One downfall of living in Austin is that I don’t get to see
my family as much as I would like. Rarely do we spend birthdays together, and
sometimes even Christmas and Thanksgiving are spent in separate states. This
spring I am lucky enough to see my parents three times over a six week period
thanks to my dad flying all over for work conferences.
Last Friday I woke up before the crack of dawn (3:40am to be
exact) to hop on a flight to Charleston where I would see my parents for the
first time in almost three months. While this might sound like a long period of
time, it’s probably one of the shortest time spans we’ve spent away from each
other since I’ve lived in Austin. Regardless, I was beyond excited to spend the
weekend just me and my Momma and Poppa.
We drove down to Savannah right from the airport, with a
quick and delicious stop at the Early Bird Café just outside of Charleston.
This was one of those places on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, and naturally, my
parents decided to return for Easter brunch. Chicken and Waffles? Shrimp and
Grits? Yes, please. We know how to do Easter, people.
Savannah was beautifully quaint city. Squares with monuments
and parks pop up almost every other block and to me, that’s what made the city
so special. Walking around, we got lost at every turn, taking in the old
buildings and oddly pretty moss hanging from just about every tree. The city had
so much character and that slow-paced Southern feeling.
^^Savannah Life
We spent Saturday walking around shopping and eating, repeatedly.
It was a wonderful way to relax and spend quality time with my parents. Sunday
we went to Easter Mass at the oldest Catholic Church in Georgia and wow, was it
not what I was expecting. It was ornate and had so much color and detail; I was
amazed it was here in the US. Most churches I’ve seen like this are overseas. People
seem to take notice too; the service was so packed, a large number of
churchgoers had to stand in the back.
^^Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
After we drove back to Charleston and got our Early Bird
Café fix, we strolled the streets of Charleston. We spent most of Monday the
same as we did in Savannah – walking around taking in the city.
Charleston was much more of a city to me. More people, more
chain stores, more hustle and bustle. One detail that was so interesting was
the way the houses were built. They all had these large porches that lined one
side of the house, with their main door entering right into that porch. I
absolutely loved this little detail and immediately wanted to live in almost
every house we passed.
^^I loved the houses in Charleston - especially the side porches.
I had never been to the South before this trip, and I
imagined that the women would be dressed to the nines with wide brimmed hats
and white gloves. I realized I was
expecting the South of the 50s and 60s. That’s the image I always had in my
mind when I thought about Southern culture. Although I was slightly
disappointed the women didn’t carry parasols to church, I enjoyed learning about a part
of the country I hadn’t been before. I will most definitely be back to this part
of the States to sip on more sweet tea and take those nice long walks.
Until next time, Lowcountry.
^^Old Pink House where we ate the first night. Built in 1771!
^^We Hayes' love our ice cream.
Beautiful Charleston
