Day 1
Day 1
We're leaving the house in the morning, both of us excited about the trip. And I slightly nervous about how we're going to handle this 7 hours ride. The first few hours go by nicely. I chose to take the back roads all the way to Lumberton. I love the North Carolina countryside, the "plain old country" - as Mikey puts it. It's spring, it's green, it's peaceful, and there's almost no traffic. I just love it!
We look out the window, we point out cows, farmhouses and pretty trees, and talk. About animals, about what we're going to do this spring break, about Mikey's friends from school, about other summer trips we took together. Before we know it, the quiet countryside is behind us, and we are going 75 mph south on I95. That's good too, we're making good time, Mikey is calm and very reasonable, and we still have things to talk about. One trick that works for Mikey to keep him busy: he got a whole bunch of fliers and maps from the South Carolina visitors centers, and this keeps him occupied and interested for a while. When he falls asleep I try to plan the rest of the day. I find myself looking at numbers, how many more miles, how many more minutes, what time exactly we should be at the hotel...And then I give up. I don't want to plan today, I want to just let it happen. With every mile I'm driving south, I put another mile between me and the daily worries. They are further and further behind, and I feel lighter. And that's good for now. Mikey wakes up, we stop for coffee and a doughnut, then go on. Before we know it, we are in Savannah. And we go explore.
Now, I've seen Savannah in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", and maybe I fell in love a bit with it. But I did not research it before we set off. Someone had mentioned the boardwalk. Somewhere else I heard about the Cotton Exchange. But I had no plans, no maps, and almost no expectations. I did think I will find it semi-deserted, with it being Easter Sunday. Well, it wasn't. We drove downtown, parked the car, and walked for a while. We followed the smell of food and stumbled upon the river walk. Saw some gorgeous buildings and churches. Nice streets and parks. Statues. Beautifully twisted trees. A river. Shops. And lots of people.
Also saw lots of inscriptions, but please don't ask me what they say. I don't get to read them anymore. Mikey is constantly in motion and I am not yet at the point where I can educate myself about what I'm seeing since I run the risk of loosing him. But today this is not important. What I will remember out of this little pit stop is Mikey saying, a couple of minutes into our walk, "This is like Romania! I love it!". I will remember us walking, hand in hand, down the street and under twisted trees, stopping at a water fountain so he can make a wish. I will remember him playing with new found friends on the river walk. I will remember a nice dinner and stopping for ice cream; and I will remember him stopping and asking to pet all the Savannah dogs (or at least those who were out and about with their humans at that time of the day!). He even asks when can we move here! I will remember both of us smiling, him happy because he loves Savannah and its freedom, me happy for his happiness and for the weights that have, for now, lifted off my shoulders.
We're leaving the house in the morning, both of us excited about the trip. And I slightly nervous about how we're going to handle this 7 hours ride. The first few hours go by nicely. I chose to take the back roads all the way to Lumberton. I love the North Carolina countryside, the "plain old country" - as Mikey puts it. It's spring, it's green, it's peaceful, and there's almost no traffic. I just love it!
We look out the window, we point out cows, farmhouses and pretty trees, and talk. About animals, about what we're going to do this spring break, about Mikey's friends from school, about other summer trips we took together. Before we know it, the quiet countryside is behind us, and we are going 75 mph south on I95. That's good too, we're making good time, Mikey is calm and very reasonable, and we still have things to talk about. One trick that works for Mikey to keep him busy: he got a whole bunch of fliers and maps from the South Carolina visitors centers, and this keeps him occupied and interested for a while. When he falls asleep I try to plan the rest of the day. I find myself looking at numbers, how many more miles, how many more minutes, what time exactly we should be at the hotel...And then I give up. I don't want to plan today, I want to just let it happen. With every mile I'm driving south, I put another mile between me and the daily worries. They are further and further behind, and I feel lighter. And that's good for now. Mikey wakes up, we stop for coffee and a doughnut, then go on. Before we know it, we are in Savannah. And we go explore.
Now, I've seen Savannah in "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", and maybe I fell in love a bit with it. But I did not research it before we set off. Someone had mentioned the boardwalk. Somewhere else I heard about the Cotton Exchange. But I had no plans, no maps, and almost no expectations. I did think I will find it semi-deserted, with it being Easter Sunday. Well, it wasn't. We drove downtown, parked the car, and walked for a while. We followed the smell of food and stumbled upon the river walk. Saw some gorgeous buildings and churches. Nice streets and parks. Statues. Beautifully twisted trees. A river. Shops. And lots of people.
Comments
Post a Comment