Days 5-6: Charleston & Savannah

From Columbia we continued south to Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. I was charmed by Charleston's lovely buildings and elegant courtyards and smitten by Savannah's gracious squares, lush gardens, and mighty moss-draped oaks.

Charleston 

Savannah

We did the tourist things: the horse-drawn carriage tour in Charleston (this is while waiting for the carriage)

and Forsythe Park in Savannah

I wish we'd had more time, and I'd love to return, hopefully not in August. We had torrential rain in both cities, and the kind of humidity that makes it feel as if it's raining inside your clothes. We got out and about as much as we could in between downpours. During one deluge we sought shelter in a lovely bookstore where Joel introduced William to Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel.

But enough about the weather. Let's talk about the food.

Shrimp and grits with andouille sausage. For breakfast.

Lunch at the legendary Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House, operating since the 1940s, where you sit down at a table with a dozen strangers, spread with a dizzying array of Southern deliciousness, and stuff your face until you can't move. Fried chicken, meatloaf, barbecued pork, black eyed peas, dirty rice, corn muffins, sweet tea, and about ten types of vegetables. None of it is pretty or fancy. All if it is insanely delicious. If you are ever in Savannah, GO. 

In between we had a great meal at a Cuban place, but dishes that translate as "old clothes" (ropa vieja) don't photograph well.