After last weekend’s NASA trip and witnessing a rocket launch, on the Sunday we headed for Savannah. As the only driver, the Lost American is a complete hero, because the drive to Savannah was terrible; three thunder storms accompanied by torrential rain. Several times, the traffic ground to a halt when you could barely see the vehicle in front of you.
In Savannah, we stayed in the old part of town, on East Bay Street, a short walk downhill to the restaurants and bars along the river. How do I describe Savannah? It’s a cross between Kensington and New Orleans, built on a river bank with a major port upstream from the city centre.
Yes, you can enjoy your pre-dinner drinks on River Street, while watching container ships traverse the river under their own steam.
For dinner, we went to the Fiddlers Bar and Grill, where I had oysters, mussels and the first flounder I’ve encountered outside Australia. Yum!
After dinner, we wandered a bit through the old town, before heading back to our hotel. There were trees dripping with moss, gaslights, and even a bar with a cricket picture on the wall:
My first gas lamp:
Next morning, we did a trolley bus tour, which combined history with tourist stops, including a stop outside the only remaining house in Savannah to have intact slave quarters (now a museum).
On other stops, there was an actor who addressed us in creole before explaining its origins, and a 17th century gentleman who explained how Georgia gained its colonial charter (the original inspiration for the colony was to rescue impecunious gentlemen from debtors’ prison). The tour was the only time slavery was mentioned to us while we were in Savannah.
This building is the courthouse, which is under reconstruction after the roof collapsed, bringing down two floors with it.
