At last ..... Charleston!

Before recounting today's movements,  I 'll just mention that we enjoyed a great meal in Wilmington yesterday at the Italian 'Circa 1922'. We had aimed to go to the Front Street Brewery which has a great reputation, but spying the quirky '22' opposite, we headed there. The Hanger steak, Fillet Mignon, and hoppy IPA were 'above and beyond'! Returning to today, we checked out of the Holiday Inn Express in Leland (very nice!) and drove the short distance to Wilmington, parking downtown, to catch the first trolley tour of the day. Our guide and driver was Richard, a knowledgeable and entertaining guy with a great speaking voice.

We were taken (just the two of us!) past all the historic homes, including the magnificent  ante bellum style Bellemy House. We also received a good account of the towns development and historical significance,

Afterwards, we visited the Riverside Walk and took-in its views, including the Battleship Carolina that now serves as a living museum piece.

At midday, we set off southward along Route 17, passing through Myrtle Beach ..... where our daughter once whiled away a summer, waiting-on at Denny's! When they say its a big holiday resort, they mean it!! Three hours of fairly light traffic and we eventually crossed the bridge into Charleston and docked at another Holiday Inn Express .... a nice, but busy one! I took stock of where we were, at last arriving in a the city that we had tried to visit some years ago, only to be beaten-off by a hurricane that forced us to head for shelter in Louisiana. So we are hear and it isn't a dream .... cue song by The Majors: