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Published: October 21st 2016
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THE CITADEL
Established in 1842, this fine college has produced officers that have served starting from the Mexican-American War thru Iraq and Afghanistan. We so lucked out with the weather on this voyage. From the time we departed Cartagena we kept an eye on Tropical Depression Julia, or as Captain Teo called her “our lovely Ms. Juliette.” He was hoping that Romeo would come and steal her away. But she developed into a Tropical Storm as she went in circles off the Carolina coast for three days. Finally, just before our arrival in Charleston, Julia fell to pieces and drifted off. So the predicted deluge that was to greet us in Charleston morphed into a bright, sunny day.
Charleston was quite a surprise. What a lovely place. We had cruised through here back in 1998 when we swapped boats with friends and took their Krogen Manatee from Lake Okeechobee to Annapolis for Kevin's 30th USNA reunion. It was a four-month cruise and we were able to stop at some of the historic coastal cities like Savannah and Norfolk and Baltimore. We forgot how charming Charleston is.
Right off the Charleston dock is a line of former tobacco warehouses that have been turned into the Charleston City Markets filled with arts and crafts of the area. Sweet grass woven baskets made by the
CITY MARKET
A vendor told us that these were once used as tobacco
drying sheds. Gullah speaking people, wood carvings, soaps and honey were all on display. We strolled the main street for a mile or two and then decided to hire an Uber cab to show us around the area. The driver was a former policeman from Chicago. He had some stories to tell! He relocated to Charleston with his family in search of a new, slower paced way of life. We wanted to see the Citadel because Kevin had spent a week there on an exchange from the Naval Academy. He also had some stories to tell about when he and a few other midshipmen slipped out to town after curfew. They probably went to some evening prayer services!
The Citadel is quite an impressive group of buildings sitting on the river surrounded by beautiful grounds. We also went past the waterfront and saw the marina where we had docked almost 20 years ago. Always in need of some ethnic food, we ended up at a Vietnamese restaurant for a Pho fix before returning to the Mariner to begin our packing chores and attend the Captain's farewell and Krew Kapers show.
We sailed under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at 6am as scheduled.
THE SIEGE OF CHARLESTON
Major battle that took place near the end of the Revolutionary War when the British launched their "southern strategy." It was still dark out and the bridge reminded me of the Golden Gate. We cruised by the beautiful lady all lit up. The Statue of Liberty looked spectacular in the pre-dawn light. We cruised past the Battery and then, there was the new World Trade Center all aglow. We have not sailed in or out of New York since before 9/11. The last time we were in New York was 1999 when we cruised on the QEII across the Atlantic Ocean to England. It was an evening departure and we left just as the sun was setting. We had a beautiful view of Manhattan and Ms Liberty as we departed the U.S. Three weeks later we flew into JFK aboard a supersonic Concorde...our one and only time on the aircraft. It was quite a coincidence that when we docked at the New York cruise terminal we were next to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. And from our balcony we were adjacent to the British Airways Concorde which is now on permanent display at the museum.
Disembarkation is always “D-Day" for us. After spending 19 days aboard living the leisurely life, it is quite jarring to jump
CHARLESTON HORSE AND BUGGY
This lovely city retains much of its antebellum charm. out of bed, grab a quick breakfast, bid everyone farewell and go out and face the world. Clearing U.S. Customs was a snap and we got a porter to help us with our luggage. But we learned that President Obama was in town for a speech at the UN and there were no taxies or Ubers to be had. Having a rather early flight we were quite anxious to find a way to the airport. Kevin finally was able to commandeer a big Suburban limo. We got no more than a few blocks when we started having engine problems. Then we were caught up in traffic caused by a traffic accident so the driver decided to cut through Harlem to get to the Tri-Borough Bridge. Then the car’s computer would not allow the car to go faster than 25mph. As we crept towards LaGuardia Airport on the expressway with emergency lights flashing we got a few Bronx cheers and some raucous honks from fellow motorists. I'm sure they were waving to welcome us with their peculiar one-finger salute. We finally made it to the airport exit only to be met by stopped traffic. Apparently LaGuardia is undergoing a massive upgrade
CHARLESTON CUSTOMS HOUSE
Stately building graces the Charleston waterfront. and the traffic jams are monumental. Fortunately, we were able to reach the Delta terminal. Once we got our luggage checked and passed through security we breathed a big sigh of relief. That was a real dose of reality after our pampered shipboard life. But we made our flight to Florida!
Five hours later we walked in the front door of our new house. Everything looked in good order and the pool looked great. By sunset we were taking a swim and saluting the successful completion of another great cruise from coast to coast!
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Pennie
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REALITY HURTS
Your trip to the airport reminded me of our Alaskan cruise on the Mariner. Upon arriving at the airport, and out of the arms of Mariners staff, Pat and I were tripping over our luggage, repack in it on the floor, and just had a terrible time getting our luggage Checked. You get so spoiled with everything being done for you on board that you forget how to function on your own. Makes me smile to remember.