November 26-30 - 2017 Hardeeville, South Carolina

We used 2 days to see Savannah, Georgia. Monday and Wednesday (27 and 29). It is not the oldest city in the US. It is not the largest, or richest, or most historic. It is, however, a very charming city, that distinguishes itself (adskiller sig) from most others, by the layout of the town.

It is built up around 16 squares (plazaer/torve). Each of the squares has its own “personality” – some have statues or monuments. Some have fountains. Some are just peaceful green spaces, with benches and huge moss-covered trees. We saw 10 of the squares.

 

Surrounding the squares, the streets are filled with old houses – most of them very nicely kept. The biggest ones are built around the squares. Here are a few examples….

Savannah is located on a large river, and it has a large port (havn). The old warehouses down on River Street are renovated, and serve as restaurants and shops now. It is a nice area, and we had good weather (Wednesday it was 78F/24C), so we spent some time by the waterfront.

Between the main part of the old town and the river, there is a big difference in level (niveau). There is a very interesting solution to this problem. From the upper level, there are bridges built to the first story (2. sal) of the warehouses. On the lower level, the ground story (1. sal) you enter the building at ground level. To get from a sidewalk on the upper level to one on the lower level, you have to go down stairs. There are a couple of places, where there is a hill for vehicles to drive down.

 

 

 

We saw a beautiful church (one of the few Catholic cathedrals we have seen on the east coast).

St. John the Baptist Cathedral

One of the attractions in Savannah is Bonaventure cemetery. Of coarse we had to see it😊 Lots of old graves. Lots of trees covered with moss (called Spanish moss, that grows in tropical regions). Not like the overgrown cemetery, we saw yesterday, or the manicured one we saw at Arlington. A place like no other, we have seen.    

Written by Mary