Savannah... The Tourists

When we arrived at our bed and breakfast in Savannah we had to immediately photograph our rooms... while they were in a pristine state.

In our room there was a sitting/TV area.

I had to show off the fireplace next to our high king sized bed. We were not used to climbing onto a bed that was "hip high".

Glen and Norma showing off their room.

Relaxing in the parlor with afternoon coffee. To come was wine with hors d'oeuvres before we went out for dinner.

In the pouring rain that night we went to the Pirate's House for dinner...

... complete with pirate! Does Johnny Depp moonlight?

Why does Glen look worried?

Does he think he will be "Shanghaied"? [Tradition had it that drunks were bundled off through this underground passageway to waiting ships off to "who knows where" ("to Shanghai" signified as far away as possible)].

Our second evening's meal was elegant dining at The Olde Pink House (dress advertised as "smart casual" - hence the sports jacket).

Sandra and Norma had the "signature dish" of glazed flounder. It really looked exquisite. When Norma went to eat the fish, she started to peal off the skin - only to be told by the waiter that the skin was to be eaten. Somewhat dubiously, she complied!

Savannah pralines are rich fudge embedded with nuts. We ate them periodically over the next two days, one or two at a time. Paul was surprised that he didn't go into "diabetic shock" - although that didn't stop him from having some each time they were offered.

At the end of the river walk is a statue of the waving girl. [She was the sister of the lighthouse keeper who greeted incoming ships by waving a towel at them.] Sailors began to look for her to wave back. After decades of waving at ships, she was asked "why?". Her answer was to the effect that she was bored beyond belief at the remote outpost and took up waving at ships to relieve the boredom.  The sun was so bright that Glen and Sandra had to circle the statue several times to find a place from where to take a picture. Norma thought the circling photographers were at least as interesting as the statue!

The "waving girl" became so famous as a symbol of Savannah that the city erected a statue of her along the riverfront to greet incoming ships in perpetuity.

There still are (fake) paddlewheelers on which to cruise the Savannah River. At least the huge convention complex on the island across from the city was not built in the historic area unlike the vast majority of the "eyesore" hotels close to the river.

These tugs move huge container ships up river at a surprisingly fast speed (with one tug on each side of each ship). Savannah is still a very active port.

On the way back to our B&B we passed this Oriental looking building. Apparently Henry Ford used it as his first automobile franchise in Savannah. It's now a gift shop.

Norma and I wanted to see the interior of the cathedral of St. John the Baptist, one of the largest in the South.

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist has many beautiful stained glass windows.

The rose window is of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. Appropriately it is in the organ loft.

Walking back to the B&B through Forsyth Park we passed the large, ornate, cast-iron fountain created in 1858. It was purchased out of a catalogue and has a duplicate in Latin America.

Through Forsyth Park from the fountain to the Forsyth Inn...

... and at the end of the pathway, we glimpse our B&B.

We finished our tour of Savannah on Tybee Island at the mouth of the Savannah River where we had lunch at the Crab Shack. While described as "rustic", somehow that word does not convey the sprawling collection of down scale buildings and furnishings mixed with "kitchy" decorations. On the other hand, the Brunswick stew was good and the food is inexpensive enough to keep people coming to it.