12.24.2013

Sweet As Whole

Brilliant!  Merry EX-MAS!!  :)

11.30.2013

NOLA 2013

Oh my goodness, I can't believe I forgot to write about my awesome adventure to New Orleans in January.   I really loved this place, it was amazing, so let us begin.

I arrived there late at night was met in the airport by my daughter and ex husband, with a cute sign she made me!  People collectively said "awe".  It was a cute moment and I hadn't seen her in what seemed like decades.  So the next day she had school and it was bring your ex to work day, and I went into the Big Easy to roam around alone while he went to work at the Hotel Monteleone, he manages Criollo.  More on that restaurant later!
We went to breakfast at The Camellia Grill.  It was great, my first taste of NOLA. 

I headed down Royal street into the French Quarter.  I am greeted by the beautiful sights and sounds of this neat section of the city.  The wrought iron balconies and narrow roadways are so unlike anything I have seen, and certainly older than anything I had seen in the U.S.  I walked down pirates Alley along side the
St. Louis Cathedral l because I really want to see the inside of this old church, but before I did, I got a treat.  I saw a street band playing in Jackson square. Where the church faces in to.  I LOVE this kind of music and hearing it echo from street corner to street corner with all these foreign sights was indescribable at first.
I have some videos I will add later due to technological difficulties they will not process straight to the blog. 
Now first off I would like to point out that old man in the video you cannot see yet, can cut a rug.  I will so be like that when I am old. :) Lastly the band made me come over and sit with them while they played a song which was tremendously fun!



Jackson Square

St. Louis Cathedral

Jackson Square Park

Jackson Square

Interior St. Louis Cathedral
Pirates Alley

Churchyard of cathedral looking into Pirates Alley


The people here are so easy to like.  I really loved the vibe here.  I really have never felt anything like it.  It was like if Portland Oregon were less hipster, more magical, and more European.  In Jackson square the next thing I did was get my palm and tarot and a crystal ball reading by a Gypsy.  It didn't cost much and it sure felt like the place to have it done.  This guy was actually very accurate on many things past and present.  It was pretty cool.  Just to let you know I was supposed to meet my future husband described as tall dark and handsome in Scotland.  Well I only met one tall dark man in Scotland, boy was he gorgeous.  Who knows.  :)  It certainly isn't my last trip "home" to Scotland. 

Here's a video of a band I saw on Royal street (not my video).  Enjoy. 



First off I really love this music and to be able to hear it everywhere is amazing. 
Anyway while on Chartres I visited the Cabildo (Louisiana State Museum), the first time, and enjoyed the display on Mardi Gras.  Read and learned all about this awesome celebration.  I am glad I took the time to stop in and see it's history before I saw the whole thing in action!  Such a rich and fun tradition!  Face it, I am fun so something like this is pretty much right up my alley!!
Oh just me and grumpy cat................................................... :)
Next was me just wandering around here are the pics...and yes I took a photo inside Reverend Zombies voodoo shop my bad.  Got YELLED at. :P  I also stopped by and enjoyed 

Craig Tracy's PaintedAlive Body Painting Gallery.  




I was chilly so I stopped at 

Royal Blend Coffee & Tea House.   

Charged my phone here :)



Then I finished up my self tour by having a drink at the famous carousel bar.

The Carousel Bar & Lounge


We then went back to the house, Gwyn got off of school (which runs until night time there, crazy).  We took a nighttime ride on the St. Charles Line Streetcar.  I would like to begin  by pointing out this streetcar line is the oldest continuously operating railway line in the world.  Riding on these old streetcars was super fun.  

Phew I am tired from just writing day 1!!

The next day Gwynneth and I rode the streetcar and bus into the French Quarter again to have a day packed full of adventure.
CafĂ© Du Monde was our first stop here we had Beignets.  These are very popular here in New Orleans.  This place was reported to have the best but I honestly liked theirs the least out of the other 2 places I had them, which I will mention later.   Walked by the Beauregard-Keyes House, went into a visited the Nuns old Coventry and church there, it was so old pretty cool .





This house had a very famous gate of wrought iron that was corn shaped. 
This is the infamous LaLaurie Mansion, center of horror stories and macabre details.  This so interested me I bought a book about it and really enjoyed the read.  This house was owned by Nicholas Cage until he filed bankruptcy.   



<  This is an alley



This is Gwynneth >








We took the Algiers Ferry across the Mississippi River and noticed that we went to the ghetto side of New Orleans so we turned right around and went back.



Then we went for a tour of the history of the haunted side of New Orleans.
Gwynneth and I on the horse drawn tour!


 And here is the famous voodoo queen. Marie Laveau's crypt. The locals come here to make a wish it is told if you make 3 x's in the air and turn around 4 times put something next to her grave as a offering, your wish would come true.We put a penny,a hair clip and a bracelet.



All the pics above are from cemetary no.1


Next was Mardi Gras, :) Due too Superbowl being in the city this year I was lucky and it was split into 2 weeks so I was here for Mardi Gras "Comes Early"  This was the adult parade, we were not aware it would be SO Adult. Anyway it was crazy and funny. 














So here is an interesting fact.  In NOLA on your birthday you walk around with a pin on your shirt, people will notice it and stop you and pin money to you.  This custom stems from a custom of letting slaves do this on their birthdays to try to earn enough money to buy their freedom. 

Lastly, Gwynneth got to eat a fancy pants dinner from her Daddy at Criollo.  




Also we visited A day parade the next day for children.
We also visited City Park which was pretty cool, it has a really neat sculpture garden and I saw a black swan, never seen one before sadly she was nesting and her lifelong mate had drowned cause unknown. We had really good Beignets here!! At the cafe in the park.




 City Park Sculpture Garden





We ate for free at  Hare Krishna Temple, I love Indian food.  Thank you so much to the folks there for serving us such a great meal!!  Hare Krishna!!

 I ate so many places, and had so much amazing food while in NOLA that I gained about 6 pounds haha it was crazy!



 


 


Best photo bomb ever on Bourbon Street!  :) 



Well I am tired someday I will add the zoo...yes I went there too.  I also went many more places but for now...yes this will do!