Shaun and the kids cruising through the Historic District in Savannah, GA.
After a week in Savannah, we feel culturally enhanced and fattened up like a turkey before Thanksgiving. Well, it may have been the turkey on Thanksgiving that did it – dang can the Southerners put on a spread!
This city is quaint, beautiful, and steeped in history. Everything we were looking for in an authentic old world Southern belle. Streets of cobblestone, walkways draped with Spanish Moss (this is what gives Savannah its ‘authentic’ look), massive ships that cruise past the port on their way up the river, the most amazing candy shop, exquisite cathedrals and old school city planning that should have been written in a handbook for all subsequent world conquerors. “Urban-parks” is all I can say – simply beautiful! The fact that I managed to get the whole family to a performance of The Nutcracker Ballet definitely added to the exquisite charm – what a production!
We arrived in Savannah at the same time as the first, very cold front passed over the States. We hid inside for a few days while we all adjusted to the new pace, and then extended our stay there so we could continue breathing in the beauty. Despite the near freezing weather, we had a hot tub at our apartment which the kids made good use of, and the owner was an ex South African which was delightful, you don’t realise how much you miss a South African accent until you don’t hear one for 2 months! Our 7 day stay allowed Shaun to get on top of his work, thankfully, and we managed to get in some much needed, yet crazy, Black Friday shopping! My efforts to get on top of planning accommodation for our following destination, keep the children entertained and educated, work in check, sightseeing list organised and meals prepared seems fruitless as I am busier than ever. I thought being away from home would afford me the opportunity to sit down a bit more, I thought at least here I wouldn’t have to clean and organise a house. I should have known better, with 2 littlies, you are always cleaning something!
Our hardest challenge has been trying to see as much as we can, but still live a relatively ‘normal’ life. We can’t be tourists everyday, it’s exhausting. So we are trying to experience what it feels like to actually live in a city as well as see the sights. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we get it horribly wrong, ending up either in our pyjamas all day or sightseeing until 10 at night, long past the children’s allotted cooperation hours. Having a routine here is much like the flight plan of the lesser spotted garden pig, a great idea, but tremendously fictional.
This trip has been a great lesson for me, I am a creature of habit, and if nothing else, this trip has forced all comfort and habit from our lives. Teaching the children that it’s okay for things to be constantly changing, as long as we have each other we have what’s important, is a life lesson we’d like them to carry with them as they grow. It’s been humbling to learn from the kids as we travel, that moving to new places is exciting, and an adventure, even if you don’t know where you are going, not the stomach-knotting experience I tend to make it. As strange as it may sound (considering I actually wanted to go on this adventure), ‘moving house’ every few days is not something that comes naturally to me. I spent the better part of my first 24 years in the same house. My roots in ‘sameness’ were formed. I would be the turtle. Shaun would be the tortoise. It took beginning this adventure for me to see that I, not the kids, seek familiar comforts and gravitate towards what I know. I now see those baby feeding schedules years ago were for me, not the babies after all.
This is how we roll..
packed to the brim…
and working!
Many people have asked how the children are coping with all the moving around and hours spent travelling, the answer is: better than I would ever have expected! So good in fact, that we have decided they are far better travelers than Shaun and I, who constantly moan about our lack of sleep, cramped seating and sore necks. The kids simply settle in, Lola makes her nest, and Lincoln scatters toys around himself like a baker dusting flour. Just the thought of anyone seeing inside our vehicle when we stop is embarrassing, we have happy kids, but we also have half the days food scattered across the seats, Shaun’s office in the front, 2 bikes, 2 scooters, and of course 6 months worth of all-weather clothing for 4 people – that is simply not a small (or contained) load!.. a ‘container load’ pops to mind 😉
14 States and 3400miles later, we are learning the secrets to this travelling with children business. It isn’t always easy, but no incredible adventure ever is.
Leaving our hotel in New Orleans. We certainly don’t travel light!
