Charleston SC First Day

We put our suitcases at the hotel and went for a walk till we could check in. 

Shopped in the market across the street where I bought a cool turtle pillow.

 After walking through the markets we decided to take a carriage ride.Taking a carriage tour from Classic Carriage. Horses name was Elwood and was bought from Holmes County, Ohio from Amish people. The only type of horse the company uses is a black Percheron draft horse. 

 
Went through the historical district. Such big beautiful homes.

 St. Philip's Episcopal Church, is a National Historic Landmark, it houses the oldest congregation in South Carolina and was the first Anglican church established south of Virginia.  In 1886 a major earthquake occurred and still to this day the church has a lean.
In 2011 Fielding Funeral Home turned 100.  Fieldings holds the record for the oldest black owned business.    

Our tour took us down Murray Blvd along the Asley River and White Garden Park.

 Time to take Elwood back to his barn for some pampering after pulling us around for an hour.  

Elwoods ears perked up when he knew it was time to go to the barn.  

When we pulled in he was immediately harnessed with ropes and a water bucket was attached.  Elwood was pretty thirsty.  Next, his temperature will be taken and when he is cool enough he will get a bath and fed.  These horses are treated like royalty. 

Went back and checked into the hotel.  Wow, its beautiful.

 Time for dinner, having shrimp and grits tonight, then early to bed.

Jamestown VA

Today we had reservations at a bed and breakfast.  This place was not like the pictures showed online.  We were greeted by an older man and his wife who had some problems.  She frightened me, she would try and tell me something about her husband and he would say hey what are you telling her?  Only one small sitting area crowded with junk stacked up on the walls.  No place to have breakfast instead they wanted to bring it to my room.  I wanted a glass and had to knock on their door down the hallway.  His wife tried to come out and he pushed her back in.  There were hundreds of pictures on every wall inside the room.  He did not let me come in he shut the door and got me a glass and brought it back to me.  We left and went and ate.  At dinner, we decided this place freaked us out too much and we were going to leave a note and get our belongings and go to a hotel.  What a freaky thing to happen to us.......first time ever.  

Slept well in the hotel and woke up early to meet our tour guide John Sutton at Jamestown entrance by the 50 flags.

 Bought tickets to enter the Jamestown settlement.

 The first thing I saw was a ceremonial circle of carved wooden posts when I entered the village.

As we passed by the garden we were told that indian boys would sit in the hut and learn to shoot bow and arrow.  There aim was for any animal trying to get in the garden. 

We are wondering around the villages learning how the Powhatan Indians and chief lived their lives. The village had reed covered houses, grew crops and actors in the village making twining baskets, cooking over an open fire.

 

I was given a corn cob that had a feather attached to the end of it and play this game where I aimed like playing darts and threw it through the hoops hanging from the trees.  I made all three throws. :-)

 John our tour guide gave me a headband to wear with a feather in it and I was going to act out Pocahontas, daughter of Powhatan.  John was Powhatan and Marlon was John Smith
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 Re-creations of three ships that brought America’s first permanent English colonists to Virginia in 1607 are moored at Jamestown Settlement’s pier for visitors to board and explore. We went through the ships and John talked about the life of the seamen.

Williamsburg VA~William & Mary College & Bruton Parish Church

Fall is in the air.....

Getting some rain this morning, looks like Thomas Jefferson needs to get out of the rain.

 Tour guide is here now and we are going to William & Mary college.  This building is the second-oldest college in America. 

 Three Presidents of the United States were educated at William & Mary: Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler 

   The keyholes and the keys were huge.

The college burned the interior of the college 3 times.

  John D. Rockefeller, Jr. had bought property in Williamsburg Va wanting to put the buildings back to their original state.  Mr. Rockefeller ended up buying all the property and paid to have it all built to original condition.  The city's old and historic houses were falling into decay but could be rescued, preserved, and restored.  Thanks to Mr. Rockefeller. His name was kept secret for many years that he was the one who bought the property and restored it all.

 On to explore the church. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. devoted a good portion of his own restoration efforts to the church, so much a part of the colonial history of Williamsburg itself, and to its surrounding environment as well, beginning with the eighteenth-century churchyard walls and ancient tombstones.
Under the church floors still to this day are several 
 Bruton Parish Church

Buried beneath the marble flagstones inside the church was Governor Francis Fauquier, one of the best-loved of the colonial governors, who died in 1768.The organ remained in service until 1835. The present organ, the church's fourth, was presented by John D. Rockefeller Jr. in 1954.

Lots of horse and buggies roamed around the streets of Colonial Williamsburg. 

 
   

 Time to head back to the Bed and Breakfast.  Walked down a beautiful path back to the Welcome Center.  We are tired and ready to eat dinner.