Savannah, Georgia

One of our first stops as we headed out of Florida and up the coast, historic Savannah is Georgia's first city.

We parked up in the visitors' centre, where we would stay the night.  There's free public transport in the form of classic buses like this one:

We weren't in a hurry so we opted to walk.

Although its grid-based road system is familiar to anyone who's visited an American city (or Milton Keynes!), Savannah's historic district is in stark contrast to the modern US towns.  Huge live oaks, cobblestone streets and light, pastel-coloured buildings are noticeable throughout and there are about 20 public squares, each with their own distinctive character.

A wedding was taking place in one of the squares as we walked by.  I managed to really show off my romantic soul once again by suggesting that they probably held the ceremony there so they could do it on the cheap.

Pubs and restaurants converted from old brick warehouses and shipping offices line the harbourside, which was fortunate as it was definitely beer o'clock by the time we got there!

Suitably recharged, we made our way to the other end of town, to Forsyth Park, 31 acres of parkland, the centrepiece of which is this elaborate fountain:

Despite being a historic landmark, Savannah is still a "living", active city where many live and work.  I think it retains a modern, cosmopolitan vibe partly thanks to its student population.  The Savannah College of Art and Design has several buildings spread across the city and randomly, the day we visited was the day of their annual festival in Forsyth Park.

In one section of the park, they had numbered each paving slab on a long stretch of the pathway, and people had chosen a number and created their own design on their slab, resulting in a huge mural of creations along the whole pavement:

They later picked winners based on several categories, but we don't know what they won.

The chalk pathways led down to a massive green where they had set up a stage and a DJ was playing to a growing crowd.  As a fellow DJ, I did the customary thing of passing judgement on his mixing for a while, before sitting down on the grass and enjoying the sun and tunes:

We stayed there a good couple of hours before heading back to the RV with blisters on our feet from all the walking.

The next day we headed over to nearby Tybee Island.  After the usual drama of driving our bus down several roads we probably shouldn't have, we cruised into a car park near the beach, proudly occupied 4 parking spaces, and wandered onto the sand.

We soaked up the sun as long as we could before moving on:

I should stop carrying that New York Yankees cap around with me as when I wear it, it makes me look like I know something about baseball and seems to prompt conversations like this one:

"Hey look, we've found the only Yankee team member who's not injured!"

"Haha yeah mate, tell me about it!"  *nervous laughter*

Anyway, all in all an awesome couple of days in and around Savannah and Sharon has now said several times that she wants to live there (relax Mum, no plans are being made!).