Travelin' Road Show: Sun 26th

Sun 26^th – New Orleans

Cafe Du Monde.. line up too long

Jackson Sq from the Mississippi River

Couple of goofy looking tourists

On the Natchez paddle steamer with Cafe Beignet

A jam packed day. We got up early and headed to the main building in the RV Park to watch a 40 minute video on Hurricane Katrina - the build up and the aftermath and the reasons why there was so much damage. It was scary in many ways to see how much human activity on this earth has, is, and will continue to affect the weather, wildlife and our very existence on this planet. So much devastation and hardship for the people in this beautiful city only 9 short years ago. The re-build continues but they are a long way from completing it.. if they ever really do. At 10 am we hopped the shuttle provided by the RV park for the trip into New Orleans proper, dropping us off in the French Quarter, we walked over to the famous ‘Café Du Monde for beignets, but were disappointed to see the line up that extended for blocks… so we opted to do that another time. We picked up some beignets from the ‘café Beignet’ and will look forward to comparing them with the ‘real deal’ another day!! We boarded on the Natchez paddle steam boat for a 2 hour cruise up and down the Mississippi river. It was a beautiful day, 27 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, and we totally enjoyed the cruise, visiting the engine room to see the amazing way the whole paddle boat system works. There was a Jazz band playing for the last hour, so we felt rather immersed in the whole experience.

Steam driven paddle wheel

Cruising the Mississippi on the Natchez

New Orleans skyline

Katrina debris

Paddle mechanics

After the cruise, we wandered along the waterfront, chatted with some other people (one guy from Liverpool) and found out some information from some locals, that helped us in our explorations. We headed up Bourbon Street for the obligatory New Orleans experience. There is a Saints/packers game on later tonight and the street was filled with tourists, many of whom where wearing Green Bay Packers green … what an eclectic crowd… many of whom were well on their way to a massive hangover. Generally a huge long street party all along Bourbon street. Loud and actually lots of fun… but just a bit too much noise and wild party people for us. Janice bought the obligatory t-shirt, we stopped for one ‘huge ass’ beer and hightailed it out to a quieter area of town… Frenchmen Street. This a less known area of New Orleans right next to the French Quarter and seems to be a more authentic New Orleans experience. Jazz clubs and restaurants abounding and filled with music lovers. locals and those wanting some good Cajun food. We popped in to a restaurant / bar (The Marigny Brasserie)and tried the fried oysters (not bad) and awesome crawfish linguine… Oh my…. A taste sensation!!! We followed that with a stop at a Jazz bar that was an absolute dive from the outside with amazing talented Jazz inside… The Spotted Cat! Go there if you get the chance… very cool!!! Tired to the bone we took the last shuttle back to the RV park for an early night.