After being battered by hurricanes, scandals in high places, terrorist concerns, and gasoline prices going through the roof, are the tourists still coming to the Mecca of music, the carnival capers of Mardi Gras, the picturesque Vieux Carré? The answer appears to be, “yes.” We spent most of our time in the French Quarter and on the Bayou Segnette across the river. Whatever water and wind damage those areas suffered has been successfully repaired.
Jazz is still hot, Mardi Gras souvenirs are found in abundance in the markets, and the popular objects of us gaping tourists, the intricate ironwork balconies, are everywhere. And of course, the Mississippi River “just keeps rolling along.” It’s hard to compare the before and after, because we were last here in 1968.
New Orleans Skyline from Across the Mississippi River(note St Louis Cathedral and French Quarter
at right edge of picture)
St. Louis Cathedral AcrossDecatur Street and Jackson Square
Flanked by the Louisiana State Museum
The Cathedral of St. Louisis built on the spot where the first Catholic church
in Louisiana was built in 1718.
Figures on the Main AltarRemind Us of the Roles Of Moses and St. Peter in the Church
Along Decatur Street with Balconies on One Sideand the French Market on the Other
Horse-Drawn CarriagesAre Still a Going Institution for the Tourists
Architectural Treasures Are Everywhere
The Delicate Ironwork BalconiesRepresent the Spanish influence
on New Orleans architecture.
Some Balconies Seen Downright Gaudy
(I think these people have Mardi Gras on their mind.)
Some of Many Trinkets Found in the French Market— Carnaval Never Seems Far From People’s Thoughts
Jean’s French Ancestry
Required Us to Partake of the Obligatory Beignet
They Were Good, But Jean’s Homemade Beignets Are Better,Really!
New Orleans’ “Cities of the Dead”of Aboveground tombs Are Still There
