Heading South! Our Journey Has Begun...

It is finally time.  We are officially heading south.  This trip will be different for us in that the new boat is already in Florida, so we are driving to Florida rather than sailing down the coast.  We packed the car, turned off water at the house and off we went.  The first leg of our journey took us to Charleston.   We spent a day with dear friends who live on John's Island, SC.  John's Island is an island in Charleston County, the 4th largest island on the east coast.  Approximately one third of the island is within Charleston city limits.  The movie The Notebook was filmed here in 2004.

One of the Saturday Markets in Charleston

The Old Citadel in Charleston

Inside enclosed courtyard of the Old Citadel which now operates as a hotel

Both Captain Man and I love to visit Charleston.  Each time we come, we find something new to experience.   The flavors...like shrimp and grits or tomato pie, the sights...cobblestone streets with horse-drawn carriages and the Battery promenade, the sounds...jazz artists playing in the streets and clapping of horses hooves on the stones, along with the rich history of this town, keep us coming back. 

Fortyeight Wine Bar

We were also introduced to Fortyeight, a wine bar with 48 "wine stations" where wines are offered by the glass for wine tasting.  The wines are in these stations and served at the appropriate temperature.  You browse around with your glass, find a wine you are interested in, place your glass under the dispenser and a sampling taste is poured into your glass.  If you like the wine, you have the option of purchasing another "taste" or you can purchase 1/2 glass or full glass.   It's wonderful...this process allows you the opportunity to taste a really expensive wine (one that I would never buy), or find a wine that you really enjoy and get a 1/2 or full glass (and purchase bottle for take home).  We enjoyed a few hours of good wine and a few tasty nibbles.  A great afternoon!

Later in the evening, we went to one of our favorite restaurants...Wild Olive.  This wonderful restaurant offers a simple menu with outstanding dishes.  If you are in Charleston, please find this place and have their lasagna made with lamb sausage...absolutely the best lasagna I have ever had.  Although the other dishes on the menu sound amazing, I always get the lasagna.  The BEST!!

As much as we love to visit our good friends in this wonderful city, this was a short visit...it was time to move on.  The next morning, we said our goodbyes and continued our journey south.  Next stop...Eau Gallie, Florida, where our new boat...Sun Daze is awaiting us!