Charleston

Friday, April 18. Charleston. We have had two days and three nights at sea before arriving back in the States at Charleston, and I have to say, we were rocking and rolling in 10 or more foot seas the entire time. Fortunately, neither of us seems to get seasick, but walking around the ship was always a bit more interesting than usual. Good stabilizers helped a lot! 

Once in Charleston, not only was it still windy, but rain was also the order of the day. We had a bus tour of the quaint old city, but drizzle and sometimes actual rain put a real damper on any off-the-bus sightseeing. The garden tour, which we hadn’t been able to get on, was cancelled entirely, and frankly, our tour should have been as well. 

The Citadel

a lone cadet

We drove past The Citadel, which we enjoyed seeing, and then on into town and along the waterfront where all the beautiful old houses are located. Thank goodness this was not our first time in Charleston, because no one wanted to get off the bus to walk around and enjoy the area in the rain. 

Beautiful even in the rain

The azaleas have peaked--and the rain isn't helping a bit!

Once we got through the traffic of the town, we headed out to rendezvous with the ferry that would take us to Ft. Sumpter for a tour of that island fortress. As soon as we exited the ferry, the wind turned every single umbrella inside out and we were all pretty wet by the time we made the quarter mile hike to the fort itself. We were told we had to get off the boat and would not be able to get back on until 5pm, a few hours away. Our intrepid guide told us he was going to tell us more about the fort from the middle of the parade ground in the center if we would like to come along. Not a chance! Instead, nearly all of us huddled miserably under the only roof available, open to the wind, cold and damp. A few people crossed the parade to see the other side of the fort and use the facilities. John was one of them, and looked pretty comical trudging back with his sorry excuse for an umbrella teepee’d over his head. Eventually, mercifully earlier than 5, a few people went back to the ferry and were allowed to enter, so then most of the rest of us joined them. After over an hour of standing in the cold, almost out in the open, the shelter of the boat was more than welcome. All in all, this was probably the most miserable day we’ve ever had in all our years of traveling. We’ve been remarkably lucky!