Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite

We went North.
I'll try and be succinct, however, you and I both know that is always a challenge for me.
Left 6ish on Monday evening and stopped in Daytona Beach for the night. We ate dinner at the restaurant in Ponce Inlet near the lighthouse. Food was mediocre; the setting is riverside, thus the draw. Next morning we roamed the beach a bit, investigating the aging, soon to be torn down, Boardwalk. As you may or may not know, Daytona bills itself as the world's most famous beach. It may well have been in it's heyday.

Next stop--Savannah. We left with no reservations, or concrete plans, for that matter, yet we were able to get a room at the Marshall Inn in the historic district. It felt like we had stepped into a photo shoot for the magazine Southern Living . Wine and cheese service at 5 in the beautiful lobby--very nice. Bruce took a little nap, and you already know that I went out to take some photos. I moseyed over to Paula Deen's restaurant which was a few blocks away. Lines on a Tuesday night--probably tourists. Light dinner at Jen & Friends Martini bar. Pretty much a neighborhood bar which is always nice to try. We met a couple there with whom we walked to a blues club. Unfortunately, Bruce began to feel the effects of the previous stop, so back to our room we went.; just as well as the next day on to Charleston.

The drive to Charleston was a pleasure for me as the scenery is lovely--lots of forests along the way. Not so much fun for Mr. Bruce--hmm...

Charleston is a charming town. Fantastic food and scenery. It's situated between two rivers, one of which we crossed via a 3 1/2 mile suspension bridge--said to be the longest span in the Americas. Did you remember I have a bridge phobia? Well, I do, and this one sent me into a panic. Of course, I never looked up until we were on the other side. We moseyed about, seeing magnificent houses, and old churches. Charlestonians take their art seriously. There are literally dozens of galleries downtown. We saw a Rodin exhibit at the Gibbes Museum--a real gem. Included was a film about the bronzing process; amazing the work that goes into transforming the sculptor's model into a bronze statue.

Bed bugs. Not so good. I noticed a few bites the first morning we were there, lots more to come. We didn't realize what we were dealing with at the time, but I have about 30 bites on my legs and torso as battle scars. This necessitated washing every thing in our bags when we arrived home last evening. It was only after our return that Bruce did a bit of on-line research and discovered what we encountered. You can bet the owner will be receiving a letter very soon.

It has been longer than I can remember since we took a car trip. Because Bruce is a two million miler with Delta, we typically fly. I wasn't driving so it's easy for me to say that it is fun to see what is between here, and there. I highly recommend a trip to Savannah and Charleston; I suspect you won't be disappointed.