At home in Savannah

He might not be able to pronounce it, but TravelMole’s Graham McKenzie got a warm welcome in this southern US city.

"On my recent visit to Savannah I seemed to have a need, almost a compulsion, to pronounce it ‘Sir Vayn Ur Jaw Jah’. Too many years of watching old US movies, I assume.

It became quite embarrassing after a while as I probably sounded as bad as an American in London trying to sound like a cockney (think Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins) , however you could have buttered my butt and called me a biscuit because at no time did I feel like a stranger in the city. In fact, my reception was granny-slappin’ good.

City Hall Savannah – Gold roof made from Georgia Gold

The feeling of home is perhaps no surprise when you consider the history of the city. Savannah was established on the river that carries its name as the British colonial capital of the province of Georgia and by the main man, who almost certainly did not sound like a cockney, James Oglethorpe, British General and Member of Parliament for Haslemere. He was responsible for its founding and the design of the now famous historic district in downtown Savannah in 1733.

Based on a simple concept of straight streets and lots of open squares in a grid pattern, the design lends itself to the easy movement of people and a feeling of space.

The nice thing about Savannah is that the vast majority of the buildings have survived the ravages of the numerous skirmishes against the Spanish, the war of independence, the civil war and the onset of 20th century office blocks, therefore providing a truly historic environment mostly unchanged since the days of Oglethorpe himself. Today you can experience a mixture of independent shops, cafes and restaurants, with the majority of them serving local produce.

The river continues to act as a major source of trade and Savannah is one of the busiest trade ports on the east coast of America, of which it is the most westerly point. The sight of truly enormous container vessels, maybe four times the height of a normal house and three times the length of a football pitch, which you can almost touch from the towpath as they speed past, is awesome.

Feeling at Home in Savannah

Food is very important here in the south and was another reason for feeling comfortable in the surrounds. My visit coincided with the Savannah Food and Wine Festival – a weekend long celebration of all things edible from within a few miles of the city centre. Granted there were a few interlopers like Californian wine producers and British pie makers but on the whole you could have walked or swam to the source of most of the food on offer. Needless to say it was like an early Christmas present for my tastes buds with a variety of yummy morsels, plus some more substantial offerings from the Georgia coast larder of seafood and barbeque.

Enjoying Sothern Food but mainly Wine

The feeling of domestic bliss was completed by ‘southern hospitality’. Quite what it is and how it manifests itself is very difficult to describe, but at no point did I feel alone, threatened, bored, hungry, thirsty, awkward, underdressed, overdressed, strange or ,quite importantly, homesick. Sir Vayn Ur was awful purdy."

Graham stayed at www.riverstreetinn.com and was flown to Georgia by Virgin Atlantic  and updated social media with a brand new gadget from www.majestifi.com

For more information see www.visitsavannah.com or   www.vvvglobal.com