St. Simon's, Day Two, Part One

Our day began at about six-o'clock, when we smelled bacon. We promptly rolled over and went back to sleep...or at least, Mum did. I lay in bed with my eyes closed telling myself I should sleep in, and no, I wasn't going to get up and blog hope while Mum slept because I'm not that much of a junkie. Hah!

We got up around nine and moseyed to the lobby where breakfast was winding down...but there was still plenty of it. Can't accuse the Holiday Inn Express of stinting the eats! We shared a bagel and had tiny, cute, perfect little omelets, paper-thin bacon that was so crisp, the edges so sharp you could shave with it, and I had a cinnamon roll because I could. Not bad for motel food, huh? The lady who made sure everything was fresh, bountiful, and palatable was friendly and quick to refill the OJ dispenser when we pointed out it was empty.

After breakfast, we headed to the North end of the island and Fort Frederica, our first stop of the day. There's not a lot of "there" there, but it's truly lovely - there was a quality to the silence that was almost Zenlike, a peace at odds with the purpose of the place, a military installation. There were a few ruins, some signs pointing out roads, alleyways, and building sites, and incredible trees covered in moss. The grounds were clean, despite tourists, and Seville orange trees were dotted about, providing a pleasant perfume to the morning. There were several places where I felt all goose-pimply, like I'd walked through a shadow, perhaps a place where someone lingered or past and present overlapped.

There is continued archaeological activity at the fort, some of which involves local school children - how cool is that??

I shot over 200 photos! Don't worry, I haven't posted them all here...

An artist's rendering of what the fort may have looked like.

The plaque explaining the fort's history - enlarge and you can read it!

The fort as it is today...not much left of all those lives, struggles, tragedies and triumphs...an object lesson in the impermanence of things.

All that's left of a two-storey house, and an example of the huts that many people lived in while in the fort.

The candle-maker's house - or what's left of it.

The last bit of The King's Magazine...

...which isn't much compared to what it was.

The obligatory cannon (cemented closed to prevent shenanigans). There were three of them, and I have photos of them all, but not enough blog space to post them.

The remains of the barracks.

The burial ground.

Nobody home...

When I get home, I'll post something more thorough (maybe somewhere else and link it here to save space and boredom for anyone not interested...I know not everyone's as keen on ruins and history as I am...)

To be continued...(next - Christ Church and lunch!)...