There are few things that excite me more than a surprise mini break, and it's delightful that at least once a year, I get that thrill. This weekend it came in the form of a pile of sealed envelopes, each stating a designated time for opening. The first? 3.30 on Friday. The second? Upon arrival at the airport.
I skipped to work with my suitcase in my hand and a thrill in my heart. As soon as it was 3.30, I opened the envelope - I needed to be at the airport within the hour. I dashed off and finally upon arrival at National Airport, and upon meeting Roz, the mystery was revealed in the second envelope: Charleston, South Carolina!
On arrival it was hot and humid and we had a very fancy hotel. Or to be more accurate, a fancy modern apartment with all my favourite exposed brick and pipes, right in the very heart of the city. The hotel presented us with a glass of wine each and we exchanged gifts on the sofa (it's 5 years since we got together), drank our wine, and headed out to a cool restaurant Roz had found after vigorous research - FIG, aka Food Is Good. We acquired cocktails and since it was so late and they weren't fantastic for vegetarians, we shared three excellent appetizers, followed by cheese. We stumbled home sleepily, having had an excellent evening.
The next day, after a picnic basket of tasty breakfast items delivered to our apartment, we set out to explore downtown Charleston. First stop was their famous farmers' market which was picturesque and cheery and I had to halt Roz in her temptation to buy a giant picture in the arty crafty section! We then strolled down the lovely King Street, admiring the pretty palm tree-lined road of quirky independent shops and nicer-than-usual-appearance chains, in this absolutely charming Colonial city. We walked down to Rainbow Row, a row of posh, historic, brightly colored houses, then veered into a bakery for drinks and cakes and shelter from the blazing sun. And then it was off to the Waterfront Park (Charleston is made up on a peninsula and islands so there's water all around) and in particular its mad pineapple fountain. The whole area was beautiful and quirky and we were very cheery. We popped into Tsatsiki for lunch, and after a quick falafel, strolled up through the 'French quarter' (nothing obviously French that I could spot) towards the harbour.
With the sun blazing, we searched in vain for a shop selling sun lotion. Eventually we went into a chocolate shop to ask the shop staff for advice on where we could buy some. And thus we experienced it. Charleston is officially the most mannerly city in the US and the guidebook stated that everyone experiences their own example of the famous Charleston hospitality. Ours came in the form of the chocolate seller. She couldn't think of anywhere nearby to buy sun lotion. "But wait, I have some in my bag!" she announced, and before we knew what had hit us, she had dashed to the back office, retrieved her own sun lotion, and insistently gifted it to us. We were speechless. And grateful!
Next we walked up to the harbour and boarded a boat to Fort Sumter, considered to be the place where the civil war started. We had a nice cruise, though I was sad not to see the much promised dolphins, and had a potter around the fort before sailing back and dashing home to glam up for the big event: a 9 course tasting menu at McGrady's, one of the world's top restaurants (and one of the main reasons for Roz choosing Charleston). I am delighted to report that it lived up to her hopes: a really excellent, 4 hour experience with paired wines that left us charmed, impressed, and quite full. Alas we could 't manage the Gin Joint drink Roz had planned - we practically rolled home to bed through the sultry evening.
Up bright and early this morning, we were off for a jog - I'm training for a 5k (my first!) and Roz for a 10 miler. We jogged down King Street, past all the lovely colonial homes, to the waterfront and Battery park. And back up again. Roz then deposited her wheezing wife at the hotel and returned for more running. We recovered with our picnic basket of breakfast before heading out to Blossom for, ahem, brunch. Very tasty, and enjoyed the mimosa carafe too...
Our final event was kayaking. After spluttering at the cost of a taxi (everyone has a car), and enjoying the view from one of the world's longest suspension bridges, we were deposited at the kayak office. And so we launched on a tandem kayak into a scenic shrimping creek. I have rarely giggled so much as when a shriek from behind alerted us all to the situation that a shrimp had leapt out of the water and into Roz's lap. It was a beautiful kayak out into the bay and over to an island populated by pelicans, down little watery alleys past gracious colonial homes, prancing crabs, and numerous types of birds, and then back into the original creek where dolphins were now frolicking. The sun beat down, a soft breeze blew, and we felt very cheery indeed.
Alas we were there not for a holiday but just a weekend. The kayak tour guide very sweetly drove us back to the hotel where we had some free cheese and wine, popped next door to Yo Burrito for a cheeky burrito for dinner, then sped to the airport in time for our flight back to Washington. Bravo Roz: a fabulous mystery weekend and a fitting celebration of 5 years together.
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