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Old 26 Jan 20, 01:47 PM  
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WileyCoyote
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Bayous to Beaches. Oct 19. Day 9: A Walk on the Wildside. Harbour Town and Historic Charleston.

Wednesday 9 October
Yesterday is HERE

As a reminder, we are now into the non-Florida leg of this trip. We will return to the sunshine state the day after tomorrow
Today we look around Hilton Head Lighthouse and arrive in Charleston


We were awake at 0630 and up and checked out by 9.

It was a nice room and hotel but we had the drive to Charleston ahead and I wanted to have a look around some of the Island as well so no hanging about.

Unfortunately, the overcast weather had returned although it was still vey warm and a bit muggy.

Breakfast was at the Plantation café - which was absolutely bursting at the seams and we nabbed the last two spots at the counter.

The menu was one of those that is crammed full and in tiny writing.


It’s a deceptively small place.




I had a chilli cheese puff .. a soufflé with cheese and green peppers.



When it came out I couldn’t remember what I had ordered and was a bit perplexed until I tasted it. It was really light and quite cheesy.

Massive portion of hashbrowns. The little pot of hot cinnamon apples was scrummy

Andy had a ham and bacon platter.




Very nice start to the day.



I did have a moment in the bathroom when washing my hands as the sink had no insert and I was terrified my rings might slip off and be lost down there !



We set off (apparently with the rest of the Island), paying our $8 to enter SeaPines and entry to Harbour Town ( PGA Golf players will recognise this place)



Posh allotments



It was all big houses, wide roads, people on bikes and lots of trees



It was very busy and we were lucky to bag a parking spot right in front of the lighthouse - much to the annoyance of someone else who was faffing about reversing this way and that and seemingly we were supposed to know that was all in pursuit of the same space. Ho hum



I took a few pics for Dibber Goodevans and we had a quick look at the shops and cafes.

It was $8 to go up to the top of the lighthouse - Andy didn’t fancy it so he said he would wait at the bottom and take a pic when I got to the top.

Harbour Town Lighthouse





It took a little while to get to the top even though its not very tall - mainly due to giving way to people on their way down. I did note that not once did anyone offer to give way to me going up.

Deffo one to do while its quiet.



Wow it was windy at the top - so much so that I daren’t lean over. The flags were pretty straight with the strength of the wind



I daren't lean over to see Andy - I was worried my glasses might fall off!



Looking over to no mans land



I picked up a Christmas dec



In truth we were a bit underwhelmed. I had expected something a bit more amazing?
I am sure on a sunny day it’s a gorgeous place but today it was just full of rather pushy people , dull weather and frankly not a lot to rave about.

I had been in two minds about whether to stay here and see this lighthouse or St Simons.

If there is a next time, I would give St Simons a whirl I think

Due to this total underwhelment, we were on our way in less than an hour and on the road to Charleston before 1pm

Its not the most scenic route in



We passed a marine base



No time to stop at the Swig and Swine




Our hotel the Francis Marion was easy enough to find and they quickly whipped the car off for valet parking

It was a nice room - with the tiniest bathroom - but it worked well



We had the city view



We dropped our stuff and I faffed about for a bit booking a carriage tour for the morning.

Payment wouldn’t go through and I was getting really frustrated. In the end the payment went through twice.

All booked, we headed out to King Street

I spent a lot of the time looking upwards - the buildings were all so different and unique


Anyone who has visited the civil rights museum in Memphis will remember this - the sit in at the Woolworths Diner





Its a very pretty street to amble down



An interesting take on dinosaur extinction !


Our destination was this fab wine bar






Not cheap but such a nice place to just sit and watch the world go by on King Street.

We had probably overdone it on the cheese and meat platter though with a dinner reservation coming up.



I left Andy to finish his wine - he said he had a really nice afternoon chatting to the owners and they talked about the highs and lows of offering a European style wine bar - especially with new import taxes on French goods.

We talked about this bar last night and Andy says it was one of his holiday highlights, he had such a chilled out time

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Old 26 Jan 20, 01:47 PM  
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Part Two has LOTS and LOTS of old building photos

I took a fairly brisk walk straight down Kings Street to the waterfront and through the historic district

Well this just might be the prettiest collection of buildings I have seen
They were all just gorgeous - prepare for building spam




I got to Meeting Street which looked just as lovely





Still further down King Street - it was way further to the waterfront than I had realised



So many pretty " secret" gardens too




And still more beautiful buildings



Rainbow Row



I could just start to see the waterfront in the distance



I didn't get as far as Battery and the Pineapple Fountain but I did find this lovely park



With all its confederate statues in place - unlike other places that we have seen ….



Looked a bit nippy out there



I realised that it was going to be a swift yomp back now as it had already taken me 45 minutes to get this far and I had to get back before Andy started to send out the search party

I crossed over and took a different route back - even more impossibly gorgeous buildings - everywhere I turned was one more striking than the last




I got back and was so excited to tell Andy all about the lovely houses that he would see on the carriage trip tomorrow. It had been a lovely couple of hours for us both but now we needed to head off for our dinner reservation.

Back past the shops



And our hotel



Into the square in front of the hotel where a cheerleader group were practising





Indeed - is it ?

The historical markers were very interesting.



It was all nice for a good section of the street



And then the stores started to drop away

It got considerably quieter

There were less people

And more wasteland lots and derelict buildings

We walked and walked and it seemed never ending.

I had put my camera away and was feeling incredibly uncomfortable - we stuck out like a big tourist sore thumb.

We had by now gone too far too turn back but were both quite nervous about carrying on

We passed a bar that was straight out of Sons of Anarchy and I think by this point I was about to burst into tears with anxiety.

This walk was just not a good idea.

I am not sure what we would have done if the restaurant hadn't come into sight. It’s very highly rated as a locals place on Trip Advisor and as its on Kings Street I had just assumed it was close to everything.

Well it most assuredly is not.

Everyone else gets in their big SUVS and drives there.

When we arrived I said to Andy that if there was no taxi service to get back , I was going to sleep under the table because no way was I walking back in the dark.

Having finally got here, we were pleased we had a reservation. It became busy





I went for a south side


Andy had a cider

We skipped starters.



When our food came I had a happy meal and he had the rest of the cow




Very nice it was too. Our server was so enthusiastic about our food and that we had a good experience. He was brilliant. It bills itself as an old school diner. Limited menu but everything is done "just so". I can see why it is so highly rated

I then had cheesecake



And intended to take what I couldn’t finish in a to go box, but forgot to pick it up when our pedi cab arrived to take us back



We didn’t feel in the least bit guilty at this young lady pedalling away taking us back to the hotel.

It seemed a really good set up - the cyclists all in touch with other the whole time to make sure they were all ok.

We were back at the hotel in less than 15 minutes - way better than our hour long walk earlier!

The day ended with more minor drama as we went to get out the pedicab, a big minivan taxi started to reverse without looking and nearly squished the poor lass


Fortunately, the hotel doorman saw what was about to happen and banged on the side of the taxi to stop him and no harm done.

We felt quite relieved to have survived the end of the day adventures in one piece and headed straight for bed and the safety of our room!

Tomorrow is HERE

Today's cocktail tally: 1
Holiday tally so far: 17

Edited at 02:32 PM.
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Old 26 Jan 20, 04:08 PM  
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Melbatb
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Those houses look amazing - not cheap I bet though!

You certainly ate well!

What a smarter the lighthouse area was a disappointment. Too many pushy people is never a good thing!
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Old 26 Jan 20, 04:58 PM  
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That sounds like a great day (apart from the scary walk!). Charleston looks gorgeous, I'd love to visit some day when I can persuade my kids that there's more to America than Disneyworld!
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Old 26 Jan 20, 07:07 PM  
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Wow, love all the houses. Will have to visit myself someday hopefully I will has my cousin has just finished building his house in Savannah
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Old 26 Jan 20, 08:15 PM  
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WileyCoyote
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Originally Posted by Melbatb View Post
Those houses look amazing - not cheap I bet though!

You certainly ate well!

What a smarter the lighthouse area was a disappointment. Too many pushy people is never a good thing!
It was such a beautiful area . I think probably the most beautiful I have ever seen.
Yeah the lighthouse experience was disappointing. I think maybe my expectations were a bit too high ( unlike the lighthouse which isn’t as tall as I expected either ).

Originally Posted by Palm trees View Post
That sounds like a great day (apart from the scary walk!). Charleston looks gorgeous, I'd love to visit some day when I can persuade my kids that there's more to America than Disneyworld!
Thanks. It was an interesting day Yep, not having the kids opens up a whole new world of holidays

Originally Posted by Cutiepie View Post
Wow, love all the houses. Will have to visit myself someday hopefully I will has my cousin has just finished building his house in Savannah
Ooh how exciting. Savannah is beautiful too. That’s tomorrow
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Old 26 Jan 20, 08:18 PM  
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I loved looking at all the buildings, so beautiful. Charleston really does seem to be full of history and a fantastic place to visit. A tasty breakfast and the evening cocktail looks delicious too.

A shame the first half of the day was a little underwhelming, but that just left more time for exploring and more time for the houses and buildings so I reckon that's a win for the day.

I can't wait to see where you're off to next...I know I've already seen it in the food report, but I'm sorry to say I've forgotten!

Edited as you must have been posting the reply as I was typing so now I know where you're off to tomorrow
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Edited at 08:19 PM.
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Old 29 Jan 20, 02:09 PM  
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WileyCoyote
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Originally Posted by Goldia View Post
I loved looking at all the buildings, so beautiful. Charleston really does seem to be full of history and a fantastic place to visit. A tasty breakfast and the evening cocktail looks delicious too.

A shame the first half of the day was a little underwhelming, but that just left more time for exploring and more time for the houses and buildings so I reckon that's a win for the day.

I can't wait to see where you're off to next...I know I've already seen it in the food report, but I'm sorry to say I've forgotten!

Edited as you must have been posting the reply as I was typing so now I know where you're off to tomorrow
It’s definitely grown on us. When we left I didn’t have much love for Charleston at all. But the more we have talked about it and in writing today up I think I have been harsh on it. You will see why I was fed up tomorrow but actually this day really wasn’t so bad at all . And the historic quarter is just charming.

Ha ha yes Savannah tomorrow and that’s another epic location
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Old 30 Jan 20, 02:12 PM  
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Such a shame HHI didn't work out, I've told Jim that it may not be the best place to stay but he's having none of it
I didn't realise you had to pay an entrance fee to go to different parts of the island, that's shocking! Jim definitely wants to play at Sea Pines so we'll have to stump it up.

Your hotel in Charleston looks lovely, your not having much luck with room views though!
Good find on the wine bar. That meat and cheese platter is enormous, did you finish it?

The different style of houses are stunning, no wonder you took so many photos! I love those 'secret' gardens too, so quaint. I wonder how much it is to live there, not cheap I can imagine.

Not good that the restaurant was in the dodgy part of town, I remember you telling me about it. Thank god it was a good meal otherwise Andy really would have complained . Jim would never have let me live down my planning fail had it been me

Great idea to get a pedi cab back to the hotel and you got back in one piece, I don't think I'd have felt guilty either

All in all a great day
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Old 31 Jan 20, 02:04 PM  
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The photos of the day are really awesome but the words maybe not quite so much. Wondering now what tomorrow is going to bring...
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