Day 11-13: In Charleston, South Carolina
We arrived in Charleston, SC and stayed at the Charleston City Marina for three days.
This was a luxurious marina (read: "expensive"), with a van service that seemed like your own personal chauffer!
You can see Integrity in the distant center:
Charleston prides itself on its long history and carefully restored buildings. We enjoyed an up close and personal horse-drawn carriage tour with a colorful tour guide named Sam and a spirited Belgian Draft horse named Dick:
After a severe earthquake in the late 1800s, the people of Charleston learned to reinforce their homes by running iron rods through the house from one side to the other. The ends of the rods were secured with plates or decorations and nuts on the walls:
The tour passed by the longest cobblestone street in Charleston. Very quaint!
We were delighted to find friendly frogs greeting us outside the South Carolina Aquarium. The aquarium was very nice:
..and overlooked the new bridge over the Cooper River. This bridge is on track to be completed one year ahead of schedule. Amazing in this era of missed deadlines!
A carriage step at the curb reminds us how much transportation has changed:
The azaleas were absolutely beautiful!
Waterfront park on South Battery. This is what makes the homes nearby worth their price:
Houses along the waterfront are often four or even five stories tall and cost millions of dollars. Although repairs and maintenance are continuous, any change to the outside is restricted by city ordinances, thus preserving the historical flavor and beauty of Charleston:
Peeking through lovely castiron gates or decorative brick walls revealed beautiful small gardens tucked in beside many houses. Due to the high taxes based on the width of a house and on the number of doors along the street, houses were built with the "end" facing the street and the "front" facing what we would call the side yard. Hence the "side" yards are really the "front" yards. Confused? They were often called "single houses.":
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