Summer Vacation 2013: Day 14-Austin to New Orleans

Today we left Austin to head to New Orleans. It was a short drive compared to what we have been doing, so it was a little more relaxing. We had rain off and on most of the way, but it was especially heavy in Houston and across the bayou of Louisiana. The eastern part of Texas is green and lush because of the gulf waters, a strong contrast to the deserts of west Texas. We noticed that Texas ranchers raise more than cattle at this end of Texas too. We saw miniature horse farms, more deer, emus, several donkeys, buffalo, and goats.

We crossed over Lake Charles, which is so big, that one cannot see an end to it from the bridge. We saw sugarcane and more rice paddies growing in Louisiana. As we crossed the Atchafalaya River, and again when we crossed the Mississippi River, we saw tugboats pushing large barges up and down the rivers. We had hoped to continue our “Capitols of America” tour in Baton Rouge, but since it was pouring down (and we were in the wrong lane) the kids voted to forgo the Louisiana State Capitol tour. I guess we will save that for another trip.

We arrived in New Orleans relatively early and passed by several cemeteries before reaching our hotel. It is interesting to see only above-ground mausoleums in the cemeteries, as the water table is too high to bury people underground. One of the cemeteries that we passed seemed to be in disrepair with holes in roofs and crumbling walls. It looked like it could be the backdrop for a ghostly thriller movie. Our hotel was in the French Quarter and within walking distance of all that that area offers. We checked in and hit the streets. The grillwork on the balconies is always beautiful, and just walking through the streets with the hanging baskets and beautiful flowers is a treat. Like Las Vegas, there seemed to be an abundance of police officers out and about, and the streets were crowded with people, some who were clearly just visiting and enjoying the city, and others who were looking to panhandle and harass. We tried to avoid them, but weren’t very successful. Some of the street musicians were pretty good, others, not so much, but it was interesting to see them all. We walked through the streets, went into a few shops, and bought some pralines. We bypassed several shops that catered to the voodoo traditions of the area; we found them very creepy even just to walk by. We walked to the river and watched the paddleboats and barges traveling along, and then to the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France, which overlooks Jackson Square. Unfortunately, it was gated and locked, and we were unable to go inside. That was a major disappointment for me.

We had dinner in a restaurant on Market Square; Claire had jambalaya and liked it. Peter and I both had shrimp, and James had a sandwich. I have never been served shrimp with the head (and all that goes with that ~ eyes, antennae, etc.) still attached, so it was a little different. We all enjoyed the meal and the band that was playing while we ate. It was definitely a New Orleans experience. We then walked back to Café Du Monde and had beignets. They were fabulous! The evening was getting late by then, so we strolled back to the hotel, avoiding the sections of Bourbon Street that our family did not need to see. Visiting New Orleans is such a unique experience that we are glad that we didn’t pass it by, as we had originally planned.