13 May 2014
Savannah, GA
I’m slightly distracted from the Savannah days of yore tale that our tour guide has begun as I’m thinking I made my own error of historical proportion today, one that might go down as The Great Flip-Flop Debacle. Was it really such a good idea to wear flip-flops on a 2 hour walking tour, especially one rife with cobblestones and that includes not just walking but standing around listening? My reasoning was sound: it’s hot and humid here and there’s not enough talcum powder this side of the Mississippi to keep my feet fresh on a day like today. But what I forgot to take into account is that I am from Seattle. Seattle. That place where feet are rarely set free to flop around streets without the full support of sturdy, waterproof hikers, where toes never feel the full brunt of a misjudged curb, where leathery soles belong to the footwear and not the foot. But I suppose if those early Savannah colonists could survive hurricanes, fire and yellow fever, then I can survive a couple of fallen arches.
When not focusing on my feet, I’m finding this walking tour to be one of the best I’ve ever taken. Not only is our tour guide knowledgeable, articulate, and just plain good at weaving together the historical bits about this city into an interesting character-filled story, much of the tour is turning out to be in the shade. This is mostly thanks to the 22 squares laid out in perfect grid order around the heart of the historic district, each square not only filled with history and our little band of tourists but also with towering live oaks, my new favorite tree if I had a favorite tree. At least I won’t have to add “sunburn” to the list of foot ailments I’m currently composing.
On top of the flip-flopping around the historic district, we flip-flop along River Street, taking in the views of the Savannah River and ducking into the touristy shops for a quick dose of air conditioning, we flip-flop onto the free ferry for a ride on the river, forming a perfect equilateral triangle as we visit 3 points along her shoreline, and we flip-flop onto the trolley tour to give our worn-out feet a break.
Our final stop on this day of touring involves putting on more sensible shoes and hoofing it up to the Bohemian Hotel “Rocks on the Roof” bar. After a full day of flip-flopping around Savannah, the only sensible thing left to do is order a drink and enjoy the sunset view.
