Savannah Day 2

Savannah Day Two

As I mentioned briefly in yesterday’s blog, we were staying at the Marshall House right in the heart of the historic district. It was a hotel at the end of the Civil War and throughout the late 1800’s, for a while it was an office building and hotel, and then in 1999 they restored it to the hotel it is now. When you walk you feel like you stepped back into the 1800’s. The furniture and decor are amazing. We checked in and had our bags brought to our room that overlooks the center of the hotel. This is where breakfast is served. It’s a room with gaslights, old table and  chairs, and just an old southern feel to it.

Day 2 we woke up and decide to take the advice of the hotel concierge and head over to the Wormsloe Historical Site that was established in 1737 by Nobel Jones. When we arrived we pulled up to the gate, this wonderful arch and in the background was our first vision of the oak tree alley.

You pay $8 per person, and then you are free to venture through the grounds. You start by driving down the mile long lane of oaks and you are free to stop anywhere along them you like. The problem with trying to get a clear photo is that it’s a straight shot, so if anyone is driving down the lane, you will have a car right in the middle of your shot. We unfortunately had a girl trying to take her senior pictures that arrived at the same time as us. So I worked around it, and decided to walk around for a while before trying again, on the way out, I had some decent time to get my shots.

I tried to get several different angles. This one is of a fence line that I would not have seen if I wasn’t trying to kill some time waiting for the other photographer.

This shot is on the way back out and is a panoramic shot.

And finally this is a shot from the heart of the tree line.

You also like everywhere have these damn tourists that keep taking photos of themselves.

This was truly one of the most beautiful sights I have seen. It’s one of those things that photos just don’t do justice. When you are there and see the tree line going on for what seems forever and the light coming through and casting shadows along the dirt road, and then as a car passes the dirt goes flying into the air and the beams of light are revealed even more. This is one of those sights that I love and will never forget.

After this we needed some beach time. It was a cool 99 degrees. I had always heard how nice Hilton Head was; it’s about an hour drive from where we were, so off we went. We stopped at the welcome center and Diane went in and grabbed a map (As she loves to do) I like to use the GPS and sometimes that just isn’t enough, so I learned early on in this trip that she would like a map in her hand, it helps her get her bearings. In this case (as in many on this trip) it helped. I couldn’t find the public beaches on my phone, but within a minute she was out and had all the info we needed for the day. We were off to the beach.

When we got there, the lifeguards were renting chairs and umbrellas (This was a life saver) We got in the water and it was the warmest water either Diane or myself have ever been in. It really was like taking a salt-water bath. We stayed there for a couple hours and had a great time.

On the way back we stopped at a restaurant we noticed on the way there. It was called the Pink Pig, a little BBQ/Seafood joint. As we walked in there was an older lady with white hair the greeted us, “Sit wherever you like” the chairs where plastic, the table clothes where red and white checkers, and the silverware was plastic (I was right at home) Diane ordered a tea “sweet or un-sweet?” as you are always asked down south. She got un-sweet and I got sweet. The lady then told us a little about the place, and we checked out the menu. Diane got the shrimp and crab special, and I got the flounder special. Both were absolutely fabulous. The two best meals we had on the trip were, the BBQ place in Ashville and this little hole in the wall on the side of a two-lane highway. Halfway through the meal I asked for a little lemonade to be added to my tea, and the waitress goes (in her low southern voice) “you know we call that an Arnold Palmer don’t you?” I laughed and said, yes I drink them all the time. As I went to pay, she said we don’t take cards here only cash, I said no problem I just need to run out to my car. So I did, and it was well worth every penny!

That about wrapped up our night, we headed back to the hotel, Diane went for a walk after it cooled off, and we took it easy. At the end I fell in love with Savannah, I wish we had more time to explore it, but I'm glad I got past my first impressions and gave it a chance. We met some great people, great food, and good laughs!

Also here is a photo taken the first day of Diane having here picture drawn by a street artist.