Thursday, June 27, 2013

The Joy is in the Journey

I love to travel.  The thought of visiting new places and discovering new things thrills and excites me.  Every year, Nuno and I try to get away with our girls to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Some years we've stayed close to home, other years, we've flown to far-away places. But, my favorite way to travel is by car.  I love road trips.  As some of you may know, I am not a fan of air travel, although, if I have to fly to get somewhere, I will.  

This year, we decided to rent a car and drive down south to Florida.  We had flown to Orlando, Florida, once before, but this time, we drove - approximately 2100 km or 1300 miles (each way).  I cannot tell you how wonderful the drive was!  My girls were the most wonderful road companions.  Not once, did they complain about the drive or how long it was going to take to get there.  The joy was in the journey and in the places we saw along the way.  


OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO! 

On day one of our trip, we drove from our home in Barrie, Ontario to the Canada/US border at Niagara Falls, and on through the states of New York, Pennsylvania,  and West Virginia!



One of the most breathtaking sights along the way were the mountain views in the state of West Virginia.


We had to pull over to take in the majestic landscape.  It was simply stunning!


We stayed overnight in West Virginia and then headed out again in the early morning hours towards the state of Virginia; boasting equally breath-taking mountain and valley views.  

On day two, we continued driving through the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.  It was almost lunch hour as we neared toward the city of Savannah, Georgia.  We decided to stop there for lunch.  And thank goodness, we did!
 

GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN!


It was stifling hot and so humid when we arrived in Savannah.  Honestly, I couldn't care less because my heart skipped a beat when I found myself in this beautiful city.  What a wonderful, unexpected surprise!  This enchanting place stole my heart - the architecture, the gardens, the squares, the food, oh my goodness!  

 My girls and I in the city market square


For lunch, we ate chicken gumbo at the old Pirates' House restaurant 


We browsed through some of the shops and walked along the city streets and squares.



 Time flew way too quickly and we had to say goodbye to Savannah.  I hoped we would return here on our way back home.  The state of Florida was coming up next.  How exciting!  We were almost there!!

Stay tuned for my next post...