, the festive fire station, and inviting galleries, and more.
The first evening, we went to a Celtic Christmas Concert at the Circular Congregational Church. The music included the Irish wit of a skilled guitarist and singer, a velvety chamber choir whose director is in love with chilling chords, a baroque music duo, and a children’s Irish fiddle ensemble. The next evening, we listened to the James Slater jazz trio (guitar, bass, drums) while dining at the High Cotton restaurant.
I found
Cafe Framboise tucked away down Market Street. It’s run by a dynamic and friendly woman from France. I’d enjoy working for her. Tremendous fruit tarts were in the display case and I could eat my favorite breakfast: a real French petit déjeuner.
The long historic markets of Market Street, still vibrant today.
During the day, this whole area, extending for many blocks, spills over with products and people, baskets and conversation. Every night, the venders clear everything away and leave the empty market tables.
Some favorite stores/buildings along Meeting Street.
I am told the women would stand on the rounded balconies with their bell dresses…
…and the men would stand on the square balconies.
Charleston began to build “single houses” that were narrow and had an alley between rather than being joined together. Apparently, this was after a big fire in the city in the hopes of reducing spread and damage should a fire happen again.
“I don’t want you to get married either, but I do want you to be happy and settle down and have a family,” says the silver haired woman who is probably an acquaintance living in the same apartment building as the young man. It’s like that in Charleston. Everywhere I walked, people were counseling each other about relationship or people issues. I even heard two homeless people in a counseling conversation. There did not appear to be any surface conversations and good listeners abounded.
Castle Pinckney.
Fort Sumter
Reclamation project.
Heading north from Myrtle Beach.
We made three stops during our weeklong excursion from Charlotte: exploring the historic city of Charleston, walking the welcome warmth of Myrtle Beach, and meeting old friends from Alaska in Washington, North Carolina. Then, we circled back to Charlotte from the north.
