TRAVELOGUE
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Charleston, South Carolina
Hello everyone!
This morning we were up bright and early at 5:30 a.m. so that we could be up on deck as we sailed into Charleston, South Carolina. And, we did just that! It was actually raining when we got up to The Crow’s Nest (Deck 12 with the expansive picture windows with a 180 degree view of the bow of the ship and beyond). We grabbed a light breakfast before we headed up there and with coffee in hand, off we trotted! There were not many people up there at that time of the morning, maybe only half a dozen or so – but as the morning went on a few more people slowly sauntered in.
With the brilliant orange and pink sun rising to our East, and rain gently dropping on the deck, we began our approach into Charleston. We first past Fort Sumter (the sight where the first shots of the Civil War were fired) to the starboard (left) side of the ship along with Castle Pinckney (a fortification)and also past a beautiful lighthouse on our left as we turned into the harbor.
There was a new suspension bridge (largest in the world) that was recently finished in the past couple of years off in the distance with its’ massively strung cables.
After the Maasdam pulled into port, we got off and hailed “Big Al” a taxi driver who has lived in Charleston for the past 35 years or so. Before we left downtown, Big Al took us by Saint Michael’s Church which is the scene of our newest Thomas Kinkade painting “Evening on the Avenue”. Then Jim asked him to take us out to Byrnes Downs, across the Ashley River Bridge to see if we could find the homes he lived in back in the 1950’s when he went to elementary school here. We first found 33 Lyttleton Drive, where he lived in 1953; then we went to 7 Daniels Street, where he lived around 1950; and then off to Avondale where we went to 11 Straford Road where he lived from 1954 to 1956. From there Big Al took us back into town and past the Second Presbyterian Church where Jim went to Sunday school. We were dropped off at The Old Charleston Market and wandered around there for a bit and then headed back to the ship for lunch and waited for our city tour this afternoon.
At 1:30 p.m. we boarded our motor coach with “Pat” as our tour guide. He was retired Army and quite the Southern gentlemen in his linen suit, bow tie and straw hat. It turns out that Pat is a member of the governing board of the Second Presbyterian Church (which is where Jim went – see above) and one of our first stops was to actually go inside of the Second Presbyterian Church and learn something of its’ history. I took MANY pictures along the way to share with Jim’s Mom and Dad. Jim asked Pat about four families that he remembered from the 1950’s and Pat knew all four of them.
The Second Presbyterian Church was built in 1807 and is completely white on the outside stucco. The steeple is actually incomplete to this day because of the earthquakes and is square with no bell tower or spire. Inside the church were the original wooden pews and marble inlays in the original wooden floor. That is where two of the three first pastors of the church are buried.
From there we wandered next door to the Manigault (pronounced Manigo) House. It was built around 1837, completely out of brick with many original Charleston crafted artifacts inside. The red stone capped stairway going up to the home was about 8 feet wide and quite steep, but not anything compared to the grand spiral staircase in the entry of the home. The hand-crafted crown molding in each room was absolutely stunning along with the furniture and several crystal chandeliers and ornate fireplaces. I think what was most impressive were the gardens that you could look out upon from the upper balcony of the second floor of the home. We were not allowed on the third floor of the home as it has not been restored. That was the “slaves” quarters.
After the Manigault house, we journeyed past Hampton Park and then to the Citadel where we went inside of the Chapel and saw the stunning stained and painted glass. There were flags from every state of the country. Pat told much history about the Citadel while we were there.
As we drove away from the Citadel, you could not help but notice the Spanish moss hanging from the magnificent old oak trees and the lush gardens around all of the homes. The massive and majestic magnolia trees were all in bloom. We went down towards the Battery where the homes had the tall white pillars and were very plantation looking and we saw where Jim used to climb on the old cannons to play overlooking the Cooper River. The park was filled with old oak trees that formed a huge canopy over the top, so when we were walking under them, we could hardly feel the light rain falling. Rainbow Row was next on the agenda, which was an area where the street is lined with multi-colored row houses – but much more ornate than San Francisco.
Charleston’s charm with the original cobblestone streets, moss ladened majestic trees and gorgeous magnolia blossoms were very special to see for me for the first time. But putting all of that aside, the highlight of the day for me was seeing Jim’s face light up when he realized we were actually going to be able to go inside the Second Presbyterian Church and share those childhood memories with him once again.
There is a light rain falling as we are sailing out of port and heading north up the Atlantic coast. We will have another day at sea tomorrow and then will be in Newport, Rhode Island. Tomorrow, I am scheduled to participate in one of the “hands-on” cooking demonstrations with our menu being Scallops with Avocado Salad, Asian Chicken & Rice Noodle Salad with Peanuts and a Chocolate, Coffee & Vanilla Créme Brulee.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Charleston, South Carolina
Hello everyone!
This morning we were up bright and early at 5:30 a.m. so that we could be up on deck as we sailed into Charleston, South Carolina. And, we did just that! It was actually raining when we got up to The Crow’s Nest (Deck 12 with the expansive picture windows with a 180 degree view of the bow of the ship and beyond). We grabbed a light breakfast before we headed up there and with coffee in hand, off we trotted! There were not many people up there at that time of the morning, maybe only half a dozen or so – but as the morning went on a few more people slowly sauntered in.
With the brilliant orange and pink sun rising to our East, and rain gently dropping on the deck, we began our approach into Charleston. We first past Fort Sumter (the sight where the first shots of the Civil War were fired) to the starboard (left) side of the ship along with Castle Pinckney (a fortification)and also past a beautiful lighthouse on our left as we turned into the harbor.
There was a new suspension bridge (largest in the world) that was recently finished in the past couple of years off in the distance with its’ massively strung cables.
After the Maasdam pulled into port, we got off and hailed “Big Al” a taxi driver who has lived in Charleston for the past 35 years or so. Before we left downtown, Big Al took us by Saint Michael’s Church which is the scene of our newest Thomas Kinkade painting “Evening on the Avenue”. Then Jim asked him to take us out to Byrnes Downs, across the Ashley River Bridge to see if we could find the homes he lived in back in the 1950’s when he went to elementary school here. We first found 33 Lyttleton Drive, where he lived in 1953; then we went to 7 Daniels Street, where he lived around 1950; and then off to Avondale where we went to 11 Straford Road where he lived from 1954 to 1956. From there Big Al took us back into town and past the Second Presbyterian Church where Jim went to Sunday school. We were dropped off at The Old Charleston Market and wandered around there for a bit and then headed back to the ship for lunch and waited for our city tour this afternoon.
At 1:30 p.m. we boarded our motor coach with “Pat” as our tour guide. He was retired Army and quite the Southern gentlemen in his linen suit, bow tie and straw hat. It turns out that Pat is a member of the governing board of the Second Presbyterian Church (which is where Jim went – see above) and one of our first stops was to actually go inside of the Second Presbyterian Church and learn something of its’ history. I took MANY pictures along the way to share with Jim’s Mom and Dad. Jim asked Pat about four families that he remembered from the 1950’s and Pat knew all four of them.
The Second Presbyterian Church was built in 1807 and is completely white on the outside stucco. The steeple is actually incomplete to this day because of the earthquakes and is square with no bell tower or spire. Inside the church were the original wooden pews and marble inlays in the original wooden floor. That is where two of the three first pastors of the church are buried.
From there we wandered next door to the Manigault (pronounced Manigo) House. It was built around 1837, completely out of brick with many original Charleston crafted artifacts inside. The red stone capped stairway going up to the home was about 8 feet wide and quite steep, but not anything compared to the grand spiral staircase in the entry of the home. The hand-crafted crown molding in each room was absolutely stunning along with the furniture and several crystal chandeliers and ornate fireplaces. I think what was most impressive were the gardens that you could look out upon from the upper balcony of the second floor of the home. We were not allowed on the third floor of the home as it has not been restored. That was the “slaves” quarters.
After the Manigault house, we journeyed past Hampton Park and then to the Citadel where we went inside of the Chapel and saw the stunning stained and painted glass. There were flags from every state of the country. Pat told much history about the Citadel while we were there.
As we drove away from the Citadel, you could not help but notice the Spanish moss hanging from the magnificent old oak trees and the lush gardens around all of the homes. The massive and majestic magnolia trees were all in bloom. We went down towards the Battery where the homes had the tall white pillars and were very plantation looking and we saw where Jim used to climb on the old cannons to play overlooking the Cooper River. The park was filled with old oak trees that formed a huge canopy over the top, so when we were walking under them, we could hardly feel the light rain falling. Rainbow Row was next on the agenda, which was an area where the street is lined with multi-colored row houses – but much more ornate than San Francisco.
Charleston’s charm with the original cobblestone streets, moss ladened majestic trees and gorgeous magnolia blossoms were very special to see for me for the first time. But putting all of that aside, the highlight of the day for me was seeing Jim’s face light up when he realized we were actually going to be able to go inside the Second Presbyterian Church and share those childhood memories with him once again.
There is a light rain falling as we are sailing out of port and heading north up the Atlantic coast. We will have another day at sea tomorrow and then will be in Newport, Rhode Island. Tomorrow, I am scheduled to participate in one of the “hands-on” cooking demonstrations with our menu being Scallops with Avocado Salad, Asian Chicken & Rice Noodle Salad with Peanuts and a Chocolate, Coffee & Vanilla Créme Brulee.
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