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Day 5 of our 40th anniversary trip dawned sunny and warmer.

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Which was such a welcome change I actually got the husband to participate in … and (half) smile … for a morning balcony selfie.

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On the itinerary that day? Charleston.

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By way of Toogoodoo.

At first I thought the nav system in the overpriced Lincoln was drunk…

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But no, the road exists.

Toogoodoo: The name given to the creek and the area by the Bantu (African) slaves who worked the sea island plantations surrounding it. The word translates loosely as “I have plenty/ My life is bountiful”.

A sentiment that resonated with me all day.

Charleston is a southern city I’ve always wanted to visit and in a little over an hour, we were there.

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We skirted the harbor…

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And drove down one of the most famous neighborhoods.

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Filled with lovely homes…

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All facing the water.

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Unfortunately right after we started driving we ran into a detour due to storm damage from the night before. So we zigged and we zagged in our giant monster rental and elected to ditch the traffic for a walk.

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This is the most popular park in town and thankfully pretty deserted off season.

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It sits right at the mouth of the busy deep water harbor…

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And don’t you dare let Fido off his leash.

$1087 seems like an arbitrary sum, but whatever.

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We hopped over puddles and made our way to the park’s most popular tourist attraction.

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The pineapple fountain.

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Pineapples are a symbol of hospitality and you’ll find them everywhere in this friendly city.

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This is probably a beautiful shot in summer when the sun is high…

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But I couldn’t quite capture the canopy angle properly this time of year.

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Done with the park, we strolled.

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Charleston is an old city with beaucoup traffic and very little parking. Take my advice, put on a pair of comfortable shoes and walk…

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It’s the only way you’ll get a real feel for the place.

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We were headed for the French Quarter and the magnificent Rainbow Row so beloved by Instagrammers.

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I couldn’t wait to explore, so of course my husband had to strike up a half hour conversation with this nice gentleman who had a strange car.

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In case you’re wondering, it’s a Figaro built by Nissan in the early ‘90’s. Only 20,000 were made and he said his wife had to have one. It’s a tiny little thing but after battling the in town traffic with our luxury behemoth rental, I’m sure it’s perfectly suited to life in Charleston.

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