New Orleans Part 2

Dear Reader, 

If you missed the last blog post click here, to read what happened in Part 1 !! However if you are caught up and ready to see what happened in Part 2 I would suggest to grab a cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate (whatever floats your cup) because this is going to be a long one, ENJOY !

Day 3 we decided to venture out from New Orleans and explore the Capital, Baton Rouge (which was about an hour and a half drive.) Once there we went to explore old cemeteries (pictures will be posted on my tumblr), and furthermore went to Baton Rouge's National Cemetery. The National Cemetery was the first Army base cemetery I have ever been to and to see the rows upon rows of headstones all identical, apart from the writing was a very moving moment. After that we did get lost in more cemeteries before finding our way to St. John Cathedral, which from the outside looked like any other Cathedral until you step inside and see the glorious organ. I had never seen an organ this big, the only thing to make this better was if a person was there playing (unfortunately not.) After that we did find ourselves a little place to have lunch before going back out to explore the Old State Capitol and whatever else we could find on our way. Overall Baton Rouge was interesting to visit, seeing the old and new buildings mixing together, however Baton Rouge was very empty. We were the only people walking down the streets, which felt odd. But for a more relaxed day it was perfect for us, as we headed back to New Orleans to rest a little before the night. That night we went to the Gumbo Shop to have traditional Creole dishes, Gumbo and Jamabalaya. And with our bellies full we lined up for a show at the Preservation Hall, which is known for its very popular Jazz bands. To which we ended our night and headed back to the hotel.

St. John's Cathedral Organ :O :O

Day 4 was our official last day in New Orleans, so we wasted no time to get out of our hotel room. We first went to Saint Louis Cemetery, which was paradise for a cemetery freak like me. The tombs were so close together and so old it had that constant eerie effect. It was also interesting to see that some tombs had special markings or paintings as well as offerings, something I had never seen before. And while I could spend days at a time in cemeteries, we left the dead to go on the Creole Queen Cruise. The Cruise took us to explore a part of the Mississippi River, as well as have an incredible view of the French Quarter and the Port of New Orleans. Part of the cruise was also to visit the Chalmette Battlefield. Being given approximately half an hour, we listened to a tour guide before venturing ourselves, most importantly in "THE TOWER." Now just moments after filming this tower, I asked my mom if people could climb to the top, to which we went to see. DISCLAIMER; I am terrified of heights, but for some reason thought I was brave enough to make it to the top…so I tried. I headed towards the stairs with my mom behind me and the further we got up the slower I started to climb. My mom clearly knowing my relationship with heights, asked if I wanted to go back down, to which I said yes. It was such a fail on my behalf, but I really thought it wasn't that high…AT FIRST (lol.) Still laughing away from the Tower moment, we reembarked the Creole Queen and headed back to the French Quarter and of course went straight to the Cafe du Monde (once again), because you can never eat too many beignets. After our little beignet feast we watched a series of street shows, and walked along Bourbon Street. Now this happened beginning of February which was still a little too early for Mardi Gras, however there were still guys up in the balconies perfecting their throwing skills for the real thing. From which I learned to keep my head down at all times or I would get bombarded with shouts to show off my goods (kind of scary and funny at the same time.) Bourbon street is a lot of fun to just walk down and see what is happening that night, you can walk this street hundreds of times and I think it'll still look new to you. To also conclude the night, we had the great opportunity to see a wedding parade (I do not know officially what it is called) but cops block off the road for the bride and groom to walk along the road with a marching band playing behind them and their guests waving white cloths. A truly unique thing that we were lucky to catch before heading back to the hotel.

Can I have a life time supply of beignets ?!? :D

Me on the Mississippi River 

Day 5 the following morning was very rough. With the previous days well spent in NOLA, we woke up at 5 am and headed back one last time to Cafe du Monde (which is open 24/7) to have a very early breakfast and take some beignets to go. We then set off into a whole day driving back home and collapsing in our cozy beds. Overall New Orleans was such a beautiful city to visit. It is very original, historical, and sometimes X-rated, but it gave it all its charm. It truly is a city I would love to come back to, for its beauty and beignets (;

If you still have any drink left in that cup, click below to watch the small video which cannot give New Orleans any justice and I'll talk to you next time (:

Bookishly Yours,