Charleston

Charleston is another splendid historic city. A little less pedestrian friendly than Savannah, a little more city like. But a good place to just wander around with a camera. So I did.

If you are wondering why there is a photograph of a pile of bricks, this is actually a remnant of the old city walls.

It was Halloween, The Americans take it very seriously

Now one thing I should mention in our sightseeing meanderings is that we also visited the Old Slave Mart Museum. I have no photos of it as there is nothing to photograph really. It is housed in a slave auction house, but it is a most disappointing museum, principally because it has nothing to show. It is just packed with story boards about slavery. It would make a better pamphlet. And as it so packed with posters and visitors it gives no feel whatsoever for its former purpose. It could have been in any building at all. A bit like visiting a church but where  the stained glass windows were boarded up and the alter covered with posters.

Another interesting feature of all the guided tours of houses we went on, or the audio-guide commentaries, is that the word "slave" is never used. "African Americans" yes, but not slaves. 

The Aiken-Rhett House was a very interesting diversion, and it is about the furthest point in a walk around historic Charleston. What is almost as remarkable as the house is the way it has been presented. It is conserved, but not restored. Which allows one to see the faded grandeur of the place. One starts with the walled slave quarters at the back.

 Here you can see the unrestored interior.

 Even clearer here. Apparently the house just had a steady decline until 1975, with the last elderly owner just living in a smaller number of the rooms. A long fall from its construction in 1818

 These long galleries on the first floor were designed to allow one to sit out and enjoy breezes on a sultry summer's day.

 Ok, this was the most faded room.

But one room is in impeccable condition, the one containing the family's art collection.

At the other end of the restoration scale is the Nathaniel Russell House. I loved this place. Superb neo-classical design.

After all that, Thibault and I briefly parted ways, he to go to karate and me to have a further walk with my camera shooting houses. So buckle up - houses galore to follow.

This park is called the battery. And yes it does incorporate few big guns from the Civil War.

One thing that I felt disappointed Thibault about the Deep South was a lack of confederate flags or general racism. He wanted to be shocked, but actually it was all very civilised. We were amused at a guy in a bar referring to  the Civil War as the War of Northern Aggression, but that was about it. However right wing their politics, Southerners seemed very warm and friendly to folk, whereas the liberal northerners of say New York are renowned for being impolite and pushy. Interesting.

 Next morning, after a brief hunt for an upmarket sandwich, we would be setting off for Columbia. But first a few photos, just because it was such a nice morning......

I liked Charleston almost as much as Savannah.