" Laissez les bons temps rouler "  ( Let the good times roll )... is a very apt saying for a town like New Orleans!!!



When we woke up on Sunday 19th the ship had docked back in New Orleans, one last breakfast at raffles and then around 10am time to leave ... disembarkation was pretty straight forward and easy, no problems with customs.

Our motel this time is the Hilton Riverside which is only a block from the cruise terminal so close enough to walk. A bit of an effort though with all the hoards already on the street all dressed for Mardi Gras parades! Once again we were able to check in when we arrived, we've been so lucky with this, every place no matter what time of the morning we arrive we've been able to go straight to our rooms! We've also noticed the same thing happens to us constantly at restaurants, cafes or bars.. we'll arrive and get served immediately and then the hoards arrive, all the seats get taken and the wait time is long.... sometimes it seems as though someone is watching over us.

We stayed at the Hilton for 3 nights and then moved to the Inn on Bourbon, same thing there, checked in as soon as we arrived at 10am. Now during Mardi Gras I wouldn't have wanted to be staying anywhere on Bourbon Street but we moved there the day after the big Fat Tuesday celebrations.

Sunday we had a pretty quiet day, ended up in Bourbon Street again of course with all the craziness of bead throwing and bar hopping.



Monday 20th we decided to go to the WW2 Museum. this is On Magazine St but originally our plan was to get the St Charles streetcar walk down to Magazine and go to the museum well once again.. best laid plans etc etc. Because of the parades all of St Charles was barricaded and we didn't see a streetcar, I don't think they were running!! Anyway we did what we always do and that is walk.. walk and walk. I had already checked out the bus route on Magazine and so we hopped on the #11 to the museum... it was really well laid out, very interesting and well worth the visit. After a couple of hours I'd had enough though so we went back outside and jumped on the next bus further up Magazine St.



I wanted to go to the Layfayette Cemetery #1 so we got off at 4th st and as it was lunch time went into a pub called Traceys'.... we shared the best roast beef po-boy we ate the whole time we were in New Orleans.. it was soooo yummy.



Fortified and full once again we set off for the cemetery, Rodd was funny, muttering all the way "great, you're making me walk all this way just to see some old graves"!!! Just as we got to the cemetery we heard, and saw a block further up the beginnings of a parade going down St Charles Ave so we ran ( well as much as we can run!! ) and managed to see the Krewe of Tuck. We caught lots of beads and a big plastic bone ( I don't know what that was about but Rodd liked waving it around for the rest of the day!! ), a fly swat and frisbee... I ended up leaving them in New Orleans cos we just didn't have room for them... all my beads I was going to leave too but Rodd insisted we take them ( they weigh a ton! ).



Back to the cemetery for a quick wander, all the graves are above ground in New Orleans and some of them are gorgeous! Then back to the pub for a quick drink and out to the bus stop... waiting... waiting... lets just walk to the next stop... or pub!! We ended up pub crawling all the way back to Bourbon Street.... ummmmm ... saw another parade on St Charles up near Lee Circle... caught lots more beads.... found lots more bars..... ended up in some place on Bourbon St where they had great music but no-one was dancing.... until I got up and started grabbing poor innocent people!! OMG.. really Liane???? Can't take me anywhere after 57 rum punches!! Finally left there and made our way down Bourbon St with all the masses, bead begging along the way.



At one point I'd been looking up at balconies for quite awhile and when some beads were thrown at me they dropped on the ground so I bent down to pick them up and BAM...... I fell over ( I know what you're thinking... the 57 rum punches... right??... hmmm maybe but I'm sticking to the, head back looking up to head down thing throwing me off balance!! ) anyway hardly even before my knees and elbows had time to touch the ground I had four guys swoop in and pick me up.. it was amazing... such chivalry... what gentlemen!!!



I have to be honest and say I don't remember too much more of the night after this point... we walked straight back to the hotel, there's a picture of me patting two police horses and I wasn't arrested so I must have been talking ok!!