Day 6 - Charleston

Started with a visit to the Charleston Tea Garden. It's the largest tea plantation  in the US--essentially the only. It was started in the 1960's and eventually bought by Bigelow. Very interesting to learn how the tea is grown, harvested and processed--the factory is there, too. Essentially the plants are kept at "table height" and they harvest the new growth from above that, so the base plant continuously produces new tea. The shop has multiple kinds of teas for tasting including five kinds of iced tea--all sweet except one.

Stopped to see the Angel Oak, a ~400 year old live oak tree. Then to The Charleston Museum (oldest in the country) and evening seeing "Clue"at the Dock Street Theater. Fun and funny.

Dinner was she crab soup and a crab cake sandwich.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 2 - Charleston

Image
A day in historic Charleston. Walking tour, stroll through the city market (arts and crafts--we managed not to buy anything) and a visit to the Aiken-Rhett House. Our brains are full and feet sore. Photos are off palmetto tree, the state tree and the pineapple fountain. Though not operating today, it's s symbol of welcome. Aiken-Rhett House was interesting in part because it's preserved rather than restored. Better for ghosts maybe, but also means you have to employ your imagination to imagine both the slave and wealthy situations without glitz. Anyway, Aiken was the wealthiest man in South Carolina, which by definition meant the largest slave holder. Sobering... Dinner: flounder stuffed with blue crab!
Read more

Getting Ready

 Finishing up packing and other last minute things (like taking the dead bird we found last night to the dead bird freezer! Yes, they are collected and studied...) Plan is to leave tomorrow morning...
Read more

Day 16 - Colombia

Image
Spent most of the day hiking at Congaree National Park - about 7 miles. It was both beautiful and interesting. It's an old growth floodplain forest, so lots of very big bald cypress, tupelo and loblolly pine. I'm sure the cypress knees are really trolls, though this photo doesn't show them at their troll-like best. Just a few inches change in elevation changed what plants were growing. Also saw some wild boar, which are terribly destructive invadors, but still cool to see. They could have cared less about us! Had just the right amount on time to visit the McKissick museum at the University of South Carolina. Interesting exhibit about women and textiles (spectacular crazy quilt) and also some oddities like a bread machine from the early 1900's (not at all clear how it worked) and some petrified palmetto root, which turns out to be beautiful when polished.
Read more