"...Just don't burn it!"

Arrived in Savannah yesterday and bought a two day pass on the "get on and get off" tour trolley (we recommend this). We are docked right on the Savannah River with 1000' cargo ships passing within 50 yards of Ithaka! Yikes! This is NOT a no wake zone! That "gentle lull" that I spoke of in an earlier post, forget about it...we rocked and rolled all night. However, Chaz, the dock master was great and we are within walking distance to everything worth walking to, including breakfast at Huey's for the best French toast I've ever had in my life!

Savannah is an interesting little city (current population 136,000). It pre-dates The Revolutionary War. Originally founded by James Oglethorpe in 1733 to buffer South Carolina from Florida; in other words, protect Charleston! A fact: Catholicism was *prohibited because the English thought the Catholics would sympathize with the Spaniards...so much for religious freedom! We visited St John the Baptist Cathedral, breathtaking! We saw where John Wesley preached his first sermon in Savannah, the start of Methodism...also in 1733 Jews from Portugal reached these shores; they worship in the only Gothic styled synagogue in North America and still have their original Torah...I am amazed by this. The oldest African American congregation in North America founded in 1777 and has the oldest "black real estate holding" in America; the present sanctuary was built in the 1850's and housed runaway slaves during the civil war. By the way, Georgia was named for King George II. *The settlers also prohibited hard liquor (Oglethorpe drank beer) and lawyers.

We walked through Colonial Park Cemetery (those who know me well know I have a morbid facination with cemeteries). There aren't any crosses or angels, but a lot of historical figures are buried there. It was interesting to learn how the civil war troops camped out there when they entered the city because they needed grazing for the horses and a place to prop their tents. They decimated many of the tombstones, those which remain are now propped up against a wall (see photo).

There are tiny parks and squares all over the town. Lovely fountains, statues and glorious architecture. Huge Live Oak trees canopy most streets with Spanish moss lavishly hanging over each branch. It was the first planned community; layed out in a grid by Ogelthorpe, originally with 24 squares. Today there are 22. When Oglethorpe arrived he brought with him 114 people. It was a "debtors colony" and they were given a fresh start in the new world. Before cotton the main crop was rice; which isn't hard to imagine because everywhere I look I see marsh land. At one time Savannah determined the price of cotton for the world! It is still the 3rd largest container port in North America. There are 11,000 buildings registered in Savannah as historic. Savannah takes preservation seriously. There is a fabulous art school, Savannah College of Art and Design (better know SCAD). It began in 1979 with 71 students. Today there are over 7000 students making it the largest art and design school in the country. The school is a big part of the historic preservation as many of the students undertake restorations as part of their curriculum...the only college where you can actually get a degree in Historic Preservation!

Savannah is one of few Confederate cities spared by the Union troops. General Sherman presented President Lincoln with the city as a Christmas gift, "You can have it, just don't burn it!" The charm and beauty of this city was respected, even in war.

...in the words of Ray Charles, "Other arms reach out to me, other eyes smile tenderly. Still in peaceful dreams I see, the road leads back to you."
...and we will be back someday.