""I'm going back to Charleston where I belong."

Rhett Butler was right when he said that.  Charleston is a place I feel at home. This was my fourth visit to Charleston, and all I really wanted to do was wander it's streets and feel the stones of history rattling under my feet.  No set agenda, just a lovely wander in perfect weather.   Except, I always have an agenda when it comes to food!! 

We left Savannah early so we could arrive in Charleston in time for our reservations at a restaurant on Sullivan's Island.  Obstinate Daughter is run by two-time James Beard nominee Chef Jacques Larson.  It's also an american South Michelin recommended restaurant.  I couldn't pass up that opportunity!! And who am I if not an obstinate daughter?!?

"The Obstinate Daughter is a Southern restaurant that is influenced by French, Italian and Spanish cuisine with a wood fired oven, plancha and island kitchen range. Pizza, pasta, small plates and a raw bar are the focus of the menu. Changing seasonally, the menu also is rooted by the burgeoning farms and fishermen in the Lowcountry who all supply us with the superior products that make our region so special." (from their website)

Chill vibe.  Interior is coordinated and definitely Charleston casual.  

Open kitchen so you can watch them work.  The kitchen and front staff

had a great rapport.  It was fun to watch them. Service was impeccable!

Country pate.  A pork pate with bread and OD pickles.  

This was a starter.  It was huge!!

Dutchboy didn't like it. Reminded him of Liverwurst.  I enjoyed it.  

The Old Danger pizza.  It's one of their most popular pizzas topped with 

pancetta, farm egg, scallion, white sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and black pepper. 

Dutchboy got the Miss Carolina with red and green tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil and olive oil 

but I didn't get a picture of it!

Gelato for dessert! Same building, different restaurant.

Downstairs is the ice cream shop, run by the same chef. It's fantastic! 

 Beardcat's Sweet Shop has the smoothest gelato I've had outside of Italy. I went for the 

Coffee Gelato and the Sweet Cream olive oil gelato.  The lady kindly poured the delicious

olive oil over all of it. It was DIVINE. If you haven't tried olive oil over ice cream, don't be afraid. 

It's that salty, sweet hit that it needs.  Plus the oil thickens with the cold and becomes this 

super creamy, fatty, mouth feel that makes the ice cream even more pleasant.  

After the meal and the ice cream, a walk was very necessary.  We were going to walk around the Sullivan Island lighthouse but it's just hideously ugly.  So we drove around looking at beautiful houses until we stumbled on Fort Moultrie. Like every other National Parks Service site, it was closed due to the shutdown. But it had lovely beach access with a view of the Ravenel Bridge and Charleston across the harbor. 

After walking for quite awhile, we decided to drive to our hotel in Mount Pleasant and settle in for the evening. We had to rest up for another day of walking! 

The next morning started with a drive across the Ravenel Bridge into Charleston. Dutchboy remembered a spot near the harbor that had poffertjes and he had to have some! 

Fueled by sugar and carbs, we headed to the harbor were I TOOK NO PICTURES. WHAT!?!?!? How is that possible? No photos of the harbor, a couple of photos from East Bay Street, but nothing of the Battery! Rainbow Row was a Rainbow no!  So many missed photos, but I was just enjoying the walk, the Halloween decorations and talking with Dutchboy.  To be fair, White Point Garden and The Battery were closed off for construction.   

One house did stop us dead in our tracks. Pun intended.

After all that raucous Halloween brouhaha, we kept walking looking at the beautiful houses that we could never afford and wondering what happened that they seemed to be under major renovations.  But during this long walk back to the parking garage,  we happened upon the Gibbes Museum of Art.  In all our wanderings in past visits we had never noticed this museum! How is that possible?! And what should be on exhibition but the etchings of Rembrandt on loan from Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam! Dutcbhoy's mother took me to Rembrandthuis years ago, so I had likely seen them before, but this was our opportunity to get a taste of the Netherlands.  We weren't about to miss it!

The museum is beautiful! Inside and Out!

The exhibition featured etchings, small and perfect! The museum provided

magnifying glasses to help you see the details.

Lovely!

Once again, I must confess I was so into looking at art, being in that beautiful building, that I forgot I had a phone.  Isn't is lovely to touch grass and forget about the digital world for awhile? Except that I do this little thing where I share my experience with people. *facepalm*

Anyway, on to the outside world.  It's Charleston.  There's art all around you, all the time. 

Since we had dinner reservations, we had to head back to Mount Pleasant. German food was on the menu! And I hadn't even had lunch! Unfortunately, we ended up stuck in a traffic jam on that beautiful Arthur Ravenel, Jr. Bridge.

At least I got this cool photo. 

And this photo that I took to reassure myself that although I was suspended over water

on  bridge that was bouncing terribly, those supports are massive.  They would hold. 

Right?!? 

Turns out it was a fender bender on the far side of the bridge.  Luckily, we still had an hour and a half before dinner, so i could try a beer! We opted for a place called Two Blokes Brewing. 

We picked our spot at the bar

And I picked out my beer flight! 

Umlaut, First Blood, Spilt Milk, Put Your Face in It

I really loved everything I tried. 

I followed that with a glass of Oktoberfest

The original art work.  Drawn by the owners, bar flies, local artists...they're all great. 

Beers finished, it was time to head to Nick's German Kitchen.  German ? In Charleston?? See, here's the thing.  There are a lot of amazing restaurants in Charleston. Husk (love it, three month wait to get in), Poogan's Porch (been there, done that), FIG (been there, done that), Slightly North of Broad (ditto), Lenoir (ditto),  Hominy Grill (HATED IT. Worst shrimp & grits EVER).  But there is ALWAYS something you haven't tried.  For me, this time, it was Nick's.  I love German food and German beer.  This place had amazing reviews.  We found it those reviews are well deserved!  (please excuse the rainbow lights in the photos. The candle holders were sending prisms everywhere).

Not Paulaner, they were out.  HofBrau Oktoberfest.  Ahhh.

Kartoffelpuffer. 

Potato Pancakes with applesauce and salad. 

I had the Jagerschnitzel. 

Breaded pork schnitzel, mushroom sauce and spaetzle

Dutchboy had Chicken Spaetzle.

Spaetzle, caramelized onion, gouda, grilled chicken.

I couldn't resist the schwarzwälder kirschtorte met sahne.  

That's Black Forest Cake to us English speaking folks.  It was...okay. 

A bit dry and rather flavorless.  Luckily I still had a bit of beer so the evening ended 

on a very pleasant note.

THe next morning was another gorgeous day, but it was also the day we were heading home.  But you can't go to charleston without a visit to the Angel Oak, The Angel Oak is estimated to be between 400-500 years old, 66 feet (20 meters) high with a circumference of 28 feet (8.5 meters) and it's branches cover 17,200 square feet (1,600 meters).  For Dutchboy and I, this isn't a tourist attraction, it's a pilgrimage to a sacred site.  If there is a God, this is the place on Earth where you can still feel him. 

It's unfortunate that not everyone feels the same way about the Angel Oak.  The state has now fenced it off, and have hired security staff to keep people from climbing, leaning and damaging this old sentinel.  We left feeling slightly sad that this special site was just another selfie opportunity. So what do you do?

Go to the beach.  

This time it's Folly Beach.  The drive from Charleston to Folly Beach is worth the trip. The scenery is beautiful, tidal wetlands with low bridges and birds flying low over the water. No matter how many times I see it, it still surprises me. Our long walk along the beach was beautiful, too, warm sun, pretty shells and not too many people until we reached the pier. And with last wave to the Atlantic, it was time to head back to the car and drive home to the embrace of the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

*Needle Scratch* Wait! I forgot about the one last stop for lunch! It was beer week in Charleston! I wanted to end with lunch at a brewery. It was CRAZY busy at my first and second choices, but when I feared all hope was lost, we came upon Edmund's Oast Exchange.    We found a table outdoors in The Bower and I ordered a couple of 4 ounce pours to try (the Alsatian Pilsner and the Festbier) before settling on Toucan's Feather, a dry Irish stout.  With the beer figured out,  I opted for the Artisan burger with bacon jam, mustard, onion and jalapeno, and Dutchboy got a vegetarian red curry. Both were excellent! 

I didn't know precisely what time it was, but the sun was setting fast on this vacation.  It was time to go home.  I was happy to have lost track of the days and the time, happy to reset and find that the person who was so stressed about work for so long hadn't erased who I really was on the inside.  That's the magic thing about travel, it shows us who we are and forces us confront who we want to be.  If you're lucky, you find a place that is comfortable and pulls you back time after time.  Dutchboy says those places are "where  you leave your suitcase".  Charleston is one of those places.  Rhett and I? We understand.  

"But in Savannah the first question people ask you is ‘What would you like to drink?'” *

When last I wrote, we were leaving Saint Augustine behind, and we pointed our car in the direction of Savannah, Georgia. We have visited once before in May 2018, and we enjoyed it even though it was nasty hot and humid.  This time, we were likely to see rain, but at least the weather would be cooler!  We got such an early start that we decided to go to Tybee Island before stopping at the hotel.  This image appeared on my maps as we neared our destination. Such a happy looking lord in his fine frock coat! A fortuitous beginning!!

It was so cold!! And windy!! And sandy!! And yes, even a spit or two of rain.  It was still lovely to stroll along the almost deserted beach and walk along the pier.  I should say it was nice until we texted Dutchboy's sister a picture of the beach waves and she said, "OH!!  Watch out for the bomb!"  Ehm.  What?!?!?!  She was talking about the story of the  missing Tybee Bomb.  Long story short, in 1958 a B-47 carrying a nuclear bomb collided with a F-86 jet and jettisoned the bomb.  It's never been found.  A real broken arrow off the coast.  Why the heck did my sister-in-law in Leiden know this story?!? As if we need proof that Americans don't know our history.  (Sorry Mr. Adams, Mr. Clark and Mr. Reid.  I promise I did pay attention but we never made it to World War I, much less beyond World War II! I've learned a lot more since those early days!)

The rain picked up, so we headed to the car and to the hotel. Which was a disappointment.  On our last trip, we stayed at the Thunderbird Inn. It's a basically a retro themed hotel from the heyday of road trippin'. It wasn't in the best spot, by the bus station, but it was clean and close to the historic district without the fuss.  What we found this time was a place abused and well past it's prime.  The lights flickered like a horror film. The countertops were...interesting.  Let's just say I stripped the covers off the bed, checked for bed bugs and nasty critters, cleaned the sink, all surfaces and the toilet with disinfecting wipes.  If I hadn't prepaid, I would have left.  Dutchboy laughed, called me paranoid, and said it was an adventure.  Then he said, if we stayed there I could go to Husk for dinner.  You read that right. Dutchboy resorted to BRIBERY. That's not playing fair.  I made reservations, just before I re-made the bed.

Our Table

 

Just sparkling water with lime.   But it's HUSK. 

Black Parade

Old Forester Rye, Averna, Black Walnut Miso, Honey Butter, Bitters, Cherry

Just behind us was one of the pantries.  Just for show, I think.  Most of the canned goods

were labeled 2019.

pimento cheese, hot honey, husk pickles, benne cracker, chives

For those who don't believe I drink white wine.  

Domaine Gueneau “Les Terres Blanches,” Sancerre, Loire Valley, France 2024

The reason behind the Sauv Blanc.  Shrimp & Grits

georgia shrimp, marsh hen mill grits, corn, vidalia onion, calabrian chili

Dutchboy opted for chicken. 

Coal roasted chiecken, benne seeds, Carolina Gold rice, okra, aji dulce

Beautiful port. 

Casa Manouel Boullosa, Quinta dos Pesos Carcavelos, Lisbon, Portugal 1992

Dark Chocolate Torte

caramelized peanut, muscadine jam

And just like that, it was finished. 

A brief look into the kitchen before I departed.  It was worth every penny of that $210.67. 

We walked the 1/2 mile back to the hotel and then Dutchboy got the treat of his life.  NO. This isn't that kind of blog.  There, under the "hunde d Inn" sign of our hotel, was the Weiner Mobile. He was so excited. He ran to the weiner wagon.  He was laughing and happy. We had to take pictures even though it was dark.  

After all the excitement of the day before, we weren't sure what day two in Savannah would hold.  I can tell you I slept very little with the partying happening next door to our room.  But the hotel came through with really good coffee and fantastic donuts for breakfast.  The donuts were definitely the highlight -- made by Baker's Pride, a Savannah classic.  How good were they? Dutchboy doesn't like donuts and even he said they were good.  That's high praise indeed.  Fortified, we set off for the day, heading down MLK Blvd to River Street. 

Poe Tavern.  I always love their random Poe faces. 

Marble faces outside the Marriott 

The Marriott also houses a Gretsch Guitar Museum! 

Once again, excited Dutchboy!!!

The start of River Street, near the Marriott.

Our first sight was this large container ship navigating its way up the Savannah River. 

 Lunch at Traylor Park.  Chicken and Biscuit with collard greens.  It was...meh.  

Collards okay okay, I can usually eat them, but these were terrible. 

Part of the allure of Savannah are these huge oaks. They're everywhere. 

 I wanted to hug them all.  

We decided to head to Jones Street for the rest of our afternoon walk.  It's known as the prettiest street in Savannah due to it's well-kept stately old homes and beautiful tree-line streets.  Along the way, we strayed off onto Abercorn and came upon the most magical bookstore, Books on Bay.  It's one of those shops that you walk in and you feel like you've stepped into a movie set, all cozy bookshelves and knickknacks.  I was talking to the shopkeeper about how amazing it was, when I notice THE TARDIS. It turns out he had built a Tardis frame around the door of the science fiction/fantasy collection. Most amazing, he had made the bookshelves inside moveable to hide the storage space behind them. It was, indeed, bigger on the inside!!! I was as giddy as the 11th Doctor, jumping around and clapping.  

Can't you see the excitement?!?!

As if they TARDIS wasn't enough, I found out the owner (the mother of the TARDIS builder) was a collector of Trixie Belden memorabilia.  She had several amazing pieces on display.   Including this original cover art for Mystery in Arizona.  Incidentally, that's the cover art that features all the Bob-Whites of the Glen except one! If you know which one wasn't on the cover, we can still be friends. 

It was hard to leave that shop behind, especially when the owner did show up and we started geeking out about Dr. Who (her favorite Doctor is Tom Baker followed by Tennant), and Trixie Belden.  But after an hour we really needed to move on with our tour.  So out the door and on to Jones Street.  It didn't disappoint! Beautiful homes, several of which were decorated for Halloween (which was only a couple of days away). 

After a day of walking, around 8 miles of it, we headed back to the hotel and collapsed.  We couldn't work up energy to walk to any place to get food, so we ate donuts and popcorn for free at the hotel and fell asleep early.  After all, I needed my beauty sleep for Charleston! 

Summing up, Savannah is a beautiful, classic city with friendly people, good food, and a vibe all its own.  But somehow it still didn't steal my heart.  Charleston is my preferred old southern town, maybe because it feels more intimate and laid back.  Still, I would tell anyone to visit at least once. Numerous city squares give each part it's own feel, a bit of a different identity.  The art students at Savannah College of Art & Design give it a vibrant feel.  But underneath there is a grittiness that keeps it from being cozy. While the city seems to have worked on cleaning up the area near the bus station, there is still a large unhomed population in the city, and a seediness to some of the parks & squares.  That said, other than people asking for a few dollars (no one approached us this time, but several did on the last visit)  I don't feel it's threatening.  It's just a beautiful old city, with a few ghosts floating around and some skeletons in the closet, and that's half the charm. 

*Title is a quote from the book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil  by John Berendt.