Savanah trip

I had a conference in Savannah, Georgia on November 11-15. Cindy had a student teacher which made it possible for her to go with me this year and Maddie also could go with us. She had vacation time when we planned the trip but she was fired a few weeks before the trip so it was good that she had planned to come. We flew to Chicago first and then after some pizza we caught our next flight to Charleston, South Carolina. It was cool in Chicago but when we arrived at Charleston in the evening it was warm and humid. We flew into Charleston because it was cheaper to go their and then drive 100 miles than flying directly to Savannah. The airport was under major construction so we were a little bit underwhelmed. We got to our hotel room at 11 in the evening having no idea what the country side looked like.

My first day of the conference I had to take a ferry across the river to an island where the conference center was. The waterfront of the downtown was very unique. The town was and is a large port. Originally the warehousing and shipping was for cotton exports and so old warehouses line the banks of the river.

Once I picked my stuff up it was back across the river to the first session. We followed behind a large cargo ship on its way out to the ocean for a portion of the trip across the river.









My first field trip was to explore the unique design of Savannah and the squares of the downtown.The plan for Savannah was done by James Oglethorpe in 1733. At that time the public squares and the tythe buildings were a key feature of the design. Hurricanes in  the late 1800's destroyed the native pine trees. They were replaced with the now stately live oaks.

We met with Mr. Oglethorpe as part of the tour plus some ladies who still keep the trees in the public square as a priority.

Savannah is loaded with history. There were cannons that George Washington captured from the battle of York Town which he gave to Savannah for its help during the revolutionary war.

I had lunch time on my own so I decided to go to a small lunch place called Zunzi's. It was owned and operated by a South African couple and as the line suggested was a popular place. I ordered a boerworst which was a popular South African dish but is an acquired taste. The owner gave me a sample first as if he knew I may not really want it but I told him I liked it and it had been 38 years since I had one. We started to talk and he told me the recipe was from a farmer in the Free State. We had a good conversation and then I got my boerworst. As a side bar the guy behind me asked to try a sample but then I noticed he did not order it. 

While I was learning that day, Cindy and Maddie went to Tybee Island to play in the ocean. It was the low 70's here while back home was a snow storm.

     

 


After the beach they went to a light house and climbed the 178 steps to the top of the light house.

 

 

From there they went on a dolphin tour in the bay.

  





That evening they picked me up and we went back to Tybee so they could show me around.

 

After the sun set we went to get something to eat at the Crab Shack located on the island. It was a perfect place with dirt parking lot and over a small arm of the bay. The lights were upside down peach baskets and most of the dining was outside. The table had a hole in the center with a garbage can underneath it so you just pushed the waste to the center including the paper plates you had your food served on and everything was clean.

 









































  They even had an area that they kept alligators in, well most of them. It seems that there was something for everything to eat.  It was a fun evening.



The next day I was taken to the conference again while the girls played. This tree lined street that we traveled for the four days we were there was always a pleasant sight with the Spanish Moss and the large homes.

At noon time I had it free and the girls met me and we went for lunch at Mrs. Wilkes. It is in a residential neighborhood.  It is only open from 11 to 2 during the week and there is always a line to get in.

 
They seat you 10 at a time so what ever ten are standing together outside sit together when a table comes open. Tabletops are crowded with platters of fried chicken and cornbread dressing, sweet potato souffle, black-eyed peas, okra gumbo, corn muffins and biscuits and you just dig in. Our group included people from Tacoma, Connecticut, Boston and Savannah. 

Once you are done eating you take your plate to the kitchen and pay for the meal. We left that place thinking we will never need to eat again.












 I went off to meetings again and Maddie and Cindy did a tour of the town. Here are some pictures of different areas of the downtown.

Row houses along one of the parks.

An old cobble road that leads from the main street down to the waterfront.

Along the river front.








One of the many church steeples in downtown.

A courtyard at the front of a building. 

Evening along the river looking at the city.











That evening we ate at one of the restaurants along the river and then went to a musical performance in a theater. It was songs from the 70's and 80's called Savannah Live and it really was fun.

Next day was more meetings while the girls continued their city tour and shopping. The movie Forest Gump had many scenes filmed in Savannah so Maddie tried to duplicate some of the location scenes with her in it. They also visited a museum that had the bench set. 

That afternoon the conference ended so we decided to drive to Hilton Head, South Carolina which was not that far away to see what it was like. The weather was cooler by the end of the week as a massive cold front had hit the eastern part of the country. We had the beach almost to ourselves. Hilton Head is a beautiful island and we want to go back some time.

Saturday was the day to drive back to Charleston to catch a flight to Nashville to see Cindy's sister Jeanne who is serving a mission their. We crossed the bridge over the river and said goodbye to Savannah.

 Jeanne met us at the airport and then took us to see the Opryland Hotel.  It is massive and has different themed areas inside large glass roofed areas. It was decorated for Christmas and was so very impressive.

 

 

We then went to see the mission office and some of the other areas that Jeanne is involved with and then we went to dinner. After dinner we met Jeanne's companion and then went to our hotel. We woke up to a rain storm. This view from our deck shows there really are hills of Tennessee.

 We went to church on Sunday with Jeanne and had a wonderful time their. It is a beautiful area. It was then time to head back to the airport so we could be home that night after a wonderful adventure to the south.