Midnight train to Georgia

Midnight train to Georgia Savannah, GA

Savannah, GA Joseph and I arrived in Savannah, Georgia in the afternoon. We entered the city over a bridge that spans the Savannah River and provides a nice little view. As Savannah is not high up on the backpacker destination list, finding accommodation that was in our price range and not located in the ghetto was a challenge. Thanks to our Lonley Planet USA, we managed to locate the “Savannah Pensione”. I think Pensione is a fancy way of saying ‘halfway house’. The establishment was a little run down but the manager put us in a private room that was one of only two bedrooms in a decent sized house. The other room was vacant so really we had the whole place to ourselves. After an in-depth tutorial on how keys work in locks (seriously…Left is for Locked) we headed down to the local supermarket to home cook ourselves something special for dinner. Something special turned out to be a cheesy platter, pizza and wine. We arose the next day bright eyed and ready to soak in the sights of Savannah. The town itself is not too big. The old buildings have been restored to give the whole historic district and ye olde world feel about it. There are parks and trees scattered throughout the city too. There is a moss that grows in the trees and hangs down, giving a creepy feel; it’s one of my favourite things about this place. That and the squirrels. They are cheeky. But our days weren’t all filled with moss watching and squirrel chasing. We managed to take in the Savannah History Museum to learn some more about the Civil War. The Ships at Sea museum was on the way so we checked that out. It was after that experience that we realised we were just going to museums for the sake of it. Neither of us were particularly interested in model ships or ships in a bottle but we did see a porcelain brothel cat (see pictures) that made it all worthwhile. This kitty was placed in the windows of brothels by the owners. If the cat had green eyes, the brothel was open. Red eyes meant they were full or there were police around and if the cats back was turned, the fine establishment was closed. I can honestly say I learnt something new about brothel cats at the Ships at Sea museum. The waterfront area is the place to be in Savannah. That’s were all the restaurants, bars and nice hotels are (Savannah Pensione was surprisingly nowhere near the area). There is also a steady stream of tourists getting dropped off by the fake trolley come busses that drive around the city. Most people were wandering around buying tacky souvenirs and t-shirts saying things like “I put ketchup on my ketchup”. I am not really sure what that t-shirt has to do with visiting Savannah or even the state of Georgia but people were buying them. That said, we are now the proud owners of a Savannah GA fridge magnet. Sweet. Early start today, quick bagel with cream cheese (my new favourite breakfast) and into Shirley Chevrolet. Next stop Mobile, Alabama for the night before New Orleans on the weekend. Scream!

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