10 Year Trip-Part 2

Monday morning we walked down towards the French Market. The streets along the way were so pretty with lots of gorgeous balconies and stately buildings. We overheard a tour guide say that apartments in the French Quarter run about $1200/mo. and have a 5-7 year waiting period.



We walked past Jackson Square on the way, a park dedicated to General Andrew Jackson, the commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans. Beautiful lush vegetation in the middle of a "tight quarters" area.



We stopped for beignets (french doughnuts) and chicory coffee at the insanely popular Cafe DuMonde. Apparently chicory is a root added to coffee as a substitute. It is a long standing New Orleans tradition which developed when the port (the second largest importer of coffee in the 1840's) was blockaded off during the Civil War. It tasted fabulous to me and the beignets were the perfect complement!



After breakfast we walked up the levy and took a gander at the Mississippi on the Moonwalk, a scenic boardwalk named after the mayor who created it. Below is a view of Jackson Square and the Saint Louis Cathedral in the background.


The Saint Louis Cathedral is the oldest continually operating Cathedral in the United States and it. was. Beautiful. So much of the culture in New Orleans centers around beauty, the arts, I've never seen so many talented musicians and artists on the street. There is a sense of awe and appreciation that makes one just swell with joy that talent and giftedness like that even exists.



After walking down the Moonwalk we stopped into the French Market, a giant open air market with everything from fresh produce to a flea market.



Unfortunately, many of the vendors weren't yet open but there was booth after booth of people setting up for the day like this one. I can't imagine the well-oiled machine it must take to set this up day in and day out.


We stopped by the Casino on our way to the Boat for a burger from Fudrucker's and headed to the River Walk to get to our ship. The River Walk had a great Mardi Gras party feel to it as evidenced by this statue and tour boat.



Next stop: Carnival Triumph!