Our second port of call was Savannah, where we stayed in another beautiful inn. The Catherine Ward House was built by a sea captain for his wife in 1886 and, apparently, the exterior featured in the film of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I meant to do my homework before we came and read the book or watch the film or, preferably both, but like many things it never got done.

The first day was very hot, high 90s, but thunderstorms cooled it down a bit the next day. Going out was still a bit like stepping into a sauna, but we had a great time wandering around all the same. I would recommend the three Telfair Museums. The original museum was founded in 1883, in a house bequeathed by Mary Telfair, and shows 19th and 20th century art. The Owens-Thomas House is set out as a late 18th / early 19th century house complete with slave quarters and the Jepson Centre is a contemporary building with contemporary art. Best of all was the Jepson cafe – probably the best lunch menu I have ever seen!

Our other memorable meal was at Leoci’s, an Italian near where we were staying. The food was excellent but the floor show was better. When we went in, the place was buzzing because part of the ceiling had just collapsed after an earlier storm. A few minutes later, a candle set fire to one of the umbrellas outside causing much panic amongst the staff. When one of them then dropped some glasses behind the bar, the child at the next table couldn’t contain himself and screamed “This is AWESOME!” It certainly was.

Below are some pictures taken on our wanderings.