From the Land of Ma'am: Days Two and Three in Savannah

Happy Wednesday!!  This week has been an intense one for me, so I am distracting myself by doing another reflection post on my trip to Savannah. 

On Saturday morning I was up bright and early so I could start the day with a run.  Since I didn't know Savannah well, I contacted a local running club and asked if I could run with them.  People used to do this with my running club when I lived in Minneapolis so I decided to give it a shot.  Best.  Idea.  Ever.  The group was super friendly and I ended up running 6 miles with a couple that ran the same pace as me.  It was nice to not have to worry about a route and the miles flew by since we were busy chatting. 

All smiles after my 6 miles!

I worked up quite an appetite after that run, so I showered and headed out to brunch at a restaurant recommended by the couple whose home I was staying in.  I had a delicious ham and cheese omelet.  I was definitely in the clean plate club that morning.
  

After brunch, I did some more walking, checked out the farmer's market in Forsyth park, and popped into some stores, including a store owned by a friend of Nilsa's.  One thing I loved about Savannah was all the cute little shops and boutiques.

After all that walking, I felt I had earned a fun drink and some reading time so I went to a cute coffee shop, did some reading, and sipped on a delicious mocha.

After relaxing for awhile, I headed to one of the squares to do a walking tour of Savannah.  I had done some research on tripadvisor.com and Savannah Dan was highly recommended.  He lived up to his recommendations as he was very interesting and entertaining.  I learned so much about Savannah and the state of Georgia.  For instance, Catholics and Jews were both banned from Georgia when the colony was initially established!

Savannah Dan sure can rock the seersucker suit and bow tie look

Dan also pointed out some of the areas that were featured in the film, Forrest Gump.  Like this steeple is the steeple that the feather floats by in the opening scene.

After the walking tour I went to mass at the Cathedral.  Obviously they eventually reversed that "no Catholics" rule.  Ha.  But I will tell you - I have learned that Catholicism is NOT popular in the south!  The Cathedral was very beautiful, even more so inside but I didn't take any photos as I feel weird taking pictures inside churches...

After church, I freshened up and headed to dinner at Cha Bella, which is a farm to table restaurant.  Almost the entire menu was GF, so that was nice.  I started off with a caprese salad for an appetizer which had some yummy bacon on it and a great balsamic reduction.

My main course was chicken rolatini - it was chicken wrapped in bacon with carmelized onions in the middle and it came with some smoked gouda grits and roasted root vegetables.  It was delicious.

I headed back to my accommodations after dinner.  The host couple was having a small dinner party and they had just finished eating when I got back.  They invited me to sit with them for a bit and I figured - why not!  It was nice to finish the evening with some conversations with new people.

On Sunday I headed out to the Tybee Island area.  My first stop was at Fort Pulaski, which is an old Civil War fort.  I toured the fort area, which was really neat.  It was chillier and SUPER windy, so my visit was shorter than it would have been otherwise, but I am still glad I went.  It was neat to see something that was established back in the 1770s!  And it was cool seeing the big cannons.

My last stop was the beach at Tybee Island.  It was about 55 degrees and super windy so not exactly prime beach weather, but I was bound and determined to go!  I rarely get to see the ocean so it's always such a treat for me.  The sand dunes provided some protection from the wind so it wasn't as cold down there as I thought it would be.
 

I sat in the swing, rocked back and forth, read my book, and let the sound of the crashing ocean waves soothe my soul.

So there you have it.  Another wonderful weekend getaway.  I've been struggling with quite a bit of stress and anxiety lately related to work and my job search but luckily I was mostly able to leave that stress and anxiety in Charlotte.  I felt such a sense of peace and contentment on this trip and I only wish that I could bottle up those feelings for the inevitable days when I get the Charlotte Sads.  But luckily I have lots of pictures on my phone to look at when I need a reminder of the peace and beauty of Savannah.

And - I got to add another state to the list of states I've visited as prior to this trip, I'd only been in the Atlanta airport which doesn't count as visiting the state.  So this trip brings the total # of states I've visited to 29!

In closing I will say that I have loved taking these trips and I really have tried to make the most of my time in North Carolina, but I sincerely hope that this is my last adventure in the south.  It's not that I don't want to see more; I'm just ready for this chapter to come to a close.  I'm thankful for the adventures I've had but I'd trade them all in to be home around family and friends.  I think it's probably easy to read these posts or see my photos on Facebook and think "I wish I could take those trips" but I think what people sometimes fail to think about is that while they may be envious of the trips I've taken and the fun things I've done, I don't think they would be or should be envious of the experience I've had over the past year...   But my fingers and toes are crossed and I'm really hoping that God answers my prayers and that a one-way trip back to Minnesota is on the horizon for me.