It was Memorial Day weekend and my wife and I decided to spend a few days relaxing in Savannah. For those of you unfamiliar with the route between Atlanta and Savannah believe me I16 that connects Macon with Savannah is one of the most boring drives you will ever undertake.
Ironically I was reading an article in USA Today the day before we left, and it listed the 50 most scenic drives in America. I was tempted to revise our plans, but we decided to brace ourselves for 250 miles of endless pine trees and brown fields dipping over the horizon. Suddenly I had a brainwave. We agreed to break the journey in two and drive 136 miles on Friday afternoon to Dublin, Georgia.
Dublin comprises of a population of approximately 17000 and the town’s economy was based on the local cotton, corn and soybean trades which blossomed with the growth of the railroad. In recent years the town became home to a small assortment of industrial distribution centers. Basically it’s a one horse town convenient as a midway point between Atlanta and Savannah.
Fortunately my wife discovered a guest house on line called The Post House which proved to be a little gem of a place. In 1903, T.L. Griner began construction of an 11-room, 7,000 sq. ft. Classic Greek Revival home that was often described as one of the grandest homes south of Atlanta. It consisted of Tiffany-style stained-glass windows, the only private home in this area of the state with a ballroom, 12-foot ceilings and interior Ionic columns.
The current owners purchased the property in 1998 and have lovingly restored the building, lavishing it with exquisite period pieces of furniture, fixtures and fittings. Selecting a place to eat isn’t problematic because there are not many restaurants downtown. Luckily, Deano’s, an Italian-American restaurant on Main Street did a mean pizza washed down with a good red wine. Surprisingly they didn’t serve cappuccinos.
However, the highlight of the evening was sitting in rocking chairs on the sumptuous front porch of the guest house; enjoying the protection of the towering Greek columns from a severe thunderstorm that suddenly erupted from a starlight balmy sky.
Following a good country breakfast we bade farewell to our kind hosts and embarked on the second leg to our destination. Savannah was founded in 1733 by James Oglethorpe and is dripping in history exemplified by its 22 park like squares. Each square has its own story to tell the visitor and you may stumble onto Forest Gump’s bench only to discover “life is a box of chocolates.”
We had made reservations at the Hampton Inn on Bay Street conveniently situated between the Historic District and The Riverfront which hosts most of the bars and restaurants. Following check in we made our way to Churchill’s, a British style pub, which was televising the Champions League Final live. Barcelona versus Manchester United turned out to be men against boys. There was a glimmer of hope when United unexpectedly equalized after 34 minutes and Barcelona’s coach looked slightly bemused.
However, the second half belonged to the Spanish champions winning comfortably 3-1. A six goal margin would not have flattered them such was their dominance over an outclassed United. Alex Ferguson appeared to be very subdued on the sidelines and looked completely dumbfounded by what he was witnessing and totally devoid of any ideas to stem the Spanish flow. It was difficult to comprehend that United were crowned Champions of England the previous weekend.
My wife was in need of a change of pace and atmosphere and we beat a hasty retreat to Wet Willie’s on the river front. Wet Willie’s is world famous for daiquiris, which are smoothies comprising 190-proof grain alcohol. Two of those and my wife was making Martha and the Vandellas proud (dancing in the street; get it?) The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur but we managed to reach the safe haven of our hotel room.
Sunday morning arrived and we took a leisurely stroll around the historic district; stopping occasionally to browse around some of the antique shops that are dotted around the city. Lunchtime beckoned and we popped into the Boar’s Head on River Street for the Sunday special; a pulled barbecue pork sandwich accompanied by the chef’s signature sauce. It was scrumptious.
Our visit to Savannah finished on a high note with a delightful evening meal at Elizabeth’s on 37th. My wife rates the restaurant very highly but its a little frou-frou for my taste. I was introduced to a service captain who looked very much like a waiter and he was kind enough to take our order.
On Monday morning we checked out of our hotel and made the long and tedious journey back to Atlanta. The owner of the Post House had recommended we make a detour to Montrose where they were conducting a. Memorial Day antique auction. Montrose is approximately 10 miles north of Dublin and a break in the trip home didn’t go amiss.
It proved to be a unique event but bidding is not for the faint hearted, and we managed to escape with our bank balance still in tact.
We continued our journey home, and in the process I received a text from my son informing me that “The Swans are going up.” My home team Swansea City had qualified to play in the English Premiership next season for the first time in nearly 30 years. I was ecstatic and nervous all rolled into one mixed bag of emotions.
The majority of teams promoted to the premiership only survive one season, and the threat of relegation can linger all season. The Swans last tenure in the top flight lasted two seasons and the subsequent drop through the divisions was quite dramatic. Hopefully the chairman and manager will learn from their predecessors’ mistakes and cut their cloth accordingly. See you next Memorial Day in Dublin and Savannah.
