R-V There Yet?

As usual we are behind in our journal so we are trying to catch up. 

While we were in New Orleans we HAD to go to the French Quarter.  The buildings are very old but they have had 2 fires there years ago so a lot of the buildings were replaced in the 1800’s.

In historic districts we have visited this year each has had a distinctive flavor and characteristic about it.  The main characteristic about the French Quarter is shutters.  Every door and window has shutters on it.  When all the shutters are closed, the only way to tell the difference between the windows and doors is the few steps leading to the door.

The reason all the buildings were built with shutters was to keep the tax man from knowing their possessions.  Behind the old shutters could be a mansion and a beautiful courtyard.  No Goggle Earth back then!!!

The first thing we did when arriving at the French Quarters was to eat Beignets.  This is a must!  We stopped at the Café Du Monde and they served us our Beignets.  This is a cross between a French pastry and a doughnut.  There must be a trick we don’t know about to eating them.   We had powdered sugar all over the table, floor and us when we were finished.  We looked around and some people had no tale, tale signs of being messy.

How did they do that??????

Half the order gone —

Only sugar and mess left —

 

Jackson Square Park was right across the street.  The buildings on each side of the picture are apartments with a 7 year waiting list.  (CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER VIEW)

To keep from walking all day we decided to take a carriage ride around the French Quarter to see where and what we wanted to visit later. 

This was our driver.

 

They use mules instead of horses because they can take the heat better and go without water better than horses.  But they aren’t as well trained as horses.  So off we go for about an hour’s drive.  The carriage makes wide right hand turns just like an 18 wheeler or a 5^th wheel.  Well, just like in real life there is always a little car that wants to creep up on the right side of you.  We look over to our right and see a little blue car and the tire cover to our carriage about to collide.  We hollered to our driver to stop but remember a mule is pulling our carriage and did not mind.  Crrruuunch!!!!  Our driver pulls the mule straight to the next street.  The little blue car follows.  We all stop and the 2 guys with drinks in their hands get out to see the damage.  Not much, a broken headlight and the car’s blue paint is now maroon like our carriage.  Our driver tells them she had the right of way because she is driving a MULE and they were not to pull up along side of her when she is trying to turn right.  She, also, said they could call the cops.  With drinks in their hands they said they would take care of their own damage and got back in their car.  We continued our carriage ride around the French Quarter.

 

 

The foliage was beautiful.

 

 

 

Different shutters on houses.

 

 

This shop is a blacksmith shop.  Not!!!  It was a front for Jean Lafitte, a pirate.  There was no blacksmithing going on at all.

 

This is a mansion that a man built for his bride from the Midwest.

She got homesick and missed the cornfields so he planted some.  The only difference is the corn is on a wrought iron fence.

 

We ate at the Gumbo Soup.  This tree was outside the restaurant.

 

We ran into Rick’s girlfriend. (One he can keep up with and doesn’t talk back.)

 

Streets in the French Quarter.

 

Voodoo Shop

 

 

Almost all the shops are filled with different businesses.  There are very few vacancies.  People rent the 2^nd and 3^rd floors to live in and they are full.  There were a lot for sale though.  We were there on a September weekday and there were lots of tourists around.  So the people are returning to New Orleans to visit.

 

Life’s a journey and we are on one!!!

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 30th, 2007 at 5:53 pm and is filed under Louisiana. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.