Memories of Charleston

Julie and I waiting for the tour to begin...

Several years ago, my best friend Julie & I decided to take a proper girl’s weekend trip. “Proper” as in traveling somewhere neither of us has ever been and being tourists for a few days. After a little discussion we decided on Charleston, SC. I’m in love with all things historic in nature, especially old houses, so I was in heaven.

Julie and I are ideal traveling companions because we both want to pack everything we can into our vacations. We can sleep at home. We also plan extensively and compromise on the things we really want to do and see. And eat, obviously.

This lovely photo was taken at about…hour nine of a 16-hour marathon day of ferry rides, Fort Sumter, house tours, museums, shopping, and WALKING. Unbeknownst to us (check weather? what? why?), we were right under a big tropical depression. The weather was crazy: windy, rainy, and muggy. But fortunately for us, it was NOT typical scorching weather for Charleston in July. In this shot we were about to take a “ghost” tour of the Old City Jail. ::insert skeptical eyebrow raise here::

My most vivid memory of this day (sadly): I was wearing a pair of Sketchers that SEEMED comfortable when I wore them around town to the grocery or whatever. But they had this really rough fabric on the insole. And if you know me for very long (I complain about it a lot), you know that I don’t have much skin on my feet. I don’t get calluses. So there were probably…24 blisters on the bottoms of my feet by the time we got to the Old City Jail for this “scary” tour!

All that being said, I don’t think we look TOO bad…for women who have been wind-tossed, rained on, and at the mercy of the elements all day. I look kind of beat down. However, Julie always looks beautiful in photos!

So, the Old City Jail…well, it’s an old, empty jailhouse. The coolest thing about it is that Clemson University is restoring the building, which is in various states of disrepair. I walked all through the tour itching to get my hands on things and to KNOW how they were restoring the place.

The tour guide told us some cool stories about nefarious deeds committed by former prisoners. He described the usually deplorable conditions that inmates were forced to live in. He tried his best to make things a little spooky…but let’s face it. I don’t believe in ghosts anyway, and it was broad daylight in an empty old block of a building. It wasn’t scary. It was just interesting.

But did I enjoy it? Of course I did! Twenty-four blisters notwithstanding. I was with my best friend in the most beautiful jewel of a city that I’ve ever seen. There was history all around me. We were both laughing and happy.

Good times.

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