Charleston - a real knees up

En route to our final, fabulous hotel in Charleston, we stopped at the Boone Hall Plantation.  This was really rather disappointing apart from some pictures with Chris and Dan, so in the English way, we'll say no more about it, and move swiftly on.

Chris and Fiona, making the best of Boone Hall Plantation.

Our hosts, modeling the new style for the Autumn (or Fall)

In citrus colours, our older and larger models pose by the tree.

We now come to the most Southern of our accommodations, according to Chris and Dan - the astonishing Wentworth Mansion, which just screams for a Great Gatsby-style party.  It's truly lovely, filled with Tiffany glass and all things Victorian.

Worth a bob or two...original Tiffany glass, surviving even an earthquake in the last 1890s, apparently.

A small, humble room for two.

This sort of place simply makes you more gracious, more pleasant, and better looking. 

As a city, Charleston is much the same.  We walked past some of the lovely houses en route to the Battery, taking in St Michael's Church with more wonderful Tiffany glass.....

...the Post Office, which made ours in the UK look rather miserable in comparison....

...and the local courthouse which really was like something out of Bonanza.

...and Dan decided to show us his style as a prosecutor.

And I rest my case, m'lord....

For the country which practically invented advertising, some of the attractions are missing a trick.  For example, we went into the Hugenot Church which was lovely, but not particularly stunnning. When we started talking to one of the guides, he told us that the street on which the church was built was once all water.

"They used to call this the Church of the Tides, because the only way you could get here was in a boat at high tide," said the guide.  

How interesting was  this?? Why not mention it before? 

But then again, perhaps the congregation numbers indicate how effective the church has been at attracting followers. 

"How big was the congregation that came over from France?" we asked.

"About 500."

"And how big is it now?"

"A little under 500."

Ah. We smiled and went on our way.

The Hugenot church - doomed to obscurity by poor marketing.

Our final morning in Wentworth Mansions was spent in very leisurely fashion, sipping coffee and reading the papers and snapping photos of Victorian grandeur.

Not bad for an entrance, what?

After watching Kevin Spacey in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil we retired to the splendid comfort of our guest room with Dan and Chris. Tomorrow we fly home, to bore you all to death with tales of our trip.