After leaving Birmingham, Alabama it was time to head to a destination we have wanted to visit for many years, New Orleans. The GPS was set for south. We had 550kms to go to our destination and apart from a couple of rest breaks, we followed Interstate 11 in an almost straight line all the way.

Arriving in New Orleans about 4pm there was only one option - straight in to the pool we could see from our verandah. As our hotel was right on the edge of the French Quarter, next order of business was to go for walk to see what the fuss about New Orleans was all about.

The famous Bourbon Street was 3 blocks south of us. You knew you were there before you saw the street sign. The street was buzzing! People crowded the streets, not on footpaths but down the middle of the street in between the slow moving one way traffic. Music escaped from every doorway as well as from the talented street musicians who not only played traditional instruments but produced a great beat from plastic buckets and drum sticks. We wandered down the street until we reached the end, not sure which way to look next.

Canal Street was far more sedate. We strolled leisurely down to the waterfront - none other than the famous Mississippi River. After checking out the boat traffic on the river we went in search of the recommended Cafe Du Monde, specialty of the house - French pastry or biegnets, delicious but not enough for dinner. Back up to Bourbon Street to try some of the seafood the area is renowned for.

First up next morning was a streetcar ride on St Charles Avenue to the Civil War Museum, only small but great information. While there, Greg spied the National World War 11 Museum and decided it was worth a visit - who would have guessed? We wandered in but discovered long queues and decided to come back tomorrow when we were told it would be quieter.


We caught the streetcar back to Canal St and then down to Harrah's Casino, very grand. Then it was over to the Riverwalk to secure tickets for the 2pm sailing of the Creole Queen Paddlewheeler and Battlefield tour. This had been recommended by our niece, Sherrie and her husband Brett who returned from New Orleans about a month ago.

Our trip took us down the Mississippi to the Chalmette Battlefield. While we cruised our onboard historian, Wendel, told us about the history of the city, warts and all. We saw the never ending stream of cargo ships going in both directions on the river and even spied another paddlewheeler, Natchez, going the opposite direction. Once at the battlefield we disembarked and were given a brief talk by the park ranger about Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson's stunning victory over experienced British troops in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. We visited the Chalmette Monument and saw Malus-Beauregard House before returning to the Creole Queen for our return to the city. Altogether, a great afternoon.

After wandering through the French Marketplace and visiting St Louis Cathedral we went in search of dinner. Once again, we followed Sherrie's suggestion and found ourselves on the verandah of "Cornet" in Bourbon St for dinner. We tried Creole Shrimp, Gumbo and Oyster Po Boy. Kerrie also had a Mint Julep, we almost felt like locals. One of the main attractions of this restaurant was the opportunity to 'people watch' from the vantage point of the verandah - Oh, the sights you see!

We were up bright and early next morning (read 8 am) to get ready for our visit to the National World War 11 museum. As it was Sunday and the streets were quiet we decided to drive as we also wanted to check out a few other spots around the city after the museum.

While buying our Museum tickets Greg was asked if he was ex-military, after replying yes we were given a reduced entry price without even showing evidence of military service - we were very impressed.

This museum is amazing with exhibits of every facet of America's involvement in the Second World War. Many of the exhibits reminded us of our visits to Europe as we have been to so many of the places mentioned in displays. We spent three and a half hours in the Museum, I think Greg would have been happy to spend a week there.


As we were close to the Garden District, that was next on the day's itinerary. This area is to the west of the city and has many elegant homes, unfortunately the local roads are in such disrepair we thought we might drive into one of the potholes and never be seen again. We also wandered through Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 which is right in the centre of the Garden District. People in New Orleans are buried in crypts above ground because of the swampy ground. These cemeteries are scattered throughout the city and are really interesting to wander through. We also visited St Louis Cemetery No. 2 later in the afternoon.


Part of our afternoon was spent driving around the Lake Pontchartrain and Ninth Ward area to see if there was any evidence of the after effects of Hurricane Katrina, we didn't find anything. We expected this as we had been told that any damaged buildings have been demolished and the owners compensated if they did not wish to rebuild. Next we went in search of the Superdome, this huge stadium was the evacuation point for many people during Katrina.


We returned to the city and had a delicious dinner at the Palace Cafe in Canal Street.

Our visit to New Orleans has been hectic but exciting. It is a city we are glad to have had the chance to visit but as Greg says - happy to have been here, probably won't come back.