January 8, New Orleans

Today was our final day in New Orleans and we'd done all the 'big' items on our to-do list. Therefore we had a slowish morning (with another delicious breakfast from Cindy) before heading out.

Dad wanted to visit a couple of churches, so we rugged up and headed out. The weather was not too crash hot. It was cloudy, but not raining (yet). By the time we got downtown a few of the buildings were missing their tops in the fog that was gathering.

Our first stop was the Mortuary Chapel for St Louis #1 cemetery. Officially called Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is the oldest standing church in New Orleans, being built in 1826. We'd been told it featured a Shrine to St Jude. The Church was quite busy with lots of people outside, and quite a few inside enjoying the warmth, sleeping on pews, or sitting and watching the passing parade. I think the prettiest part were the multi-coloured candles in the side chapels.
We also visited the Marian Grotto outside.

After that we wandered down toward the River into the French Quarter proper. Taking time to pop into shops we saw along the way. (This part of the French Quarter is filled with amazing antique stores).

The next stop was the St Louis Cathedral, in front of Jackson Square. I love it when you walk into a church and you feel God's presence. As soon as you opened the door to the church proper you could hear the organ playing and smell the incense being burned. The inside was beautiful, decorated with amazing stained glass windows, statues for the stations of the cross, a gorgeous nativity and ceiling paintings too! The Cathedral was smaller than St John's (our home Cathedral in Brisbane) but more in the style of the church we've seen in Alexandria. This means a balcony up above with columns.

Madonna and Child above the Nativity Scene.

The main part of the Cathedral.

While we were in Jackson Square we had a look at the Cabildo (where the Louisiana Purchase was signed).

The Cabildo (seat of Government in French New Orleans).

Before passing in front of St Louis to visit what was one the Presbytere and is now part of the Louisiana State Museum. The Museum had two very interesting exhibits. One focusing on Hurricane Katrina (but also looking at previous Hurricanes) and the other on Mardi Gras. Both were very interesting, and we spent an hour and a half wandering around reading the information. Cost of entry was $20. I learned:
- that most of the flooding from Katrina came from the Lake's surrounding New Orleans, not from the River. Most of this flooding was due to the loss of swamps that had previously been part of the lakes.
- That the Superdome initially was an evacuation point for 10 000 -12 000 people with a complement of 270 National Guards. This population swelled to 35 000 in the days following the Hurricane.
- Most of the original areas that were settled (the French Quarter) did not flood. This is because they had been built on the high land, where local Indians had told people to settle.

A Katrina garage door, with notations by rescuers informing what was found. In another place they explained what all the codes in the different sectors of the cross meant (1 part is for the crew that have done the inspection, another tells if it's safe, another part the date, and finally a section describing what was found).

A teddy rescued from the flood waters.

From the Mardi Gras section we learned about the parades, balls, kings and queens. Seeing some examples of the costumes worn, the kinds of souvenirs provided and the progression in the parades and balls over the years. It was all very interesting.

Zulu costume from the Mardi Gras parade.

Jewellery worn by Queens and Kings of Mardi Gras.

Costumes worn by Kings and Queens at Mardi Gras balls.

As we were very close we wandered down to Cafe Du Monde for lunch, enjoying Beignets, Cafe Au Lait and hot chocolate. All the while we were serenaded by a trombonist. 'Hello Dolly!'

After we finished we went for a wander up and down Chatres and Royal Streets. Visiting Antique stores, Art Galleries and Jewellery stores. Some of these stores were better than museums!

Mum and Dad bought a painting (which will come home on it's own, so no packing!), Mum bought a necklace, and I got to look at some real 'pieces of eight' which were for sale in an Antique store.

After a while Mum left Dad and I to our looking, and we headed for home as the rain started to fall.

It was then time for packing! Thankfully we've managed to get everything in, and we're still under weight. Depending on how my days in NYC go I may be purchasing another suitcase ... maybe.
Dad and I took the car out at 6.30pm to fill it up with petrol in readiness to return it tomorrow. We also got some chicken at the gas station for dinner (it was recommended on Trip Advisor.) While there, Dad got to talking to an African American Gentleman, and the next thing, I looked up and the man said to Dad 'Put it there, brother' and stuck his fist out. Dad scored his very first fist pound. It was the coolest thing that I've ever seen! Turns out the guy was a trumpet player who'd played on a stage over Sydney Harbour and had fond memories of Sydney.

We headed home and I was glad to get out of the weather, the fog is rolling in, visibility is bad and the rain is coming down! A good last day.