Georgia & Florida 18.07

Georgia, Georgia. The whole day through. Just an old sweet song. Keeps Georgia on my mind. 

Ennast järjekordselt süsivesikutega laadinud (aga reisides muudmoodi vist ei saagi, päevaks energiat vaja), tegime hommikuse jalutuskäigu Savannah, Georgia suurima linna, vanalinna suunas, mida eelmisel õhtul vaadata ei jõudnud. 

Kõikjale jäid lihtsalt võrratud haldjalikud puud. Nagu öeldud, eksisteerib nendega koos epifüüt. Tänavatel suures osas puitmajad. Hommikul oli liikvel vähe inimesi, kuigi esimeses rohealas, mida läbisime, oli juba mitu seltskonda. 

Kõndisime kuni St Johni basiilikani ning tagasiteeks liikusime paralleeltänavale, Draytonile aga jõudes Hotheadzi ilusalongini, mida ema pildistas, kutsuti meid sisse pilte tegema. Lisaks sellele suunas töötaja meid Bull tänavale, mis pidi olema veel ilusam. 

Seega ülejäänud tee tagasi kulgesimegi Bulli tänaval. Käisime ühes alkopoes hindu uurimas. Mu isa kogub õllepudelite korke. Aga poodides sai õlut osta minimaalselt nelipakis. Vanematel tekkis mõte, kas alkopoes oleks see üksikute pudelitena võimalik. Ja kui elu pakub Marilyni-monenti, siis tuleb see ka ära proovida😁 

Lisaks sellele käisime aarde jaoks Washingtoni naabritega tutvumas. Ning proovisin veel korra õnne tabalukkudega sillal. Ikka edutult. 

Edasi piparkoogimaja, mis jäi lühikese autosõidu kaugusele. Ikka Savannah kesklinnas, Bulli tänava kaugemas otsas. Piparkoogimaja (Cord Asendorf maja) saab oma nime imetoreda pipargoogi kaunistuste moodi disaini järgi. Maja pärineb 1899. aastast. Nautisin veelkord saladuslikke puid ning edasi meie 10nda osariigi poole, Floridasse. 

Florida, kus elab 1.3 miljonit alligaatorit, kellest meie nägime ainult kolme vangistuses elavat isendit. Proovisin küll. Florida on tuntud oma randade poolest. Rahvaarvu poolest kolmas. Aga Florida ei kuulu algupäraste kolooniate hulka, nii et meie sõitsime 13st läbi 9st. 

Kuna igas osariigis tegime ühe (või kaks) peatuse, siis proovisin teha need tähenduslikuks. Päeva sihtkoht oli Orlandos, seega otsisin sõidule enam-vähem keskkohta, teades, et tegemist võib olla lihtsalt jalasirutusega, kuna Floridas veetsime nädala. Aga lisaks sellele, et St Augustine jäi sobilikult päevateekonna keskele, on see ka ajalooliselt oluline. St Augustine on vanim Eurooplaste poolt pidevalt asustatud asundus. Peatuseks olin alguses mõelnud midagi muud aga St Augustine asub Atlandi ookeani ääres ja seal on vesi juba piisavalt soe. Seega tegin plaanid ümber ja tegime paaritunnise rannapeatuse. 

Õhk oli kuum. Parklas varjulise koha leidmine oli keeruline. Aga tagurdasin kohale, võtsime rannaks vajalikud rätikud ja 30-kraadised ookeani lained ootasid. Ma ei ole vist enne nii soojas looduslikus vees olnudki. Võimalik, et Barcelonas ja Napolis. Aga ohh, kui mõnus see oli. Käisime vahetustega vees (sest autovõtmed). Tegime pesa muuli alla, esialgu natuke valesse kohta. Meie tähelepanu juhiti lindudele, kes praktiliselt meie peade kohal pesitsesid, seega kolisime natuke eemale aga jäime varju. Ma ei olekski tahtnud veest ära tulla, aga õhtuks tahtsin jõuda Orlandosse. Enne otsisin ühe aardekarbi ka üles. 

Kaheks järgmiseks ööks majutasime ennast Drury Inn & Suites Orlando near Universal Orlando Resortis. Kuna järgmisel päeval oli minu sp, siis sain majutuselt kingitusena pudeli roosat veini😁

Mida ma hotelli broneerides ei teadnud oli see, et Drury Inn pakub iga päev 17st 19ni tasuta "näkse", mis osutusid tasuta õhtusöögiks. Ma sain rebitud liha, ube, salatit. Nachosid ja gaucamolet. Popcorni. Piiramatult karastusjooke. Lisaks saavad külastajad iga külastuspäeva kohta kaks tasuta alkohoolset joogiühikut. Ehk siis, õppimiskoht, kuidas kliente meelitada😁 Toit oli täiesti timm.

Õhtuks tegime jalutuskäigu hotelli juurde jäävasse poekompleksi, kust avastasime jälle Rossi. Ross Dress for Less on outlet brändikaupade poekett. Kahjuks on nende käive nii hea, et ei veebipoeks ei ole vajadust.

Teel poodi nägin värvilist põõsast, krotonit (crotons). Jäin seda imetlema, kui märkasin lehtedel suurt rohutirtsu, kellega tegime väikese fotosessiooni (ja siis mul ei olnud kaamerat kaasas).

Õhtut jäi lõpetama järjekordne basseini suplus. Ja kaugusesse jääv äikesetorm.

Georgia, Georgia. The whole day through. Just an old sweet song. Keeps Georgia on my mind. 

Our morning started once again with a carb-loaded breakfast – it seems that’s the only way to get by while travelling, as energy is always needed for the day ahead. After that, we set off on a morning walk towards Savannah’s old town, which we hadn’t had the chance to explore the previous evening.

Once again, the streets were lined with enchanting, fairy-like trees draped with epiphytes, which are quite typical in the area. Most of the houses we passed were wooden, and although it was still early, the first green space we came across already had several groups of people milling about.

We walked to St John’s Cathedral Basilica, and on the way back, we took a parallel street, Drayton Street. When we reached Hotheadz Salon, which my mum took a photo of, we were invited inside to take more pictures. The staff there also recommended we continue our walk along Bull Street, which they said was more beautiful.

So, we spent the rest of our return walk along Bull Street. We popped into an off-licence to check the prices. My dad collects beer bottle caps, and you can only buy beer in four packs in many shops. My parents wondered if buying individual bottles in an off-licence might be possible. And if life offers you a Marilyn moment, you have to seize it.

We also stopped to find Washington’s neighbours for a geocache, and I tried my luck once more with the padlocks on the bridge, but alas, no success.

Next on the list was the Gingerbread House, just a short drive away, still in Savannah’s city centre, towards the far end of Bull Street. The Gingerbread House, also known as the Cord Asendorf House, got its name thanks to its delightful gingerbread-style design. Built in 1899, it’s a stunning example of that style. I took one last moment to admire the mystical trees before we headed towards our 10th state, Florida.

Florida, home to an estimated 1.3 million alligators, though we only managed to see three in captivity. I did try to spot more. Florida is famous for its beaches and is the third most populous state in the US. However, it wasn’t one of the original 13 colonies, so out of those, we managed to visit nine.

In every state, I aimed to make at least one meaningful stop. Our final destination for the day was Orlando, so I searched for a suitable halfway point. I knew that in Florida, we’d be spending a week, so this stop was likely just a quick leg stretch. But as luck would have it, St Augustine was perfectly placed, and it also holds historical significance, being the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the US. Initially, I had planned for a different activity, but since St Augustine is on the Atlantic coast and the water was warm enough, I changed our plans to include a few hours at the beach.

The air was hot, and finding a shady parking spot was tricky. Once parked, we grabbed our towels and headed for the 30-degree ocean waves. I don’t think I’ve ever swum in such warm natural water before, except maybe in Barcelona or Naples.

It was absolutely lovely. We took turns going into the water (car keys). We set up camp under the pier, initially in the wrong spot. Our attention was drawn to the birds nesting almost right above our heads, so we moved a little further along but still stayed in the shade. I really didn’t want to leave the water, but I wanted to get to Orlando by evening. Before we left, I found a nearby geocache as well.

For the next two nights, we stayed at Drury Inn & Suites Orlando near Universal Orlando Resort. Since the next day was my birthday, the hotel gifted me a bottle of rosé wine😊

What I didn’t know when booking the hotel was that Drury Inn offers free "nibbles" every day from 5 to 7 pm, which turned out to be a full-on dinner. I had pulled pork, beans, salad, nachos with guacamole, and popcorn. There were also unlimited soft drinks, and guests got two free alcoholic drinks for every day of their stay. Quite a clever marketing tactic. The food was pretty good too.

Later in the evening, we took a walk around the shopping complex near the hotel, where we stumbled upon yet another Ross store. Ross Dress for Less is an outlet chain for branded goods. Their turnover is so good that they don’t even bother with an online shop.

On the way to the shop, I spotted a colourful crotons bush. I stopped to admire it and noticed a large grasshopper on the leaves, which I managed to take a few photos of (though, unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera with me at the time).

The day ended with yet another dip in the pool. And a distant thunderstorm.