New Orleans
/We almost skipped the best part of our trip. Did I mention before that it rained while we were in Mississippi? Well not only did it rain in Mississippi, but everywhere south of Mississippi, including New Orleans, suffered from torrential downpours. The Weather Channel sent Mike Cidel to the Big Easy for a few days so apparently the weather was bad! My friends back home were even sending us cautions! Predictions kept coming of flooding and heavy rains and my spirits kept dropping. I carried on a little conversation with myself and God and decided that it the forecast for the next day continued to look dangerous, we would go to plan B and accept that there was some reason for it. With peace in my heart I slept well and woke up to sunshine! The Weather Channel was now showing nothing but typical afternoon thunderstorms so, on we went to Louisiana
We arrived at the French Quarter RV Resort about 1:00 and it promised everything that the campground in Mississippi lacked. An attendant met us at a code protected gate, directed us to our site, and handed us information. She told us to set up and then come back to check in. A tall brick wall with razor wire around the top circled the campground. I entertained mixed feelings about that!
After checking in we walked across the street and directly into the French Quarter. We passed the oldest cemetery in New Orleans and walked through a parking lot where a film crew camped for a movie they were filming.
The buildings and street fronts were so different from other cities. We learned later on a tour that every building in the French Quarter resides in a historical district and the appearance must remain unchanged. So if a door breaks no going to Lowes and replacing it; it must be custom made.
We walked down Bienville Street until it crossed the infamous Bourbon St. We walked a short distance on Bourbon Street and realized it completely met my expectations. It was crude and dirty in all ways. A little went a long way there. I expected the entire city to feel that way, but it didn’t. It is a remarkable place. Ironically, we ended up eating at two restaurants that were on Bourbon Street. We found them on the corners as we traveled down the other way.
We continued up Saint Louis Street until we arrived at the Mississippi River where we saw large river boats. It was a few yards to Jackson Square with a statue of Andrew Jackson in front of the lovely St. Louis Cathedral. This was the hub of activity. There were many restaurants, beautiful shops, the aquarium, and horse and buggies lined the avenue. We arranged a buggy ride with a nice young lady and her mule-Molly. She gave us a most interesting tour of part of the French Quarter. In her words, “New Orleans is a third world country surrounded by the United States. Things don’t work the same here. Time doesn’t work the same here and laws don’t work the same here. If you come to that understanding early and don’t expect differently, you’ll get along well in New Orleans.” No wonder they call it “The Big Easy”. People remain quite laid back! After our buggy tour, we walked back through the streets, stopping frequently to watch the street performers. We had a very nice shrimp dinner at a small restaurant while it began to rain.
. We bought ponchos from a store near the restaurant then enjoyed the rest of the evening on our campsite.
