historic – Exploren with Lauren

At the end of April, Scott and I travelled to Savannah, GA with our friends Kali and Kevin and their 18-month son (our godson), Ender. We rented an AirBnb about halfway between Historic Downtown Savannah and Tybee Island which saved us a lot of money on the rental and was the perfect set up for visiting both the city and the beach!

We got in on a Friday evening and after picking up our rental car, we drove to the Pirates’ House for dinner. I ordered the Georgian salmon with peach piccalilli, sweet potatoes and broccolini. Our friends got the crab dip which they gave good reviews but I don’t do shellfish. They also had a kid’s menu which was great for Ender.

Kali and Kevin were in the middle of the 75 Hard Challenge during our trip so after dinner we went for a long walk around town and along the river, which was really beautiful. There were a handful of people singing or playing jazz on trumpets down by the water too.

The next morning, we decided to spend the day exploring downtown Savannah. We started the day with brunch at Alexander’s Bistro. I noticed the employee who rung up our food was wearing a shirt from one of my clients at work so I struck up a conversation and made a connection which was really cool. She said she was in school at SCAD but she loves Wisconsin and wants to go into advertising after college so maybe someday we’ll reconnect.

Scott and I both had the Slow Start Scramble breakfast sandwich and I ordered a glass of Fairy Juice which was Butterfly pea tea and lemonade – both were phenomenal! After a delicious breakfast, we walked over to Forsyth Park to see the iconic fountain. There was also a big farmers’ market going on so we walked through and one of the vendors gave us some honey sticks after we stopped to pet her dog.

On our way out of the park, we came across a street magician who we learned was named Jack Murdock. We stopped to watch his show which was really fun and pretty impressive! The most shocking was when he somehow got an audience member’s dollar bill inside of an orange without cutting it open or any of us noticing him put it in!

That afternoon we went to the Oatland Island Wildlife Center. It was pretty much like a big zoo with a lot of walking trails. We saw some alligators (both in captivity and wild!) and a big cougar came up to the glass and jumped up at us and then started wrestling with the other one! Definitely the most action I’ve ever seen at a zoo!

We were pretty tired after being out all day so we went back and dropped off the boys at the AirBnb and Kali and I went and picked up a couple of pizzas from Mellow Mushroom for dinner. I really enjoyed the Pacific Rim pizza which was like a spicy Hawaiian! After dinner we all drove back downtown and got Ben & Jerry’s for dessert.

The next morning (Sunday), we drove over to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, to the same area where Kali and Kevin spent their honeymoon. We stopped in at the Hilton Head Social Bakery in Shelter Cove for some chai tea and pastries. The fruit tart I ordered was amazing, but our chai lattes were made way too strongly so we took them back inside to see if they could remake them. Someone else came out and we explained the situation. The employee grabbed Kali’s drink and took a sip, immediately looking repulsed (it was truly like straight cinnamon juice). He started remaking them right away, and Kali reminded him to put almond milk in hers. Suddenly, he turned around and said, “Almond?! I’m allergic to almonds!” He panicked and grabbed a water bottle which he began chugging and I dug through my purse and pulled out a couple of blister-packed Benadryls. He declined at first, saying he would be okay, but I insisted he hang on to them just in case. He finished making our drinks and we walked outside. Not five minutes later, he ran out to our table and told me that he was feeling super itchy and thanked me, saying he had taken the Benadryl. Then he ran down the sidewalk and we didn’t see him again!

We walked down the sidewalk in that direction and even checked the bathrooms, but he was nowhere to be found. It started to rain so we ducked into one of the souvenir shops and bought some t-shirts and hats while we waited for the cloud to pass. It was a heavy rain, but was over fast so we changed into our swimsuits and started walking towards the beach.

It was about a 30-40 minute walk but when we arrived it was so nice to be on the beach. It was a bit windy and the water was kind of cold, but there’s just something about being near the ocean. We ordered some piña coladas and enjoyed having our feet in the sand.

Kali had made dinner reservations at Ela’s, their favorite restaurant from their honeymoon, so we walked back to the Shelter Cove Marina. Scott and I split a Caesar salad which was served on really unique teardrop plates. Since I’m not big on seafood, I ordered the Vegetarian Pasta Primavera which tasted super fresh and delicious!

After dinner we walked around the marina a bit and took some pictures and then drove back to Savannah. We watched an episode of Ted Lasso at the AirBnb and then called it a night after Scott dozed off and started talking in his sleep!

The next morning was our last full day and it was time for a beach day at Tybee Island! A lot of the breakfast spots in Tybee didn’t open until later, but we found some tasty food at The Breakfast Club. Unfortunately, we also got a parking ticket, so definitely make sure you pay attention to signs in that area! Even if the sign is way down the block they will hold you accountable!

We drove down to the beach after breakfast where we made sure to pay for our parking and then found a spot to camp out on the sand. Scott walked Ender down to the water to splash around while Kali and I dug holes in the sand to take some fun photos.

Later we walked over to the pier to film a video and take some more pictures. I jumped on Scott’s back for a picture and when he put me down, I wasn’t expecting it and fell backwards onto the sand! In my moment of surprise, my reflexes kicked in and I reached to grab onto something and accidentally pulled Scott’s swim trunks down to his ankles! After the initial shock and embarrassment of the moment, we all had a good laugh about it.

We walked along the pier and got some frozen treats to cool off and then walked around the island so Kali and Kevin could get their 45 minute outdoor activity in for the 75 Hard. For dinner we drove back to Savannah and went to the rooftop restaurant, Bar Julian. It’s on top of the Thompson Hotel and overlooks the Savannah river. Our salad and both pizzas were fantastic, but I have to call out the most unique thing we ordered – the pepperoni butter! It’s hard to describe other than it was salty, buttery, and well, pepperoni-y and it went perfectly with the freshly baked bread it was served with. It was easily one of my favorite meals from the whole weekend.

After dinner, we closed out the trip with a walking ghost tour in downtown Savannah! Our tour guide was really great and pointed out lots of buildings with paranormal reports and eerie stories behind them.

After the tour, we walked down to the river one more time and bought some more t-shirts and souvenirs and then got ice cream from Leopold’s. The line was way down the street but my lavender ice cream was definitely worth the wait. Thanks for the good vibes and great memories Savannah!

In August, I took my first trip overseas to England! We took an overnight flight (my first red eye) and arrived in London (Heathrow) late morning. I hardly slept on the plane, so I almost dozed off as we took the Great Western Railway to Bath.

In an effort to save money, we decided to walk from the train station in Bath to our AirBnB, which, after lugging our suitcases across the cobblestone city, we realized was located at the top a very large hill. It provided impressive views overlooking the city, but also a fun challenge to reach our flat.

Said flat was on the third floor of the building, and it was actually not “flat,” but instead a two-story apartment. But after several flights of stairs, we finally made it to what would our home for the next several days.

After settling into our AirBnb, we desperately wanted to sleep, but fought off the jet-lag for a couple more hours and walked to a nearby restaurant, Bill’s, for dinner. I ordered the burger they had on special that night, which was topped with mac and cheese! It was delicious and tasted refreshingly familiar on my first night abroad. I was also very impressed, when I mentioned my allergy to buckwheat, how diligent they were about ensuring my meal was safe and allergen-free. I would soon realize that this was a common trend across the whole city and even country.

After dinner, we went back to our AirBnB and crashed in our beds. In the morning, we walked to the Thermae Bath Spa to continue our relaxation and rejuvenation after our long journey. The main spa has two geothermic pools, which use the same naturally heated water as the Roman Baths across the street. One of the pools is on the rooftop, with views overlooking the city. The spa has a strict no-devices policy, so I wasn’t able to take photos during our time, but I snapped a couple outside and on my way out. It was an amazing experience and I highly recommend that everyone spends a few hours in a local spa after any long flight.

After two hours of soaking in the pools and sitting in the steam rooms, we showered off and headed back out into the city in search of lunch. We walked past All Bar One and saw that they had a lunch special – a sandwich and glass of wine for only 9 pounds! We couldn’t pass it up. I enjoyed a ham and cheese toastie (such a cute name!) and a glass of rosé. And again, the staff was exceedingly accommodating with my allergy, spending several minutes checking ingredients lists to ensure that the bread was safe for me to eat. I was loving this place already.

After lunch, we walked back to the Roman Baths and took the official tour. There was so much history to learn about and of course, so many photo ops. It was interesting to learn about the varying purposes of different pools, some warm and some cold, and the healing properties of the water as it contains over 40 minerals. It’s also kind of crazy to think that the baths were used for public bathing. Men and women weren’t always permitted to bathe together, but they didn’t use bathing suits back then, and many of the bathers’ clothes was taken by thieves! Can you imagine?

We did a little shopping at the Roman Baths’ gift shop and a local market and then walked across the river to the Holbourne Museum and visited a few more shops. By this point, I was well over my step goal for the day and was feeling tired so we went back to our flat for a little downtime and a siesta.

A little before 8pm, we ventured back out for dinner at Turtle Bay, where I ordered a West Indian curry. I’d never had anything quite like it, but it was spicy and delicious.

After dinner, we spent the night in, playing a Jane Austen card game and practicing our (terrible) English accents.

The next morning, we went to brunch at The Ivy. I had a peach & elderflower iced tea, buttermilk pancakes with blueberries, lemon balm and a side of streaky bacon (I think they specify the “streaky” bacon to differentiate from ham/Canadian bacon?). The food was incredible and there were so many photo ops – even the bathroom was immaculate!

We did a little more shopping after brunch and then I went back to the AirBnB to unhurriedly do my hair and makeup for afternoon tea, while my friends went to the Fashion Museum and the Jane Austen Centre. (I can quickly get burned out on museums, so I didn’t mind having a bit of relaxing time to myself in the flat.)

When I was ready, we met up at the Circus (a ring of historic townhouses), and then walked to Sweet Little Things together for afternoon tea. We got the locations mixed up and the shop we went to wasn’t serving afternoon tea (the all-inclusive version with a tower of pastries and finger sandwiches), but we had a lovely experience all the same. My chai tea latte was gorgeous – I think it looked better than it tasted! From what I remember the chai tea there was less spiced and more milky than what I was used to in the US. No complaints though.

After we finished our tea, we walked to the other side of Bath that we hadn’t yet explored since arriving. We stumbled upon the Abbey Deli, which was the set of the Modiste in Bridgerton! We visited a handful of other shops as we walked to a bookstore, where I browsed books in the basement, while my friends looked at several old, historic prints.

Then we headed to the Bath Abbey for a quick self-guided tour before they closed for the evening prayer service. On the way, we were getting a bit hungry and made a quick stop for Cornish pasties. People say British food isn’t that good, but I enjoyed the pasty (and everything else I had tried so far)!

For our last dinner in Bath, we ate at Bosco Pizzeria and it was nice enough to sit outside on the patio. I ordered the simple, yet delicious Bosco pizza (essentially a Margherita). I remember I was thinking a lot about Scott during dinner as this day was our 4-year wedding anniversary and he was back home in Wisconsin.

It was also at this dinner that we were first charged for still water. We had heard that you had to pay for water in Europe, but up to this point, had only been charged for it when we ordered sparkling water. We realized the distinction you have to make is to specifically ask for tap water. If you say “still,” they will bring you a bottle of still water for the table. From then on, whoever made the mistake of forgetting to specify “tap” had to buy the water for the table. That night, I believe it was me.

The next morning, we got up a little early, I ate my leftover curry, and we did some last minute shopping at Rossiters and Persephone Books. Then we packed up our suitcases, checked out of our AirBnB, dragged our luggage back down the hill and across the city, caught a train to London Paddington, and began the next leg of our journey.

Tag: historic

Southern Charm in Savannah & Hilton Head

The City of Bath, England