Charleston, Dahlin'

Wesley and I had a marvelous time in Charleston over the weekend. We went without an agenda and had a true "weekend getaway." After a stressful first trimester, we needed the time to just relax and BE together.

On Saturday we walked the lower peninsula, looking at all of the amazing mansions, beautiful old churches, and historic buildings. We also walked along the riverside park and The Battery, which offered views of the bay and Fort Sumter. You can click here to see the photos Wesley took on our trip.

All that walking made me and the baby hungry. We ate every couple of hours. First was brunch at Toast, which was decent and at least filling. Then we had lunch at Amen Street Fish and Raw Bar. I had a Fried Green Tomato BLT, since these days my gut reaction (get it?) is that things from the sea should stay there. Mid-afternoon snack was had at Kaminsky's. It was a great little mahogany bar/coffee house where we shared a baked-apple cheesecake. I had a steamer with Irish cream and caramel. Yum! I found my coffee substitute. Who knew fluffy milk could taste so good? Wesley had a latte that he seemed to enjoy. We had a nice, quiet dinner at Blossom on East Bay Street Saturday night. Our waiter was fantastic. Although, the waiters in Charleston all seem a little pushy and every dish is their favorite dish. It was as if they thought we would walk out if they didn't tell us how Amazing each item on the menu was. Maybe it's like that other places, but I'm used to my waiters being indifferent to what I order.

I enjoyed that Charleston was a pretty place with lots of landscaping and green spaces in the metropolitan area. Asheville's beauty mostly lies outside the city limits and being in Charleston made me wish our downtown was a little more groomed.

One thing I really enjoyed on Saturday was seeing all of the window boxes. I've been wanting to add them to our house and now I have lots of ideas on what to plant and how to make the boxes. They had some really amazing presentations. It was a pleasant surprise to see so much color. Everything is still very wintry here.

Sunday morning we got up early and did a carriage ride tour through the peninsula. Our guide was a history major from the area and did a great job telling us about the beginnings of the city, the battles that took place, and tidbits on some of the homes. I was fascinated to learn that Charleston was once a walled city with a moat. I found it humorous that the 'French Quarter' had nothing to do with being a French neighborhood but was instead the original 'red light district' with bars and brothels because it was a block from the ports.

I found myself comparing Charleston to New Orleans often. They are similar in many ways; both coastal towns with historical significance, a focus on food and socializing, and of course that 'Soouthern feel.' They were different in many ways too, though. Charleston has relegated it's pirates, slaves, and the like, along with their cultural influences to be anecdotes for the tourists and not much more. New Orleans really embraces it's diversity and history in a way that makes the city come alive, I think. Nothing compares to hearing jazz and zydeco on the streets while perusing voodoo dolls and antiques. There was no music on the streets in Charleston. Just the occasional church bells (lots of brides on Saturday).

After the carriage ride we had brunch at High Cotton, a very hip place to be, with lots of rich foods and glasses filled to the brim with bloody mary's and mimosas. Oh, I can't wait to have a mimosa again! The food was rich and tasty. Wesley's huevos rancheros looked amazing. Lucky for him, baby didn't seem to want anything except carbs that morning. I had pancakes.

After brunch we toured The Old Exchange Building. It has a dungeon (or what we highlanders refer to as a basement) that held pirates and patriots at different points in the city's history. It is supposedly haunted, but then again so is every other building in Charleston. Charleston seems to be particularly proud of this building's architecture but I thought there were many houses with much more visual interest. The building was historically significant, though. South Carolina ratified the Constitution there, for one thing.

Our last stop in Charleston was the U.S.S. Yorktown, an carrier ship for the US Air Force. There was also a submarine that we toured. I have to say, it was Not my favorite part of the trip. I don't see how those men do it. The ship was huge and had lots and lots of narrow, ladder-like staircases. It's a good thing I am not any bigger than I am yet. It was neat to get a glimpse of 'life at sea' and I found the medical bay especially interesting, of course. I also really liked going up in the control tower. That seemed to be where all the business happened. The radar room and map room were interesting and I got a kick out of sitting in the captain's chair. It was the only cushioned seat on the whole boat, with the exception of the dentist's chair. Wesley has a funny picture of me sitting on the floor in the map room because I got dizzy after climbing all those stairs all afternoon. Don't worry, I stayed hydrated. Some kind older gentleman came by and was very concerned about me. I thought about telling him "Oh, I'm just pregnant," but was afraid that would make him worry more. I just let it be and eventually got up and went on my merry way.

After a very bumpy four hour ride home- SC roads are terrible- we stopped for a quick dinner at at pizza place here in town. We were there about two minutes when I got slammed with a wave of nausea. Wesley got his pizza to go and we made it back to the car, but not INTO the car. I stood right there, next to the car, in the parking lot of a ritzy 'town center' kind of place and puked my guts up. I mean, epic. I feel terrible for the poor soul who parked in that spot next. Eryn 1, Parking Lot 0.

This morning we had an OB visit. It was just a check up with the Nurse Practitioner. I am not even remotely dehydrated, something I am quite proud of. We got to hear Baby DB's heart beat. It's a healthy 150 beats per minute. Since we were there before the doctors were, the FNP took us to the ultrasound room and we got to take a peek. Baby DB is wiggling around a good bit these days, but was sleepy this morning. We got to see a little dancing but then Baby turned away from us and showed his/her backside. Not a morning person, I guess. It's so awesome to see a healthy little baby and know that I am carrying that child. Even Wesley got a little grin on his face. He has been wonderful about not only coming to my OB visits, but being involved and asking questions. I think it surprises the nurses a little. I'm so proud to have him with me. He is taking very good care of us and I am grateful. He's going to be an amazing, amazing father.