Charleston

Last weekend Trevor and I decided to take a mini-vacation. Here in Asheville, we are within a few hours of many wonderful cities, but we chose to visit Charleston, South Carolina. Trevor really wanted to see the ocean, and Charleston is the closest coastal city for us. We had never been there, but it quickly made our list of favorite places to visit! The city is beautiful and it is rich in Revolutionary and Civil War history. We spent all day Saturday walking through the historical downtown district. The streets were narrow, and often made of brick or cobble stone, and the houses were amazingly beautiful! Although all of the houses are currently personal residences, most are historical landmarks with plaques detailing when and by whom they were built. Many of them are older than the United States... amazing... they truly don't build them like they used to!
This was one of my favorite houses... even the ivy growing on the pillars was trimmed and gorgeous.

We didn't have time to tour Fort Sumter, but we did stop at a park in the city that commemorated the fort and the Confederate soldiers who fought on behalf of the south. There were statues, busts, and replicas of weapons throughout the park. There were hundreds of churches in the downtown area, all of which are beautiful. We saw the first Baptist church in the south (founded in 1682)...

And St. Michael's, which the church George Washington worshiped at when visiting the area.After a day in the city, we made our way out to the Isle of Palms, one of the many islands that make up the Charleston area. Because it is the off-season, hotel rooms are pretty reasonable. We stayed at a nice little hotel right on the beach. This was the view from our balcony:After a year of living in the east, we finally touched the Atlantic Ocean!! I was great, but a little strange! After growing up near the Pacific, I felt like I was looking the wrong way to be seeing the beach... and it was really strange to watch the sunRISE instead of the sunSET! The tall grass growing along the shoreline really helped set the two oceans apart. Atlantic or Pacific, the ocean is amazing, especially the sound of the waves. Before heading home, we drove over to another island called Sullivan's Island. There, we discovered Fort Moultrie. This fort played a role in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. We could have walked around there all day! On the top of the main fort wall was a cannon, and behind it there was a waving flag. I don't think you can tell too well from the picture, but there are only 15 stars on the flag. The shoreline near the fort allowed for a great view back on the downtown area and the HUGE bridge that links the islands with the mainland. It was a great weekend and we cannot wait to go back to see the Citadel, Fort Sumter, and the famous plantations.