New Orleans

Last weekend, my mom, Susan and I went to New Orleans to celebrate Susan's and my 40th birthdays this year. It was such a fun weekend!

We ate amazing food (Commander's Palace, Cochon, Cafe Du Monde -- twice! -- and winner: Le Petite Grocery). We took a walking tour of the French Quarter and learned all kinds of interesting facts about New Orleans' history and characters. We went to Mass at St Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in America, and listened to live jazz on Frenchmen Street. We wandered and we chatted, relaxed yet experienced a lot. We stayed at an adorable bed and breakfast in the Garden District, and took the St Charles Streetcar almost everywhere.

Beignets at Cafe Du Monde

Saturday we took a swamp tour in an air boat. What an experience -- on many levels! Those things are fast and loud. Just a few minutes into the tour, we got caught in a torrential downpour. Our guide, Jake, explained that if he tried to drive through it, the raindrops would sting badly on our skin, so it was better to hunker down and wait it out. So we did -- without the benefit of umbrellas or rain coats. To say we were drenched was an understatement. Every inch of us was sopping wet; we were sitting in puddles. But we just had to laugh -- what else could we do? At least it wasn't cold. 

I love this picture. Not only does it show how fast we were going,
but you can see the storm clouds that opened up on us about 5 minutes later!

After the rain slowed to a drizzle, Jake showed us that Louisiana alligators speak French. Sure enough, every time we stopped, he'd yell in French for the gators to come over, and they would! He threw some marshmallows into the water so we could watch them snack (a video that the kids have watched about 1,000 times since I got home). I even got to hold a baby alligator!

Direct link to video: https://youtu.be/4NmMG_R-QpA

Happy birthday to me and Susan, and thanks so much to my mom, who came up with this idea!