Sunday in the South

Marcus and I learned on our first full day in Savannah that "the south" is a culture and not a location. We do not live in the South, we live in Texas and that is an entirely different place!

Our first day in the South, we did what a good Southerner does, we went to church. We had looked online and selected the First Baptist Church of Savannah. I have a naive view of religion, I will admit. I thought the service would be similar to our church- some music, a large choir, a mix of families, a preacher with a Southern accent, and an invitation and offering. This Baptist church was in the most beautiful building with floor to ceiling windows, old wooden pews, and a small choir and large organ on the balcony of the sanctuary. There was a hand bell choir, readings from members, a female Reverend, Catholic style robes, bells chimed at the worship hour, fancy hats and Spring dresses, and hymnals. We were welcomed by members twice our age with the most Southern drawl.

The service had the most reverence I've seen. We thanked the Catholics, affirmed our beliefs vocally at the start of the service, and said the Lord's prayer. Marcus is intrigued and wants to research the relationship between Baptists and Catholicism.

After service we walked a few blocks for Sunday lunch at The Lady & Sons, Paula Deen's famous restaurant. Oh, the goodness! Her sweet tea with lemon and mint changed me. I will begin growing mint next week. It makes it so much better!

Sunday lunch is buffet only. We waited less than 10 minutes to be seated. They bring around "hoecakes" and garlic cheese biscuits. Hoecakes and cornbread like pancakes served with syrup. Our lunch included fried chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, creamed corn, lima beans, collard greens (on my plate but I just couldn't!), mac and cheese and sweet potatoes. For dessert, banana pudding and a walnut gooey butter cake.

After walking around a little, we went back to the hotel and lounged by the pool. It was perfect weather- about 80 with a breeze and no clouds in the sky. Our hotel is on the Savannah River- so the breeze is a constant. We had a few cold drinks, read our book, and watched a garden wedding nearby.

We left the pool late afternoon, got dressed and met Jake our big black horse for a carriage ride. It was our first ever and just wonderful! Our tour guide asked what we wanted to know more about- Marcus told her he wanted obscure facts and we got them!

Our favorites:

Savannah is the most haunted city because it was built on top of numerous cemeteries. Thousands of bodies are beneath the homes, shops and restaurants in the historic district.

Henry Ford's model showroom was in Savannah. He stuffed seats with the Spanish moss hanging from the trees of Savannah, until the chiggers came out!

Signs of money back in the day are still evident- a red door was a sign that your home was paid for, brick and rod iron were signs of money, and because of a door tax, large windows lead to private balcony.

Jake dropped us off at Broughton and Bull, a restaurant named after the 2 corners it resides on. My lasagna was amazing and Marcus loved his shrimp spaghetti. Our cheesecake afterward was more cake like and tasted wonderful. We've had a wonderful day!

Tomorrow, a food tour of 8 local sites for lunch and shopping and walking the historic district. We have left dinner open, so we'll see where we end up at the end of the day!