SAVANNAH - GEORGIA

4th - 6th March 2011

So it was a bit of back-trak by Amtrak. By the way, I am now becoming a something of of a 'Trakkie'. We Trakkies don't travel in trains we 'ride em'. Considering the uneven state of the rail-road I can see the reasoning. I caught the 0920hr train north from Fort Lauderdale via many of the same stations as on the way down including some extra, Okeechobee (FL) for example. Where do they get these brilliant names, like Kissimmee etc., from? The 'Native Americans', I suppose ( Red Indians to you and me ). "How!..Pale-face bring plenty fire-water ask me, Chief Blowing Wind, give land and go away. Me say, I should Okeechobee, buffalo dropping, you Kissimmee arse".......and I suppose the names stuck.

 After 10 hours in the ' rockin' rollin' wriggley tin' I was in Savannah, Georgia, and just in time to walk, a long way, to a 'store' to get some rations. One other thing I have noticed in all US towns so far; they do not have 'stores' ( ie super-markets ) in the middle of town. Most inconvenient. They are always on the edge or outside. It invariably involves a marathon walk if not a taxi ride ( Jamie F you would starve! ). I will suss out the reason for this eventually.

Savannah is a very 'quaint' town. It was recommended to me as somewhere to visit. It is built, like so many other American places from the early days, in a grid pattern but, unusually, around a series of leafy squares. There are now 22 of them ( originally 4 ).

The place was started up by a certain James Oglethorpe in 1733 ( well after Charleston ). Oglethorpe was a renegade British soldier/politician who became pissed off with life in England and decided to take a few volunteers ( mostly crooks and debtors ) to the New World to set up a colony based on rather idealistic principles of communal ownership ( it didn't work ). King George 11 supported this idea because he thought it would provide a 'buffer' state between the aquisitive Spanish in Florida and the other Brits in Carolina.

Oglethorpe & Co. got on well with the resident Indian Chief, called TomoChiChi; they were both Chelsea supporters, and the place, after many traumas, ie nearly everyone dying of disease at one point, took root. Savannah's later claim to fame was in 1779, during the War of Independence, or what the Americans persist in calling their Revolutionary War. The Brits had been under siege in the town for several months and the 'allies', consisting of American patriots, the bloody French ( as always ) including Haitians who were French colonials then, and some Polish ( led by a renowned Polish general called Casimir Pulaski ) decided to attack. They were completely thrashed. The Brits not only won, but chased them out of the state. 800 allied dead against 50 British. It would have been, in cricketing terms, a 'follow-on' situation. 

The Polish general had his leg shot off by cannon grape-shot and died soon after. You can imagine the British squaddies' ribald remarks ... " eat lead, Pulaski, now hop it back to Gdansk". 

The place is now a thriving port ( container ships included ) up the Savannah river.

I went on a tour of the town in a bus with a lady commentator who was also the driver. She spoke very rapidly and when she put her foot down the engine noise drowned out her commentary. I missed, or mis-heard, quite a lot of it. We set off on a meandering route around the 'squares'. I will try to illustrate this by photos and quoting some of her commentary. Beware: I'm not too good, yet, at getting these in order and the text to match, so please use your wits and imagination. There may be large gaps between photos, I don't know why, so you will have to scroll down through blank spaces. I think I need help! I am still a complete numbskull with computers and have only just realised that if you 'click on' to these photos they enlarge! Do so, and some of the inscriptions may be legible.

Statue of James Oglethorpe in Chippewa Square. He obviously liked to dress up as one of the 3 Musketeers. I think she ( our guide ) said he was disillusioned with his wife in England and was looking for a better one in the New World. 

Below is the plaque telling the story of Chief Tomo Chi Chi and his relationship with Oglethorpe. I think she said Tomo Chi Chi was 9ft tall, was a brave idiot and had a very large tomahawk. Click on and it might tell you more. 



The other pics are of the site of ( part of ) the Battle of Savannah in the 'Revolutionary War' in 1779 when the American allies were routed.
Also a statue of one of the allies' heros, Sgt William Jasper, an Irishman, and a rare example of a statue erected in honour of an NCO. 
She said he was depicted standing, mortally wounded, calling on his men to do something brave and foolish, with his bullet riddled cat at his feet.

( I cannot for the life of me understand why he had his cat with him. Good luck, perhaps? )






The battle site, well a token bit of it, and the story. I hope if you enlarge this it might be legible. 

The dying Sgt Jasper ( he looks alright to me ) and his bullet riddled cat.  ..."cor Sarge, looks like your pussy's copped it!"

The bell here was rung to call out the fire Brigade, or perhaps for lunch. Can't remember. Note the 'Stars and Bars' , with 13 stars, flying on the right. This is the Southern 'independence' flag and down here is usually flown alongside the 'Unionist' Stars and Stripes.

An example of how the Spanish Moss clings to trees. This was in the cemetery in the middle of the town where, in the Civil War, Sherman's Unionist troops billeted themselves. They removed all the gravestones. They were subsequently put back, but not necessarily in the same place. This was one of the few major 'Reb' held towns that Sherman did not burn down.

more 'Spanish Moss'. Good name for a horse.

Typical Georgian residence

This house, left, was built by a chap called William Keyhole. He started out as a shop-floor worker at an iron foundry, and then went on to own the place. Everything other than the brickwork is made of iron. It might have rusted a bit in the rain.

I had no idea of what 'panhandling' was until I saw this sign.

There are various forms of tourist conveyance.

.........On the left is a single engine version.

      ......this is the twin.....

...and this is the usual Sedgeway gang. They were a little out of control, I think, after a good lunch. The fat chap at the back went through the hedge.

Below: The fountain in Forsyth Park; a perdy place. Named in honour of an early Governor, or maybe an ex-cavalry officer now living in Norfolk.

Left: Monument in Forsyth Park, to the Confederate soldiers killed in the Civil War. They were, and still are, staunch 'Rebs' down here. Rhett Butler lives OK.

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Ships and boats feature a lot. Mississippi style paddle cruisers ply the river for social gatherings and even my chosen form of conveyance, the jolly old container ship, makes it's presence felt.

Apparently St Paddy's day is celebrated in Savannah in what is the second biggest biggest parade in the USA ( after Manhattan ). They were already preparing for it while I was here. St Paddy's Day is bigger in the US than Xmas and New Year put together. I really can't think why. Maybe because of Sgt Jasper and his cat. I was in Miami on 1st March, St David's Day, but that never got a mention. Probably because there are more O'Reillys etc. around than Llewellyns and Joneses. Are you reading this Nant?

Left: Somtin Oirish I presume, begging. Sorry, panhandling!

Left: There was an enormously fat woman sitting outside a 'candy' shop. She was yelling, to no-one in particular that I could see.."I need a bathroom!..". Madam, I thought to myself, you don't need a bathroom you need a drive through car-wash.

Of course there had to be a Brit style pub somewhere. Needless to say the beer and food were somewhat American . OK they had Guiness and Newcastle Brown Ale, but the food........bloody 'toppings' again ugh! I'm not sure if the telephone worked.

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We were told that this was the only gothic style synagogue in the world; or did she say Savannah. It wasn't clear. Anyway, it is a synagogue. Oi Vey!

Right: The Pirates' House. All the serving wenches in here wear pirates' outfits. Lots of Ooooh Aaaaarrr me ship-mates etc. Very tedious.

We were told that this place was the inspiration for R L Stevenson's book Treasure Island (maybe) and, of course, that it is haunted just to further attract the tourists. Crap food.

This statue, left, down on the quayside, is apparently famous; in Savannah anyway. It's called 'The Waving Lady'. It is of a local lady, name on plinth, and her large dog called Comehereyoubastard, whose boyfriend went off to sea on a merchant ship. She waved to every incoming vessel after that to welcome him home, but he never did return. This was in the days before mobile phones, don't forget. I suspect she is really waving a heavy lump of metal to whack the bugger with if she catches him.

Right: The 'iron-horse' which took us Trakkies for a short ride in the 'tourist' class carriages. 













...from the Train Museum in Savannah. The rail system in the early days was crucial for the transport of cotton.

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The 'old' town Savannah is a relatively wealthy and well kept place and caters for tourists. As in all the towns I have seen so far, there is always the rather shabby rabbit hutch style prefab houses, left, on the outskirts where the poor, predominantly black, community lives.

Shopping. The states in the US make their own laws when it comes to tax and things domestic. Most goods are subject to 3 categories of tax. So when you go to buy a sandwich, for example, priced at $3, you end up paying say, $3.47. It is never a round number. Most irritating. Also, when I went to the 'store' to re-fuel before my next Amtrak voyage ( bottle of wine ), I was asked to show my ID (my plastic British driving licence has always sufficed. I have never yet been asked to show my passport since passing through immigration). When I asked why, I was told it was to check my age! I wasn't sure whether to feel flattered that I could be mistaken for being under 21, or whether there is an 'upper' age limit for buying alcohol. I didn't dare ask.

You may think I am rabbiting on a bit too much here. I don't care. I am doing this more to amuse myself than to entertain you! It passes the time pretty well during a long ride on the 'iron horse' to tap away at the keyboard, and it is made especially challenging, and a good test of one's coordination, to plonk away at the shaking letters with shaky hands in, using aviation parlance here, conditions of 'light to moderate chop' ( turbulence ). It involves many mis-prints and much cursing. I get some curious looks! Lots of words and pictures are therefore produced, but not necessarily in the correct place or order. I produced most of this in the 23 hour train ride ( yes, 23 blinkin' hours ) to Boston so I have been able to bang on at considerable length! I have also managed to dig out my long-johns in preparation for less than the tropical weather expected.

I shall be going on a look-see around the city soon and will report back. I have been told, by a usually reliable source, that the lobster sandwiches down at the harbour are particularly good. I will let you know. Is that the same harbour where the 'tea' party occurred? Presumably. I may need to bone up a bit on my history. Harvard University around the corner. Lexington? The 'Freedom Trail'? We shall see

Stand-by for more of this rubbish......................

My apologies for the gaps in the layout. It looks OK after writing it but, on production, it all changes. Damned computers.