November 15, 2009

On the road again......and loving it :) Here I am en route to Savannah, Georgia with my friend and co-worker, Linda K. We're off to a LERN Conference and have tacked a couple of vacation days onto our time there so we can hit a few of the hot spots around town as well.

Caught plane out of Kelowna to Seattle at noon yesterday with everything going according to plan. Roads were good for the drive to Kelowna, flight was smooth to Seattle and shuttle was there to deliver us to our hotel (Holiday Inn at Seatac) where we'd spend the night studying for our upcoming exam that is scheduled to sit in Savannah right after the Conference ends next Saturday.

This morning our wake up call caused both of us to moan in agony when the phone rang at 3:15 a.m. We struggled out of our beds (and great beds they were I might add) and made it to the airport in the perfect amount of time for our 6:00 a.m. flight to Chicago.

As jetsetters (such as Linda and I) will do....we had lunch in Chicago after our breakfast in Seattle before taking off for our final destination of Savannah, Georgia.

Our flights were all ahead of schedule, smooth and comfortable. We passed the time with more studying and a short snooze to make up for some of the missing sleep lost to the wake up call this morning.

Upon arrival in Savannah....we found ourselves in a beautiful little airport. Once through the arrivals gates we wound our way through the hallways to an amazing little oasis of a main hall that looked like it belonged in Disneyland. There were shops, food outlets, balconies, and tropical plants that invited us to stop and spend some time but we pushed on to the baggage claim area where the staff in the tourist info booth were more than happy to help us locate a taxi.

As we left the airconditioned climate of the airport we found ourselves in temperatures that were absolutely perfect.....about 78 degrees with enough humidity to leave you feeling like you were being wrapped in the warmth of the region. Linda and I looked at one another and knew....we were in for a great trip! :)

Our cab driver delivered us to the door of our hotel, the Mulberry Inn in the heart of the heritage district of Savannah....just steps from the 40 foot bluff that leads down to the river front.

The Mulberry Inn deserves some air time here so I'll give you an overview and know full well that you'll all be drooling with envy as you read this description :)

The majestic front doors are guarded by two authentic gas lamps burning just brightly enough to welcome us to our home away from home and light the way for us to make our way up the walk to the doors where we were met by 'Mr. George', the doorman. Inside the foyer, the old merged with the new as an electronic sign invited us to partake of complimentary tea in the living room of our new 'home'. We continued through the next door and found ourselves embraced by the warmth and the charm of a great room that makes up the living room and the lobby. There was the complimentary tea (and coffee) waiting for us along with a selection of sweets. We checked into our room (# 135) and before doing anything else....took advantage of the opportunity to soak up a little of the ambiance that was our new home.

As we left the living room (complete with baby grand piano, a grandfather clock, settees, wingback chairs, bookshelves loaded with a selection of books just waiting to be read, hardwood floors and antique carpets, all illuminated by a half dozen magnificent chandeliers, and surrounded by massive french doors that lead to a courtyard filled with tropical plants and tables that invite you to check them out as soon as you've had your fill of the living room) we began the journey that would take us to the next level of coming to understand our new place.

Once finished our tea, we ambled along the hallway admiring the pictures of the Mulberry in it's former life when it was a Coca Cola bottling plant. The history here is tangible...it is in the air...it is in the furniture, and you can almost taste it from the moment you arrive.

Our room is near the end of a private hallway so very quiet and just a few doors from the outdoor pool and jacuzzi that is next to the well equipped fitness room. It boasts two oversized beds (that are even more comfortable than the one's last night in Seattle) and even provides us with a fridge, microwave and coffee maker. Our shuttered window looks out into the courtyard gardens and we're unbelievably happy at the Mulberry.

There's no time to unpack though....we're in Savannah where there is a reputation for great food, its the middle of shrimping season, and it is dinner time after all so .... off we go to find the perfect place to try out some of that shrimp.

The walk to the river front takes us only a few minutes as we cross the road, walk past one of the 22 parks within the historic district, down the stairs, and over the cobble stone streets to our destination, the Boar's Head where we tickled our taste buds with an appetizer of fried green tomatoes (which were unbelievable delicious!) and stuffed shrimp as a main. I'll just say that neither of us had any room for dessert and we'll be looking for more shrimp and more fried green tomatoes during our time in Savannah.

After dinner we strolled along the river front, enjoyed the smell of the air along the waterway, took in the views of the boats along the river (Savannah is a deep sea port so ships of all sizes make there way up the river) as well as the Convention Centre across the water. The road along the river front is cobblestone and a really interesting fact about that road is that all the rocks came from the ships that visited here. The rocks acted as their ballast and as they took on their loads needed a place to leave the rocks - and the road was born. Our leisurely walk eventually took us back up the stairs to the top side of the bluff where we made our way back to the Mulberry and the beds that were by this time calling our names loud and clear. Keep in mind that our wake up call had come at 3:15 a.m. and it was now well past 9:30 so we were both ready to call it a day.

Tomorrow will come bright and early :) Till then......

L & L