The trip was, hmm, how to put this? Not what I expected.
Cathy has recently began experiencing night sweats and hot flashes. Her hormonal imbalance has also affected her mood, and not for the better. She was a B.I.T.C.H. She even admitted to this, so I am not saying anything that she doesn't know.
The two teens we brought with us was just as much of a joy as Cathy.
Here are a few pictures depicting our experiences in the Big Easy. Please keep in mind, we had to WALK everywhere we went. We probably logged approximately 75 miles of walking in the 2.5 days we were there.
This is in the French Quarter. The Mississippi River is on the other side of the wall.
Statue of Andrew Jackson in the middle of Jackson Square in the French Quarter
Santa on the Square--Now you know where he vacations :)
They are built exactly alike
The next few pictures were taken when we took a bus tour of New Orleans, the Garden District, the cemetary, and the 9th Ward where Hurricane Katrina had hit.
The devastation is still evident--Hole in roof where the people living in the house had to climb out of and wait for help. The picture below is of a school where a lot of the people in the 9th ward took refuge during the flooding, waiting to be rescued.
The buildings are spectacular. All of the iron work is just fabulous.
Outside the cemetary where Mary Laveau is entombed.
Mary Laveau's Tomb. She is the Queen of Voodoo. It is believed that if you put 3 red X's on her tomb, leave a gift and make a wish, she will grant your wish if she likes the gift.
JC was overjoyed with the amount of sightseeing we had done that day :)
Jessica was just as excited, if not more.
The next set of pictures were of the rest of the time we were there.
We were very lucky to get to witness the wedding of a US Marine and his lovely bride leaving the St. Louis Cathedral (built in 1849). It was quite a sight to see!
After the wedding party left the Cathedral, they entire wedding party & guests paraded up and down the streets of the French quarter. A Dixie Band lead the procession! They all danced as they paraded and the guests waved white handkerchiefs in the air while dancing. It was a sight to behold!
Cathy and I took a stroll down Bourbon Street one day and left the kids at the hotel. We stopped in a bar called "The House of Blues". We drank exactly one beer, listened to the band for a couple songs, then went back to the hotel. We are such the party animals :)
The band at the bar was really good.
We were at one of the more pricey restaurants and were waiting to be seated. Cathy got bored. She amused herself and anyone walking by on the street (which were many) by smashing her nose on the door glass. JC was not amused. I, on the other hand, was extremely amused and went outside to get this picture.
We went to the Aquarium one day, by this time, all four of us was faking the smile :)
Only in New Orleans will you see the following:
One morning early, Cathy and I walked down to the Cafe Du Monde for coffee and beignets (the coffee has chicory in it and is a.w.e.s.o.m.e. and beignets are just the french word for donuts~~they tasted like funnel cakes) Anyway, a newscrew was there interviewing people about the Gulf Oil Spill. Cathy was one of the people they interviewed!
The last night we were there, we went on a Vampire Tour, it was a walking tour, by this time, I hated Cathy for wanting to walk more, BUT walk we did.
One of the tour guides that had fangs, real fangs...it was...creepy
Jonathon was our tour guide, no fangs, but he was still kinda creepy. He was a fabulous storyteller though, I could have listened to him for another 2 hours if it wouldn't have involved walking!
All in all, we did have a good time and I wouldn't have missed the experience for the world!
