11/8/ I asked for a wake up call for 7, showered, unpacked whatever I didn’t get to yesterday, & went down to the dining room for breakfast. Along with our keys, we were given 3 breakfast tickets. I sat by myself at a table & read the newspaper that was left at my door. The buffet was loaded with just about everything you could want – eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles, grits, bread, English muffins, bagels, cereals of all kinds, yogurt, Danish, etc. I went off my diet for the trip so I could sample different foods.

Kathleen found me, as I was finishing. She had eaten earlier. We sat by the fireplace in the main room, which had a real fire going in it. Shortly after that, Margaret showed up & then Muriel. We had a gabfest till it was time to board the bus before 9:30.
While waiting for our tour guide, Dodie told us why we were minus two women. At 2 a.m., her phone rang. One of our people said her roommate was on the floor & couldn’t get up but refused to let her call 911. Dodie checked this out & called an ambulance. The woman never should have been on the trip as she was battling a bladder infection. On top of that, she has a bad heart & diabetes. The hospital told them to go home while tests were run.
Just as Dodie got in, she received a call. Another woman called to say her roommate wrenched her shoulder & was in terrible pain. Back they went to the hospital where she was given a strong painkiller for her dislocated shoulder. She was sleeping it off & Suze stayed with her & contacted the hospital patient’s family.
Ardis was stuck in traffic so didn’t show up till 9:45. She’s called the Victorian Lady of Savannah & was our tour guide. This lady was dress like one as well. As the bus drove us to different places, she explained what we were seeing & also gave us some history along the way. People started to settle here in 1733.
We were driven along River Street and Walk as she explained the different buildings & some of the places across the river. We passed the Johnny Mercer House, the bench where Forest Gump sat in the movie, etc.
At 10:30, the bus parked & we walked a short way to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. I took quite a few pictures there after Ardis gave us a short talk. It was built in 1873 of Gothic design and was restored in 2000.
We then walked to a nearby square called Lafayette Square named in honor of the Marquis. Ardis gave another little talk. We then walked to & boarded the bus for more sights and history. From the bus window, we saw the oldest graveyard; the oldest house built in 1760, and then stopped at the Visitors Center for a pit stop. At 11:45, we continued our tour.
We drove through the historic district, the Victorian district, and a few other districts. There are numerous squares filled with benches, flowers, fountains, etc. one for each district right in the midst of the tall buildings. Small parks to walk or meditate in.
Two-thirds of the original Savannah buildings are still left. We passed the Andrew Low House and the Juliette Gordon Low House (she started the Girl Scouts). It was both a fun & educational tour. Ardis even sang a few old songs for us with her beautiful voice.
The bus unloaded us at City Market to have some lunch & buy some items. Margaret & I set off together because we both had the same thing in mind--an ice cream place to tide us over till dinner. I spied one as we were driving on Broughton Street, just outside of City Market. It was quite a walk but we got there. Kilwin’s Chocolate & Ice Cream was filled with yummy chocolate items. Margaret had a double scoop of chocolate ice cream & I had a single scoop of coffee with chocolate chips in a sugar cone. After eating, we both opt to buy their fudge. Buying two slices of fudge got us a third one free. I’m saving some of it to serve Thanksgiving.
Then we walked back to City Market to shop. We both bought a couple of things & walked around. Men & women were both making & selling Gullah sweet grass baskets. I didn’t buy any as the tiniest was above my spending allowance. Savannah is also famous for its Benne Wafers. We didn’t buy any, as they are quite expensive. Besides, Dodie gave us a packet at one of our stops. Margaret didn’t like hers & gave me the rest. I thought they were ok but saved mine to have Laurie, & others taste when I get home. Then we started walking back to our hotel but Margaret was tired. She spied a cab & we went halves on it. We barely made it back in time to change & be back on the bus at 4:30 to be driven to Paula Dean’s Restaurant, The Lady & Sons. We were given a large room in the basement for our group, which also included our bus driver. I sat with Margaret, Muriel, Kathleen, a couple from near the Villages and another couple. To start our meal, we each were given a fried corn cake in syrup. Then a waitress came around with a large cheese biscuit for each of us. The corn cake was delicious. I took one bite of the biscuit & it stuck to the roof of my mouth. Even drinking water didn’t dislodge it. Then we picked up plates & served ourselves at the large buffet. I can’t remember all of the cholesterol rich food but these are some of them. In order to try them all, I took very small portions of each yet they overflowed my plate! There was creamed corn, macaroni & cheese (almost as much cheese as pasta), beans mixed with tomatoes, etc., pork slice that must have been roasted in maple syrup, fried chicken leg that left my fingers filled with grease, Brunswick stew, string beans bathed in butter, & much more. Surely a cholesterol nightmare. Her desserts were not up to par but by then I was stuffed to the gills. Believe it or not, there were some men who went up for seconds of the food. We were then given time to check out the gift shop upstairs. Everything was very expensive so I bought a couple of postcards and organic coffee for Laurie & Alan. It has Paula’s husband, Captain Michael, picture on it.

Day 3 HERE
Click Here for Main Home Page
Sign my guestbook