Day 23 Last day in Charleston

Up at 7 to upload from last night and a late breakfast (8am). Packed my back pack and off I set for the last day. Four items on the list. It was cold enough to need my jacket and coat. Tomorrow the first thing that is going to be in that washing machine is my poor jacket. It definitely got more wear than I anticipated.

I walked down to the carriage tours and booked in for 10:30. Then a fast walk back to the Old Exchange. On the way back as I was balancing across the cobblestones my foot started to get really sore. So I slowed down for the walk back. By the time I was at the carriage rides, it was really sore when I put weight on it. Same one I twisted last week. 

Great carriage ride by Yamasee and Gabby. Each carriage ride must check in at a central point and they are allocated an area. Lots of rules. If the horse urinates on the journey the guide has to ring a cleaning company (Equine Sanitation I kid you not). They leave a marker behind to indicate the exact location. Each carriage company pays into this fund. $1200 fine if they hold up 3 cars for more than one minute and these streets are not wide. $1500 if the horse eats foliage along the journey!

A kit home.

Gabby pointed out the highest point in the town – 144 inches above sea level! On the journey we saw St Philip’s church and finally I discovered it has a 3 degree tilt courtesy of the 1886 earthquake. I thought it was an optical illusion? The carriage ride was so informative, but not really the best option for taking photos.

All the original churches were on Church St- how original! However the Anglican church was considered the only real church. All other faiths met in Meeting St. The Catholics were eventually let in many years later, for the same reasons as Savannah. They didn't even get a space on Meeting St. 

A one room facing the road type costs from $875,000 to $2.5 million depending on the area and condition. There are a few on the market for about $2.7 million at the moment- not facing the water naturally. And other thing to mention is that the cypress ones have to be repainted every 18 months to 2 years and are highly flammable. The reason for the narrow homes was not a land tax, but an effort to catch any wind in hot weather. Porches face South or West to catch that breeze. This answered one of my questions regarding the strange placement of homes on the blocks.

Gabby was a great tour guide. When we completed the tour, I “caught” a bike taxi back to the St John’s Cathedral to take photos inside- made it just before mass and then back to St Phillip’s for photos.

The bike taxi guy waited patiently. I wasn’t very long at either place. He dropped me off at the Powder Magazine, which was closer to my hotel. Interesting display in there, about the various wars or insurrections. From here I walked slowly up to the Confederate Museum. Lots of steps up and a very small room crammed with amazing memorabilia, if that was your passion. There were some original quilts and children’s wear on display, but no photos allowed. 

Hobbled down the steps and along the road to the hotel at 1:30. I made my lunch in my room then bought my things down to the lounge to check-in online. Sat with my foot up downloading and typing. Then washed my hair and come back to keep my foot up. The lovely sunny day we experienced disappeared behind small clouds. I had thought I’d sit outside for a while, but it was cool out there.

Savannah or Charleston? After being in both and seeing the sites, my personal favourite was Savannah. It was definitely a town for me. It's a bit like comparing Melbourne and Sydney. Both have lots to offer and lots to see, but Melbourne is the city of my choice.