It's a long weekend once again and... we're off!
We've always wanted to visit Savannah because we've heard so many nice things about the place. Initially, we planned to drive there with our friends from Charlotte. Unfortunately, Monday was not declared a holiday and they couldn't leave work to join us. So Papa (who took Monday off), Mama, and I went by ourselves. It would have been more fun if they had come with us.. well, maybe next time. :)
We left Charlotte on Saturday morning. It took us only 4 hours to get there by car, to include the 3 sets of bumper-to-bumper traffic we encountered. As for me, I just slept most of the way there.
Boy, was it hot!! The temperature was about 95F not to mention that it was also quite humid. To start of our vacation, we drove to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist to catch the anticipated mass. This 1876 French-Gothic church is so beautiful!
The Savannah Cathedral. Savannah is Georgia's oldest cathedral city, and its beautiful Cathedral epitomizes the centuries long history of Catholics in the state.
The church has more than 50 breathtaking stained-glass windows.
The interior restoration was finished by 2000 and the architectural integrity of the building was meticulously kept.
I love the marble steps leading to the altar.
Here's Mama and I outside.
An interesting thing about Savannah is there are mini-parks called "Squares" scattered all over the city. Right in front of the Cathedral is Lafayette Square.
Lafayette Square was created in 1837 and named for Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert de Motier, otherwise known as the Marquis de Lafayette, the Frenchman who served as Washington’s Aide decamp during the American Revolution.
To honor the 250th birthday of Georgia a 3-tiered fountain was donated by the Colonial Dames of America and had it placed in Lafayette Square.
Believe me, I am happy to be here.
The charm of Savannah comes mostly from its old world architecture.
Like these pretty houses just outside the Cathedral.
Particularly the historic Andrew Low House.
You can actually take one of these horse-drawn carriages to go around the city.
After church, we drove to the Historic River Street. The city had once turned its back on the historic waterfront, which was abandoned and deteriorating. A group of civic leaders joined forces in the early 1970s to create the River Street Urban Renewal Project. When the work was finished in 1977, approximately 80,000 square feet of abandoned warehouse space on the historic waterfront had been transformed into Savannah's most popular tourist attraction.
There are so many things to do here at River Street...
...like the tour trolleys
...the various souvenir shops
...old buildings
...and restaurants and specialty shoppes.
Factors Walk once housed the offices of nineteenth century cotton merchants.
Various establishments and businesses now call it home.
Two special momuments have also been erected along River Street.
One is that of the legendary Waving Girl. Its a 1971 statue by Felix De Weldon that honors Florence Martus, a Savannahian who greeted every ship entering the port from 1887 to 1931 by waving a cloth from her home on Elba Island during daylight, and a lantern at nighttime.
The second is a sculpture commemorating tha 1986 Atlanta Olympics.
Savannah proudly hosted the olympic yachting event.
To end our day, here's a breathtaking sunset view of the Eugene Talmadge Bridge from River Street.
Next, dinnertime! When in Savannah, one must have the best seafood around.
Our hungry tummies brought us to The Crab Shack.
The Crab Shack is a very interesting place. Aside from the yummy food, they also have a large alligator pond (with real live alligators, of course). Too bad we didn't bring our camera with us. But if you click on The Crab Shack's link above, the huge platter in front of the guy in the picture was the same one we had for dinner! The Shack Specialty. It had mussels, shrimps, crawfish, and 2 kinds of (huge) crabs, with the following side dishes: sausages, corn, and potatoes. Papa, Mama, and I, yes just the three of us, finished everything. Oooh, big big tummies!
Our second day was reserved for the beach. But before that, we dropped by Fort Pulaski.
Upon entrance, this cannon greets you hello.
Mr. Ranger and I are good friends.
Time for a picture, right over the moat with the alligators. Err, turtles pala. Hehe.
While we were there, there were two scheduled demonstrations. This one below is the rifle demonstration.
Very loud!!
The next one was the cannon demonstration. Super duper loud!!!
Ready, Aim...
Fire!!!
The new and improved rifled canons used by Union Captain Quincy Gilmore, rendered these old cannons (as well as the fort's brick fortifications) obsolete. Whereas, these old cannons could shoot up to a max of 300 yards, the new cannons could shoot well over a thousand yards accurately. Thus, the Fort, formerly believed to be the strongest most "unsiegeable" fort in the world, surrendered only after 30 hours of bombardment, the power of the rifled cannons forever changed the face of artillery warfare.
Once a fort of war, now a picture of tranquility.
Now, we're ready for some sand and sun!!
Our destination: Tybee Island.
Located 18 miles east of Savannah, this small barrier island boasts a wide, 3-mile long beach.
You will need lots and lots of quarters to park here because the spaces are all metered. The place is also ideal for family gatherings because vacation homes beside the beach are available for daily or weekly rental.
The Tybee Island Light Station is one of the attractions that can be found on the Island. It's one of the many lighthouses we will be visiting during this vacation. So pretty!
And now, for the main event...
The Beach. To the Left.
To the Right.
Not as white as our Boracay's sand, but, it'll do for my sandcastle.
Sharing my pretty blue beach umbrella with my Mama.
And this is me, having fun!!!
I'm sad in this picture because beach time is already over.
Our last stop on the way home is to take a very far shot of The Cockspur Lighthouse. It's located in the middle of the marsh so it was hard to get very close.
Together with the sunset, our days in Savannah have come to an end.
Tommorow, we're heading off to Charleston, South Carolina for more culture and more beach bumming! See yah!