New Orleans

New Orleans surprised us.  I think we all gained an appreciation for the culture of this place.

We started our afternoon in the French quarter with a visit to the Presbytère, a museum which houses exhibits on hurricane Katrina and Mardi Gras, carnival. Both helped us see deeper into the culture of the big easy.  It is richer than I expected.  The incredible blending of so many cultures is beautiful. People do not just coexist here, they intermingle and love each other well.

We then enjoyed the architecture and local music of the area.  It resembles Paris in many ways.

These narrow, one-way streets were not made for our massive van. I even had to make a three-point turn just to get around a corner!

Our next stop was historic Cafè du Munde for beignets (French donuts swimming in powdered sugar).

We ended our time downtown with dinner at a local seafood place.  We tried the alligator, but everyone enjoyed the fried catfish, oysters, clams and crab along with gumbo and maque choux.  Jon had a burger and C a salad! 😄