Enchanting adventures.

(This blog post brought to you from one of my favorite spots in Cafe' Strudel - sticky bun coffee in-hand, in a souvenir mug that says "Larry")

Because I have the coolest friends in the world, we often make extremely spontaneous plans to hit the road and find somewhere new and exciting to explore. So about 3:00pm Friday, after much deliberation from multiple parties via text-message, (Charleston? No, been there, done that. Hilton Head? Eh, too many tourists. How 'bout Savannah? Ah, now there's an idea!), the next day's adventure started to take shape. The boys took their motorcycles while the ladies cruised South in air conditioned comfort - Savannah or bust.

And I was completely, completely enchanted.

I've always had a soft spot for rambling historical towns, (St. Augustine, for example, is my favorite city in the US), so I expected to like the place, but this was different.

Savannah was magical.

Slow. Easy. Kissed with river breezes. Covered in ancient oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. Filled to the brim with arresting architecture and shady squares that just beg for lingering. And not completely mobbed with tourists!

We didn't rush, (rising early on Saturday mornings is rarely how I roll), so we didn't even hit the road till 11am, leaving us with a golden, sun-drenched afternoon to savor in one of the South's most haunting cities.

We started the day with a picnic in Reynold's Square - my husband put together the most fabulous spread of gourmet picnic fare - and we just melted into the day. There's nothing like good friends on a picnic blanket in a beautiful park. Plus, they were setting up for a wedding right beside our spot, which is always exciting to me. (We saw at least four different weddings over the course of the afternoon alone.)

We didn't take any pricey tours, ride any trolleys, or really do much of anything the average tourist does in Savannah.

We did, however, wander the moss-hung streets and parks for hours and hours, basking in patches of golden sunshine, taking in the history and magic of the city, exploring old cemeteries, taking pictures, talking and laughing.

We watched the sun go down on a swaying dock in the shadow of enormous shipping vessels and a real riverboat (my first sighting outside Disney World), to the sound of a lone trombone player.

We ended the night with spectacular Thai and Vietnamese food at Saigon, and then put the icing on the cake with utterly heavenly lavender ice cream from Leopold's.

If you haven't ever been to Savannah, you should definitely make the trip. I know we'll be back!