Every Day is a Gift!
Tina has challenged us to show people. I usually don’t take a lot of people pictures and I’m not very good at taking them but I managed to come up with a few images for the challenge. The two musicians in my header image entertained us with Celtic music in a pub in Dingle, Ireland a few years ago.
I’ll finish with a gallery of three tour guides we enjoyed during our travels.
Many thanks to our host Tina for the challenge Lens-Artists #292 – People Here, There and Everywhere
Patti has chosen cityscapes for this challenge. I’m not a city girl. I would much rather be in a small town, out in the country, or exploring nature.
There is one city that is near and dear to my heart and that is Savannah, Georgia. I was born in Savannah (I’m not telling you how many years ago that was) when my father was in the U. S. Air Force stationed at Hunter Air Force Base (now Hunter Army Airfield). We moved away when I was three years old. Many years later my husband’s job brought me back to Savannah. I’ve lived within 20 miles of Savannah for over 40 years.
Savannah is a popular tourist destination with it’s beautiful squares, ancient live oaks dripping with Spanish moss, a picturesque river front, Bonaventure Cemetery, and lots of history. Tourism increased after the release of John Berent’s novel “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”. In Savannah the novel is known as “The Book.” Hollywood discovered Savannah and it has become a popular filming location for movies such as “Forrest Gump”, “Glory”, “The Last Song” and of course the Clint Eastwood directed “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”.
Many thanks to our host Patti for the challenge Lens-Artists #291 – Cityscapes
After a rough start to 2024 Henry and I were more than ready to take off on an adventure to nine different Caribbean islands. A month before our departure I tripped and fractured my left arm. I did the happy dance when my doctor gave me the ok to go on our long awaited West Indies Explorer cruise on the Viking Sea. We were looking forward to the warm weather, turquoise waters, beautiful islands, and some new adventures.
We did this same cruise in January, 2022. We enjoyed the islands so much we wanted to visit them all again. This time we chose different excursions so that we could experience new things on each island.
Our adventure started in San Juan on Saturday, February 10, 2024, the day before the Super Bowl. Our travel day started about 3:30 a.m. in order to get to the Savannah airport in time for our 6:30 departure. I couldn’t carry anything with my left arm so Henry had to manage all of our carry on bags through two airports. We enjoyed two nights at a beautiful resort before boarding our cruise ship the Viking Sea on Monday morning. The header image was taken at the beach at the resort.
I spotted the small iguana on the beach as he wandered next to people lounging on beach chairs. I soon saw a large iguana on the beach. I met a woman from Panama who told me she was the mama iguana in search of the baby. I don’t know if they ever found each other.
I posted about our first San Juan visit at Caribbean Island Adventure 2022 San Juan.
After two enjoyable days at the hotel we boarded the Viking Sea on Monday. We spent most of the day on Tuesday relaxing on the ship. We took a stroll along the waterfront by the cruise ship docks and enjoyed watching the sunset from the ship as we cruised away from San Juan.
A bus tour around St. Martin was a fun way spend the day. Our driver Leroy drove us around the island pointing out points of interest including the many salt ponds. We stopped at a beach along the way and at the open air market in Marigot, the capital of the French side of the island. Once back at the cruise ship dock in Phillipsburg we walked around the port on our way back to the ship. We ended the day with a delicious Valentine’s dinner at Manfredi’s onboard the ship.
Henry enjoyed driving a 4×4 Honda Talon around the island on our 2022 visit to St. Martin. We had a great time watching the airplanes landing at the airport. You can read more about that adventure at Caribbean Islands Adventure St. Martin.
Our colorful guide Christopher had many fun stories to tell as he drove us around beautiful St. Kitts in his safari vehicle. We passed by ruins from a sugar cane plantation and stopped to see black volcanic rocks. At our last stop we were treated to rum punch, the best we tasted on the entire cruise.
We took a ride on the St. Kitts Scenic Railway on our 2022 visit to St. Kitts. You can read about the fun we had at Caribbean Islands Adventure 2022 St. Kitts.
A trip to the Caribbean is not complete without at least one boat trip. A coastal cruise to see the Pitons was a perfect way to spend the day in St. Lucia. Our ship was docked in the capitol of Castries in the northern part of the island. After boarding our tour boat we cruised south along the shore while our guide pointed out fishing villages, bays and other places of interest. The weather was perfect with blue skies and calm seas.
Our destination was the Pitons which are the two volcanic peaks named Gros Piton and Petit Piton located near the town of Soufriere. The Pitons are a UNESCO World Heritage site and glorious to see. The captain slowed the boat as we approached the Pitons and moved the boat around so everyone could have a good view and take a photo.
On our return trip to Castries the captain took us into Marigot Bay for a view of the harbor. There was music, dancing and rum all the way back to our ship. What a beautiful day in the Caribbean.
This was our fourth visit to St. Lucia. On our first two visits we stayed in a house near the town of Soufriere. Our main reason for going there was to go scuba diving in the beautiful reefs around St. Lucia. Our third visit to St. Lucia was in January, 2022 on our first West Indies cruise on the Viking Sea. For a look at the northern area of St. Lucia visit Caribbean Islands Adventure 2022.
With my wounded left arm it was difficult to hold my camera. Most of these photos were taken with my cell phone. Getting in and out of the buses and on and off the boat was challenging but the drivers and boat crews were very helpful everywhere we went.
Coming soon is a post about our adventures in five more islands.
The history of the Savannah St. Patrick’s Day parade can be traced back to 1824. This year the parade organizers are expecting an even bigger crowd than usual with the parade celebrating it’s 200th anniversary. The festivities begin well before the March 17 parade each year. Today, the Savannah parade is one of the largest in the world. Marching in the parade will be groups of families, Irish societies, floats, marching bands, pipe and drum bands, military units, and even the Budweiser Clydesdales.
People start wearing their green in early March. Green is every where you look around Savannah. The header image features the Forsyth Fountain dyed green. There will be green beer, green grits, even beards and dogs dyed green.
It’s been several years since we’ve gone to the Savannah parade. We always enjoy the festivities on nearby Tybee Island. The Tybee Island Irish Heritage usually has a parade on the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day. Sadly, the parade was cancelled this year because the area was under a tornado watch.
This college includes highlights from past Tybee parades.
One of the highlights of the week is the Bahamian Junkanoo group Barabbas and the Tribe who create special costumes for the week and march in the both the Savannah and Tybee parades playing their Junkanoo music. They also perform at the Crab Shack on Tybee Island every night before the Savannah Parade.
This year’s Tybee celebration began on Friday night, March 8 with a Junkanoo parade through the Crab Shack on Tybee Island. On Saturday they will march in the 200th Savannah St. Patrick’s Day parade.
There was more green fun Tuesday night when Pipe and Drum bands from Savannah and Limerick, Ireland got together to practice on the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion.
On Saturday, March 16, 2024 the streets of Savannah will be filled with thousands of spectators dressed in green as the 200th edition of the Savannah St. Patrick’s Day takes place.
Luck of the Irish to you!
Shared with Terri’s Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Saving Daylight with Green
Our challenge from Anne-Christine is to feature circular wonders by showing circles and half circles.
In my opening photo above the most circular wonder of all is the sun at sunset. The following two images are from our February Caribbean cruise.
The Tybee Pier and Pavillion was a great place to listen to Irish music performed by Pipes and Drums Bands from Savannah and Limerick, Ireland as Savannah gets ready for it’s 200th St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday. The following gallery includes a few circular wonders.
Many thanks to our host Ann-Christine for the challenge Lens-Artists #290 – Circular Wonders
Wandering Dawgs 