Just in time for their visit, NOLA was having a Blues & BBQ festival so we had to check it out. Both the music and food were great and we left with some great new music.
At the Blues & BBQ Festival
In the afternoon, we decided to ride out to Jean Lafitte National Park on the Barataria Preserve. The scenery was beautiful but the mosquitos were HUGE! Our planned walk on the Bayou Couquille Trail was cut short due to their swarms...
Before the mosquitos chased us off
Vicki on the trail
After a day of sightseeing, dinner on Bourbon Street was in order. Since the girls had never been to NOLA, Bourbon Street was quite an experience!
Taking in the sights of Bourbon Street
Do you think this was made for us?
What evening in NOLA would be complete without
coffee & beignets at Cafe Du Monde?
Our start for the next day was at the French Quarter site for Jean Lafitte National Park.
Taking a break
The French Market was next on the list of things to do
Vicki & Suzanne were ready to chow down at the Gumbo Shop
After lunch, a stroll along the Mississippi was in order.
Barge on the river
Mississippi River Bridge
Suzanne photographing the Mississippi
After a long day of sightseeing, the spa felt great!
The next morning it was up early and another trip to Cafe du Monde to fortify us for a walking tour of the French Quarter. Unfortunately, the ranger was sick and the tour was cancelled so we went to Plan B - the Old New Orleans Rum Distillery for a Rum tasting....Not a bad second choice!
Wonderful tastes await us!
Our sampling
My personal favorite was the Cajun Spice Run - Outstanding!
2 happy tasters
Next on the agenda was a Cemetery Tour of St. Louis Cemetery 1, the oldest cemetery in New Orleans. Our tour departed from Rev. Zombie's Voodoo Shop - appropriate don't you think!
Rev. Zombie's Voodoo Shop
Just hanging out waiting for the tour to start
St. Louis Cemetery 1 from the edge of the French Quarter.
Creepy to say but our campsite was across the street!
Our tour begins!
Suzanne & Vicki make a wish at Marie Laveau's tomb.
Marie Laveau was known as the "Voodoo Queen", and
legend has it that if you mark 3 X's on her tomb &
knock 3 times she will grant your wish.
This tomb is the future resting place of Nicolas Cage
In the film Easy Rider, Peter Fonda did a scene on the lap of this
statue while tripped out on acid. After the movie was screened, the
Catholic Archdiocese was furious and has since refused to allow
any films to be made here.
A row of Crypts
Tombs were designed to house many generations of a family in a single tomb.
After a burial, the vault was closed but could be reopened after 1 year and 1 day
for another family burial. The coffin would be removed & burned and the
remains were pushed to the back or placed underneath to make room for the
new occupant. If a there were no more descendants or if the family no longer
wanted to have the tomb reused, they would request it be marked "Closed Forever".
We rounded out the day with a drink at Pat O'Briens and then a final visit to Cafe du Monde.
Vicki enjoys a Hurricane at Pat O'Briens
The remnants of Suzanne's Beignets
Unfortunately, our time with Suzanne & Vicki was coming to a close and it was time for them to return to Florida and the real world. Reluctantly, we took them to the airport for their return flight.
Final goodbyes
One of the things we wanted to make sure we did was go to Preservation Hall to listen to the music that made New Orleans famous. Our last evening, we made it and had the opportunity to listen to some great music.
View of Preservation Hall from the street
Preservation Hall Band
Our final day in New Orleans had arrived all too soon. And, to make the departure even worse, it decided to rain. It's definitely no fun breaking camp in the rain but we managed and, of course, by the time we were ready to pull out the rain had stopped!
Tim cranking up the stabilizers in the rain
Our final stop would be in Destin, FL and visit with the Hess House.
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