Savannah, a town where we could live...

As part of our fortuitous change of hotel we had managed to wangle an inclusive breakfast for 2 people at our new swanky hotel. The breakfast (buffet style) was absolutely beautiful and the setting was stunning too. 

After breakfast we took a stroll around the historic district of Savannah to soak up the history and the beautiful architecture. Jakey is slowly starting to realise that 'we are just going for a little walk' means that we will walk and walk and walk and then we will turn ourselves around and we will walk all the way back again, chatting to whomever we meet along the way.

Meeting the locals has been particularly easy on this trip because we have the Stokke pushchair with us so everyone is fascinated and wants to talk to us about it. Within 1 block a man on a pushbike approached us to ask where the 'neat stroller' was from 'cos it sure ain't coming from this world!' within a few minutes the conversation had progressed to the history of Savannah and the best places to experience the architecture. A block further and we were grabbed by a lady in a drugstore (the toddler has a temperature....) who insisted that she knew such a fantastic design couldn't possibly be american, and so on, down to the porter of the hotel who admired Benjamin's ability to press the buttons in the lift from his buggy!!

There is a downside to the Stokke though, when you ram your husbands ankles with it you can still see the damage a day later....

Is Steph a bad wife or did Ken deserve it???

So we wandered around the Savannah streets marvelling at the beautiful churches and multitude of parks and squares and chose the houses that we would live in if we lived here (I LOVE this game!!)


This is my house:

It's lovely, isn't it? Jakey wanted the one next door, which was much bigger, so I said I would let him be my neighbour!!!

A little further and we came across a square with a fountain which was begging for some time to be spent in it...so the toddler ran free for a while whilst we enjoyed the morning sun...

One extremely large ice-cream for Jakey later we hit the road for our mammoth drive to Florida.

At the recommendation of a lady Ken was chatting to on the Ocracoke to Cedar Island Ferry we stopped at St Augustine on the way down to Florida...as we entered the town it was proudly declared to be 'America's Oldest City' on the billboards. We headed for the seafront and Benjamin's beloved 'BOATS' and enjoyed some time in the grounds of an old civil war fort.

We then stumbled upon the Mill Top Bar and Restaurant, a lovely, laid back place where if we were child-free we would have happily spent the whole afternoon and evening (and possibly early morning) and checked ourselves into the rooms next door...but with children we simply chuckled and talked and sang along to the in-house musician as we ate our lunch. The boys were very good with their tipping and Jakey even put in a dollar of his own to say thank you!

As we left St Augustine my driving stint was over, we have driven 1,350 miles between us and travelled even further if you include the ferries...we have probably travelled the equivalent of half way back across the atlantic. And with this knowledge in mind I switched off, I dozed, I chatted and sang with the kids. We arrived at my wonderful Mother in Law's villa in Florida and I sorted the kids and the washing and for a change I forgot about documenting every move, because now we can be still for a while. We have loved our travels and our 8 day journey has passed so very quickly, but we will be glad to stay still for a while. The pool heater is on and tomorrow we will chill by the pool for a day, and do pretty much nothing else.
My blog posts will slow now, Ken says he might do a day and Jakey might do a day (although he has been keeping a journal as we travel). As for me, I simply want to relax a little...and sleep. xx

More rain, a brewery for lunch and a fortuitous waterworks problem....

This morning saw us taking a stroll down the 1.1 miles of historic Charleston streets to the riverside and then along the riverbank watching the sail boats and checking out the mansion houses. The history here is fascinating...Ken knows loads about the Civil War whereas all of my knowledge is gleaned through guide books or reading Gone With The Wind (I still haven't managed to watch the film!).

We had done about 2 miles when we heard the now-familiar crack of thunder and within minutes the heavens opened and the rain was bouncing off the street. We took shelter, along with about a dozen others, under the awning of a fancy hotel. About 20 minutes later the rain slowed slightly and we headed up the road, diving into the first restaurant we saw for an early lunch...

It turns out that we had popped into a micro-brewery and restaurant...so it seemed rude not to order their Beer Sampler for $9 to taste the beers of the house. I asked Ken to take a photo of the Sampler, he may have had his mind elsewhere...

Another couple of hours drive later we entered the sultry heat of Savannah, Georgia. I had received a phonecall whilst we were at lunch saying that there was a problem with the water in the Sheraton hotel that we had been booked in to and Expedia (admirable customer service) would like to rebook us somewhere else at no extra cost. The lovely lady who called me back when I stupidly pressed the wrong button mid-call and hung up on her said she had booked us into the Hyatt Regency with breakfast at no extra cost AND with a $25 dollar refund for our inconvenience!!! We awaited our new hotel in anticipation...and we weren't disappointed!!!

The Hyatt Regency is the only hotel which is on River Street in Savannah....river street is a hustle-bustle of (tourist) activity with a multitude of shops, bars, restaurants, galleries and of course the river! There was a big inflatable shark slide for Jakey, boats and planes and helicopters to amuse Benjamin and a relaxed attitude to children in bars which meant that mummy and daddy could have a cheeky couple in the hotel bar overlooking the river!


Mexican for dinner (I think I have created a taco monster!) and a chuckle as the sun set over the river..happy days!!!

This morning we woke around 7.30am and as I walked towards the bathroom I noticed that Benjamin wasn't in the bed next to Jake...I walked to the side of the bed and guess who was laying on the pile of pillows and blankets I had left there for this eventuality...? We haven't got a clue what time he fell out of bed. Jakey went to the loo sometime before 6.30am and thought Benjamin had got in with us because he wasn't in their bed! Needless to say, it didn't appear to wake him! Tonight we are in a hotel where the beds are at least 4 foot off the ground, so we have made Benjamin a little nest on the floor between the 2 beds, we are taking no chances!

Jakey was very excited for today, we had promised him that we would visit Magi Quest since I first came across it on the internet some months ago...even our hotel had been booked with the sole purpose of being just a few blocks away from the entertainment complex where it was located...we pulled into the parking lot at 9.10am to discover that it didn't open until 10am (we weren't the only early risers hanging around outside hopefully!). So we went for a walk along the bridge across the lake, where Jakey noticed a large fish swimming across the top of the water...

We stopped to look at the fish and looking down we were greeted by a dozen or so open-mouthed catfish right underneath where we were stood. At first we couldn't believe our eyes...until I took a quick glance around and spotted the bubble-gum type dispensers of fish food and realised that the fish were used to being fed by humans standing on the bridge! A couple of quarters later we felt we had done our duty to feed the poor catfish and we pottered off to feed ourselves before Magi Quest opened.

We went to a local diner serving a traditional American breakfast where the server asked 'Now where y'all from you guys, that accent is so darn cute!' in a southern accent which could only be described as 'so darn cute!'. Pancakes and toast devoured we went to pay and the cashier asked where we were from and then - and I SWEAR she wasn't trying to be funny when she said this - she asked 'So y'all going to the wedding?' talking about the royal wedding next week!!! I think this pips the 'aren't american's funny' stakes marginally from 'England? is that in London?' which we have been asked on several occasions before!!!
*apologises profusely to my American friends and friends with American spouses but I am sure you can back me up on this one!*

Anyway, I digress...Magi Quest! Leaving the toddler with his daddy Jakey and I headed in to the 'completely interactive magic quest game' purchasing wands and wand toppers and learning how to cast spells on the way in.

A magical mahem of puzzle solving and spell casting ensued - our game allowed us 90 minutes for the princely sum of $90!!! (maybe we should be going to the wedding, for surely we have more money than sense!) but Jakey came out elated at his adventures and proud of his quest acheivements so what more could I ask for?

After our magical adventures we hit the road for the 100 mile trip to the historical town of Charleston, South Carolina and boy is it hot down here! Hot and humid, with some fantastic thunderstorms to show for it.

Our destination of choice this afternoon, which again we have been waiting for in anticpation since we found out it was here a few months ago...Bubba Gumps restaurant, where Dad and (big) Lad ate ribs:

And Mum and Son ate shrimp:

Before making a dash through the rain back to the hotel, having a bath, and snuggling down in a special bed, made just for one small boy...

The day that we travelled....and travelled...and travelled....

Jakey spotted this sign as we drove through Ocracoke this morning....which he found 'really freaky' (in his words!) because we had stayed in rooms 17 and 18 of Blackbeards Lodge the night before...and Blackbeard was killed in 1718....spooky!!!!



Sooner or later there was going to have to be a day with a lot of travelling in it, and today was that day. Our new-found 'up-with-the-lark' nature served us well today and we were up, showered, packed up, checked out and hammering down the door of a restaurant serving breakfast by 7.45am (!)

Considerable amounts of bacon, sausage, toast, eggs and pancakes later we stopped at the local shop for snackage before heading down to the Ocracoke Ferry Terminal to catch our ferry back to the mainland. The ferry over from the Outer Banks was free, took 40 minutes and was packed to the rafters...this ferry to Cedar Island on the mainland was half-empty, took 2 hours 40 minutes and cost us just $15!!! The boys started the journey with the obligatory monkeying around...

The crossing passed without incident and the boys behaved themselves for the duration. As we emerged from the ferry into the North Carolina heat (91 degrees at some points) Benjamin promptly fell asleep, leaving Jake free to watch 'Night at the Museum' in anticipation of his request to visit the American Museum of Natural History at the end of our trip.

Some 5 hours later we arrived at our destination - Myrtle Beach and checked into our 'ocean view' room. As I type, Ken can see the ocean, but unfortunately unless I have my back to him I am not allowed to look at it at the same time!! Still, we have a balcony and we are sat upon it barefoot...albeit with jackets on!

When we arrived we took the boys out for 'some exercise' walking a mile or more and playing in some amusement arcades before Benjamin conceded to sit in the buggy on the way home. Jake is now the proud owner of yet more 'tat' although the 'prehistoric sharks tooth in a bottle' is actually quite cool!!

As for us...we were thinking that if it weren't for the kids we would be checking out this place:

Rather than marvelling over this:

 But we are still having an excellent time!

Golfing Chaos, a drive, a long queue, a ferry and almost a sunset....

As Jake, Ken and I sat down this evening to contemplate our day the now familiar phrase of 'was that only this morning' was like a chorus to our song. We woke at a reasonable time and showered before making the most of the hotel breakfast buffet and setting off down Highway 12 from Kitty Hawk.

Our first stop was a treat for the mini-golf mad Jake, Mr Samuel Hacker's crazy golf - where we discovered that any attempt to play with a toddler around was futile and the game soon descended into hilarious chaos with Dad being made to buy the post-round drinks as a 'reward' for getting a hole in 1!

We then followed Highway 12 down the narrow strip of land that is the Outer Banks of North Carolina...at some points only a few hundred feet of land on either side of the road between the sea....to Hatteras, the site of the famously moved lighthouse (literally picked up and moved down the road) where we joined the queue for the free ferry over to Ocracoke Island. The staff were particularly non-commital but seemed to be telling us that it was at least a 2 hour wait for the ferry!! It is barely in-season here, I would hate to think what the queues are like in the height of summer (but have a feeling that one day I might just find out...)

So, leaving a sleeping toddler in the car with Daddy, Jakey and I got to go and trawl the gift shops and pick our favourite boats in the harbour and buy tacos for lunch. Note to anyone who ever thinks tacos are suitable car-picnic food...they are not!!! Although Benjamin was mighty impressed with his spicy pork taco.


Eventually (about 20 minutes after we remembered we had an in-car DVD player to entertain the kids in moments such as this - doh!) we boarded the ferry and we set sail for the small yet perfectly formed island of Ocracoke, where the pirate Blackbeard met his bloody end.

Our home for the night - Blackbeard's Lodge, just in the village of Ocracoke, with 2 connecting rooms which meant that the tired toddler was fast asleep by 8pm without his big brother to distract him from the tough task of closing his eyes!

Which only leaves me to explain the almost sunset...we arrived on Ocracoke to blazing sun and promptly changed into shorts and t-shirts to have a wander around the village. We stopped at the 'Jolly Roger' restaurant on the harbour front to grab a bite to eat and as the sun started to duck low we had harbour side views of the sunset...and we waited, and we ordered, and we ate...and the sun stayed low in the sky but showed no signs of wanting to dip...so finally our goose bumps got the better of us and we payed the check and left...

One day I hope to return to Ocracoke and finish off the sunset we started, it really is a beautiful little island and next time I will remember that the April evenings are nippy as the sun begins to fade and I will make sure we bring our jackets!!

Over Water, Under Water, Wombling Free

Benjamin and Elephant enjoying 101 Dalmations...

Our morning in Pocomoke started at the much more civilised hour of 7.30am. This was going to be one of our longer drives on the trip so the boys took advantage of the in car-DVD player whilst the parents took advantage to have a conversation which wasn't punctuated by questions and shouts from the back. Benjamin enjoyed his new headphones very much:


We took to the road and were soon in Virginia, singing 'Country road, take me home, to the place, I belong...' 100 miles later, which conveniently coincided with the end of the film, we paid the toll to cross the magnificent Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel...3 adjoining bridges connected by 2 tunnels along a 17.6 mile span of the Chesapeake Bay. Halfway across we stopped at the Welcome Centre to stretch our legs and have some lunch in the cafe.

Next came a brief jaunt around Norfolk, Virginia, home of the worlds largest Naval Dockyard where the boys spotted some big warships and aircraft carriers and then we headed off down Highway 13 towards our next destination - Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

We made excellent time and by 3pm we were at the Wright Brother National Monument in Kill Devil Hills, the site of the first powered air flight.

We discovered that Orville and Wilbur actually made 4 flights on that first day, ranging from just 12 second and 120 feet to a 59 second flight which covered 852 feet. What a wonderful feeling for those of us with itchy feet to think that it all started here.

Day 3 - 3 States in 1 day and we found the sun!!!!

Another early morning for the Smith family with Benjamin treating his big brother to a lovely rendition of 'happy birthday to you - JAKE!' at 5.30am. Despite being told that it was still night-time we only managed another 30 mins of half-quiet before it was clear that 2 Smith boys in a bed together = not going back to sleep. So soon we were all up and had time to stop at the fantastic Marvis Diner for some traditional american breakfasts on our way to catch our first ferry of the trip.

Check in for the Cape May (New Jersey) to Lewes (Delaware) ferry was an hour before sailing time...waiting time is always a thing of dread with a toddler but fortunately we had a pretty free run of a long waiting area so the boys were free to burn off some energy...and so they did:

 

Fortunately, this meant Benjamin had very little energy to burn when 'toddler overboard' was an option!

First stop as we hit the Delaware shore? The Tanger Outlet Mall at Rehoboth Beach for some retail therapy...first purchase, sunglasses for both Ken and I because we had left our usual ones in the car at home. Benjamin was very taken by my new Ray-Bans and insisted on wearing them for me around a couple of shops...and then licking them clean...what a lovely boy he is!!!

Sadly, our tight schedule meant that our experiences of Delaware were limited to shopping and  sightseeing from the car. This was much to Jakey's dismay as we drove through Ocean City, which should rightly be named 'The City of MANY Crazy Golf Courses' and as a huge crazy golf fan Jake was hanging onto the window longingly. 

A quick pit stop at a gas station and we were soon in Maryland, and tonights destination Pocomoke City. Through all our careful planning of this trip Pocomoke was designed to be the 'quiet calm night' after the 2 boardwalks preceding it...little did we know that our first 2 nights would be calm and early to bed for all...still, we arrived at 5pm for a quick tour around town and in plenty of time for Jakey and I to have an early evening swim.

Tomorrow, we head further south, through Virginia and on to North Carolina...taking this cheeky rotter to charm everyone in his path along the way!