Howdy from N' Awlins!

When last we spoke, we were suffering through a freaky snow/ice storm - apparently quite atypical of winter weather in the south.  We never planned to be "cold-weather campers" but were thrown in feet first. It was discovered fairly quickly that the electric heat doesn't work well when the temps drop below 40 degrees, and the propane furnace must be used.  Then it was discovered that we were low on propane, and of course just that morning there was a blurb on TV about a propane shortage. Luckily, we were able to refill our tank in Lafayette.  After three frigid nights in Lafayette, we gave up sightseeing and took off for New Orleans. We bypassed Baton Rouge, with the plan to check it out on our way west. 

Between Lafayette and New Orleans on I-10, we drove literally over a swamp for miles. Here are a couple of photos...

Before we knew it, we were crossing the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge. Here is a quick view of the city from the bridge.  In hindsight, I'm sorry we didn't stop there.  They've got the only Trader Joe's in Louisiana and we LOVE that place!  

It was a relatively short drive (135 miles) from Lafayette to New Orleans. After arriving at our campground - the New Orleans KOA - we hopped in our car and found our way to the French Quarter. 

It was just as I imagined. Busy, crazy, weird, and wild. We drove slowly down all the streets, as walking all that way was just out of the question for me and my bad leg. Some of the streets in the French Quarter were a little wilder & crazier than others.  It was ALL fun to finally get to see!

This photo shows St Louis Cathedral across from Jackson Square, all within the French Quarter. It is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in continual use, in the USA, started in 1727. 

The next day we went to the National WWII Museum.  It was a fabulous facility, full of very interesting stuff - if you are a history buff.  Here is Suz, about to make a speech....

We stayed ALL DAY and still didn't see the museum in it's entirety.  They closed at 5 pm, and I snapped this photo from the parking lot. 

The next morning (Saturday) we made our way to the French Quarter a little early for our city tour, so Suz could tick off one of her bucket list items. Here she is, all smiles at Cafe Du Monde, ready to get a cafe au lait and beignets! :-)

I should add at this point that we are having ongoing problems with "Maggie" Magellan - our gps. This morning she had us "take the next Left and make a U-turn" -- which we did, only to hear her say "take the next Left and make a U-turn"... when I heard that I told John, "I'm throwing this thing into the trash!" but of course that hasn't happened - yet.  Actually, I want to stomp on her and then throw her into the trash... that would feel SO good.

We took a city tour around New Orleans, and one of the places we stopped at was one of the many above ground cemeteries. SO COOL.  I've seen them featured in movies, and it was fun to be able to see one in person. We were told that there are 43 above ground cemeteries in the greater New Orleans area.

The White Knight found an above ground crypt that looked a lot like a castle, and checked it out.  We were told that the windows in the crypts were called "Windows of opportunity". I guess if you were accidentally entombed alive, you could break out... or maybe NOT so accidentally :) 

Here is the White Knight again (lower right side). Clearly, not all the crypts have those windows of opportunity. Once you're in, you're in. 

Some of the tombs are quite large... and expensive.

If you have no money to spend for a fancy final resting place, we were told you end up here - in what the guide called "the low rent district".  

Okay, enough about burials.  Our tour took us through many different neighborhoods, one called the "Garden District".  I took lots of photos but loved this one which was built to be a replica of the plantation home from the movie Gone With the Wind...  This is "Tara".  Love it.

After the tour, we were dropped off again in the French Quarter, where we decided it was time for some lunch.  We have tried some interesting southern cuisine, but this was SO good.....  Our first "muffuletta" sandwich. 

It was SO good, but no, I didn't finish mine.  Ham, salami, pastrami, with lots of chopped olives on top and melted provolone cheese. Holy cholesterol Batman, remember your statin tonight !

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.....  After returning home from a long day's sightseeing, we brought Jinx outside for a bit of fresh air. You can't really see him in this shot, but he's out there, sitting next to John on the picnic table. 

We have more sightseeing planned before we depart from "The Big Easy".  Of course we'll be documenting it right here, so do check back soon!