Our College Reunion – Day 11, 4/16/15 - Savannah, Georgia

Our College Reunion – Day 11 (4/16/15)

Savannah, Georgia

This is the 2^nd time I visited Savannah, Georgia.  Again, the first time was in 1994 when my family purchased the Grand Ocean Timeshare Villa.  My two children were 9 and 16. 

I must still have remembered the same spot when I took the picture 21 years ago.  The cabled suspension bridge - Talmadge Memorial Bridge was behind us.  The gigantic vessels moored along the Savannah River front back then.  Now it’s the Savannah River Queen Tourist Ship. 

Feel the History

So, let your mind travel to the scene when Rhett Butler took Scarlett O’Hara for a fancy honeymoon riverboat cruise to New Orleans - from Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind.  Of course, you also have to imagine how the shrewd and disreputable man, Rhett Butler, ran his legal or illegal business of shipping the stockpile of firearms, cotton, and merchandise on this river during the Civil War time. 

His famous ship – Merry Widow sailed here unnoticed from either side of the Union and the Confederate, because he was able to raise different flags at the right time.  What an opportunist – planting one foot on the side of the Confederate and the other on the Union!  He was indeed a Civil War Profiteer - from Donald McCaig’s Rhett Butler’s People. 

We are here to feel the history, real or fictional.  This city is where Scarlett O’Hara’s mother, a distinguished French and American aristocratic Savannahian, who accepted Scarlet’s father, an Irish descendent, his proposal when she was exactly 16 year-year-old like Scarlett O’Hara smitten half-heartedly by the beaus at the beginning scene of Gone with the Wind at Ashley’s Twelve-Oak Plantation BBQ party.  

Mystery

The city has the mixture of mystery and charm, let alone the colonial history.   The British general James Edward Oglethorpe designed the city into 24 squares, which became the Historic City Parks.  The mulberry trees on the posted sign must have something to do with the Indians and the British colonists – a mystery waiting for me to solve.  

Charm

The local trolley tour bus driver must have memorized all the tidbits, including the well-known movies filmed in this city park.  We saw the Mercer House where the movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” was filmed.  He also mentioned about the house where the Justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S., Clarence Thomas, grew up.  I missed it when he was turning around the corner. 

We decided to take a stroll on the famous Forsyth Park.  The driver shared with us the movie “Forrest Gump” was also shot in one of the city Parks, Chippewa Square – There’s a white feather floating from high above the live oak and magnolia trees, and finally lands at the base of a park bench.  

The towering live oak tree with the Spanish moss seems to be a picture-perfect postcard.

We posted in front of the beautiful fountain with large white marbled mermaids and swans spouting water with synchronized flow.

Travel like a Local and Shop Like a Tourist

How can you resist the candy temptation?

Shinyee and I loaded with different types of candies in the souvenir Savannah Box.  Watch Hsia-Hwei’s envious eyes toward the whole wall of candies- She said she could not have them because of sugar levels.  She made me feel guilty. 

Then, we were satisfied after tasting the free samples of all different chocolate-covered peanuts.  We bought three different flavors – Wasabi, Dark Chocolate, White Chocolate - Pricy, but worth it. 

Back to Reality

We retold the history of past era walking and relaxing along the Savannah River.  The murmuring echoes of the large freighter, under the high span bridge, stacked with thousands of shipping containers slowly approached upstream, without kicking up much waves.  Shinyee counted the containers until she had to give up.  By the time we paid close attention to the sign painted on the front body - Tianjin (天津), we realized the power of China in shipping industry here in Savannah, Georgia.   

Talmadge Memorial Bridge

Time to head back to Hilton Head Island, S. Carolina going North 17 – I took the picture of this impressive bridge on the passenger seat.  It’s long and a little steep incline above the Savannah River.  I felt a bit uneasy.  Ben was on his firm control of the steering wheel.  He is our rock. 

Friends Forever

We called it a day full of sightseeing, savoring our home cooking at Royal Tern Villa, soothing music played from Ben's I-Tune and a soaking in the Jacuzzi.

Four Senior Mermaids!