We arrived at our hotel. I had booked it through Priceline, and we were really pleased with what we got. It was Le Chateau le Moyne - a Holiday Inn in the French Quarter on Dauphine...
The staff was really nice and helpful, and the room was a good size and very clean...
We had a nice view from our window...
and could also look down on the hotel's relaxing courtyard...
We then walked through the Quarter to the Gumbo Shop for lunch...
We were able to get right in...
and enjoyed our gumbo - Charles ordered the seafood gumbo, and I ordered the chicken andouille gumbo...
A delicious first lunch in New Orleans! After lunch, Charles took a look at our map to determine our route to our next stop...
After enjoying the architecture of the French Quarter...
and stopping in some of the shops and galleries...
and getting a picture of a Lucky Dogs stand...
We passed the beautiful courthouse...
We then hopped on a street car... 
and enjoyed the breeze from the open windows...
We rode through several stops to Lee Circle. We got off and walked to the World War II Museum...
Right after entering...
and everything from planes...
to tanks...
to boats...
and ducks...
While I waited in line for tickets, Charles took pictures and made friends with this nice serviceman...
He told Charles a lot and answered questions about the machinery...
We then entered the museum exhibits. The museum was really interesting, and I learned a lot. The first section covered the war in Europe. The first exhibit showed the proportionate manpower at the beginning of the War...
It was something to see just how much fewer manpower we had.
We passed the beautiful courthouse...
We then hopped on a street car... and enjoyed the breeze from the open windows...We rode through several stops to Lee Circle. We got off and walked to the World War II Museum...
Right after entering...we found ourselves in the entry which housed all types of machinery. We saw the flags of all of the branches serving in the War...
and everything from planes... to tanks...
to boats...
and ducks...
While I waited in line for tickets, Charles took pictures and made friends with this nice serviceman...
He told Charles a lot and answered questions about the machinery...
We then entered the museum exhibits. The museum was really interesting, and I learned a lot. The first section covered the war in Europe. The first exhibit showed the proportionate manpower at the beginning of the War...
It was something to see just how much fewer manpower we had.We then saw a large exhibit of a newspaper announcing Pearl Harbor...
and a facsimile of FDR's marked up war address...
We saw posters of all kinds. From the iconic Uncle Sam wanting you...
to a poster asking to recycle cans...
to Rosie the Riveter...
We saw a training barracks replica...
and learned just how ingenious the Allies were. We learned all about how they tricked Hitler into thinking that they would land in Calais but instead landed in Normandy on D-Day.
and dummy inflatable tanks...
The exhibit showing the airpower and the seapower at the Normandy landing was amazing...
Charles and I both enjoyed the museum and all of the exhibits on the war in Europe and the war in the Pacific which culminated in an exhibit on the atomic bomb and its devastation. The stories of those who served, exhibits, short films and pictures were so moving.
We left the WW II Museum and thought about touring the Civil War Museum but decided to just enjoy its architecture instead...
It was housed in a gorgeous building.
and a facsimile of FDR's marked up war address...
We saw posters of all kinds. From the iconic Uncle Sam wanting you...
to a poster asking to recycle cans...to Rosie the Riveter...We saw a training barracks replica...
and learned just how ingenious the Allies were. We learned all about how they tricked Hitler into thinking that they would land in Calais but instead landed in Normandy on D-Day.This deception was helped along by dummy parachuters...
and dummy inflatable tanks...
The exhibit showing the airpower and the seapower at the Normandy landing was amazing...
Charles and I both enjoyed the museum and all of the exhibits on the war in Europe and the war in the Pacific which culminated in an exhibit on the atomic bomb and its devastation. The stories of those who served, exhibits, short films and pictures were so moving.We left the WW II Museum and thought about touring the Civil War Museum but decided to just enjoy its architecture instead...
It was housed in a gorgeous building. We then walked to Lee Circle... 
and headed back to Canal and the French Quarter. After taking in more of the sights, sounds and smells of New Orleans, we decided to take our concierge's advice and have dinner at Oceana (when asked how to get to the Gumbo Shop, she told us about Oceana). It was delicious! We enjoyed an appetizer of alligator sausage...
It was so good!
Charles enjoyed a catfish po-boy...
while I enjoyed a shrimp po-boy. They were just so good, and the French bread was perfect. And because we were in New Orleans where you simply must enjoy the food of all kinds, we ended the meal with a delicious bananas foster cheesecake. Oh it was so good! It was a cheesecake with a tasty crust, a layer of banana slices, a mixture of cinnamon and brandy swirled in, topped with strawberries and strawberry juice and backed with delicious whipped cream. Can you tell I really liked it?
It was finally our turn to order our order of beignets and chocolate milk - it was just too hot for cafe au lait for me...
We walked up to the Moonwalk and got a good look at the Mighty Mississippi...
We found a perfect spot for river watching on the wooden steps...
The perfect place to enjoy our beignet breakfast! 
and headed back to Canal and the French Quarter. After taking in more of the sights, sounds and smells of New Orleans, we decided to take our concierge's advice and have dinner at Oceana (when asked how to get to the Gumbo Shop, she told us about Oceana). It was delicious! We enjoyed an appetizer of alligator sausage...
It was so good!Charles enjoyed a catfish po-boy...
while I enjoyed a shrimp po-boy. They were just so good, and the French bread was perfect. And because we were in New Orleans where you simply must enjoy the food of all kinds, we ended the meal with a delicious bananas foster cheesecake. Oh it was so good! It was a cheesecake with a tasty crust, a layer of banana slices, a mixture of cinnamon and brandy swirled in, topped with strawberries and strawberry juice and backed with delicious whipped cream. Can you tell I really liked it?After walking back a bit more, we headed back to the hotel early. Charles had a fantasy football draft to participate in, so I took a magazine down to the courtyard and pool area - a bricked area with plants and beautiful flower window boxes on the surrounding balconies - and enjoyed a relaxing evening in the Big Easy.
The next morning, we slept in a little (At least for me, it was sleeping in; I think Charles would have enjoyed a little more shut eye). We then walked to Cafe du Monde. YUM!!
Because we had gotten a little bit of a late start, the line for eating in the cafe was very long, so we decided to stand in the to-go line which, I think, was just about equally as long...
It was finally our turn to order our order of beignets and chocolate milk - it was just too hot for cafe au lait for me...
We walked up to the Moonwalk and got a good look at the Mighty Mississippi...We found a perfect spot for river watching on the wooden steps...The perfect place to enjoy our beignet breakfast! Charles was sneaky and took a picture of me eating a beignet...
After we finished enjoying our breakfast, we shared a few pinches with the birds and enjoyed watching them for a while...
and enjoyed watching the paddle boats...
and other boats traveling the River...
After we finished enjoying our breakfast, we shared a few pinches with the birds and enjoyed watching them for a while...and enjoyed watching the paddle boats...and other boats traveling the River...
What a perfect way to start the day!
We then walked to Jackson Square...
stopped in several of the shops, looked at the artists' exhibits, and strolled through the garden...
took a look at the statue of Andrew Jackson...
and admired the architecture of St. Louis Cathedral and the Calibdo...
We enjoyed a view inside the air conditioned St. Louis Cathedral... 
and took a closer look at the Calibdo - where the Louisiana Purchase was signed...
We also took a closer look at its cannons...
Apparently, a while back, a person or persons thought they would pull a prank and fire one of the Civil War cannons - I guess thinking that the cannons were small they wouldn't do much damage. Well, the cannon ball flew all the way to the Mississippi River and across it to Algiers where it damaged a house but thankfully missed the house's occupants - very powerful!
We then walked to Jackson Square...
stopped in several of the shops, looked at the artists' exhibits, and strolled through the garden...
took a look at the statue of Andrew Jackson...
and admired the architecture of St. Louis Cathedral and the Calibdo...We enjoyed a view inside the air conditioned St. Louis Cathedral... 
and took a closer look at the Calibdo - where the Louisiana Purchase was signed...We also took a closer look at its cannons...Apparently, a while back, a person or persons thought they would pull a prank and fire one of the Civil War cannons - I guess thinking that the cannons were small they wouldn't do much damage. Well, the cannon ball flew all the way to the Mississippi River and across it to Algiers where it damaged a house but thankfully missed the house's occupants - very powerful!We walked through Pirate's Alley and stopped to see the Faulkner House...
It was really good!
While the Jambalya was finishing, Harriet showed us the art of making pralines...
After dipping them out...
it was time to enjoy the jambalya...
Yummm, it was really good too!
We then sampled the pralines which turned out good too. I had really been looking forward to the cooking school, and it did not disappoint! It was one of the highlights of the trip. Harriet was very informative and such a good story-teller, and we met some nice tablemates.
William Faulkner wrote in the yellow building...
After more time in Jackson Square and the French Quarter... 
After more time in Jackson Square and the French Quarter... 
We walked to the New Orleans School of Cooking...
We signed up for the 3-course class, and I was excited to learn all about cooking Gumbo, Jambalya and Pralines...
I had made our reservations first, so we got to pick our seats first. We picked some good ones, and after everyone else had picked their seats, Harriet, our instructor, begain cooking...
We signed up for the 3-course class, and I was excited to learn all about cooking Gumbo, Jambalya and Pralines...
I had made our reservations first, so we got to pick our seats first. We picked some good ones, and after everyone else had picked their seats, Harriet, our instructor, begain cooking...In addition to giving us cooking tips...
she told many humerous stories about New Orleans, its history and its people.
she told many humerous stories about New Orleans, its history and its people.We first sampled the gumbo...
It was really good!While the Jambalya was finishing, Harriet showed us the art of making pralines...After dipping them out...it was time to enjoy the jambalya...Yummm, it was really good too! We then sampled the pralines which turned out good too. I had really been looking forward to the cooking school, and it did not disappoint! It was one of the highlights of the trip. Harriet was very informative and such a good story-teller, and we met some nice tablemates.We then walked back to the Mississippi River and spent quite some time people watching. We also watched this street performer...
He just stood there in that pose looking like he was walking. One boy that walked by was pretty enthralled with him. After slowing down and taking a good look all around, his family made him walk on past. Well, not too much time passed when he ran back, looked again and placed some money in the bucket. The walking man let the boy reposition his arms, and he stayed in that position for some time before getting a round of applause from the paddle boat riders and moving on down the walk to be right beside the disembarking passengers. He caused quite the bottleneck!
We had passed the Kupcake Factory on our walk to the river...
I had read really good reviews, and since it is always a good time for a cupcake, we decided to walk back and try one. I decided on a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing topped with crushed Reese's Pieces...
It was really pretty and tasted good...
We then walked to Canal and then back to the River to take the Algiers ferry. We had about half an hour before the next ferry trip, so we walked around. Since it was so hot out, we shared a strawberry banana sno ball...
and enjoyed a rest...
at the beautiful fountain...
We then boarded the ferry...
and after a while, found seats we were happy with...
We crossed the river to Algiers...
but decided that instead of getting off and exploring Algiers, we would just return to New Orleans...
The return trip afforded many beautiful views of New Orleans...
docked paddle boats...
and St. Louis Cathedral...
We wanted to have a po-boy dinner at Johnny's, but we found out that they are opened only for lunch. So, we walked back toward the hotel with our eyes open for a good dinner spot. We ended up right in front of Oceana, so we decided to just eat dinner there again...
I really wanted a po-boy, so I ordered the shrimp po-boy again, and it was just as good as it was the night before. Charles decided to try the Mardi Gras pasta which was delicious - shrimp and crawfish with a Cajun alfredo sauce over fettucini! We were stuffed but just had to have another piece of the wonderful bananas foster cheesecake...
We went back to the hotel for a little rest and then braved Bourbon Street for a bit.
He just stood there in that pose looking like he was walking. One boy that walked by was pretty enthralled with him. After slowing down and taking a good look all around, his family made him walk on past. Well, not too much time passed when he ran back, looked again and placed some money in the bucket. The walking man let the boy reposition his arms, and he stayed in that position for some time before getting a round of applause from the paddle boat riders and moving on down the walk to be right beside the disembarking passengers. He caused quite the bottleneck!We had passed the Kupcake Factory on our walk to the river...
I had read really good reviews, and since it is always a good time for a cupcake, we decided to walk back and try one. I decided on a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter icing topped with crushed Reese's Pieces...It was really pretty and tasted good...
We then walked to Canal and then back to the River to take the Algiers ferry. We had about half an hour before the next ferry trip, so we walked around. Since it was so hot out, we shared a strawberry banana sno ball... and enjoyed a rest...
at the beautiful fountain...
We then boarded the ferry...
and after a while, found seats we were happy with...
We crossed the river to Algiers...
but decided that instead of getting off and exploring Algiers, we would just return to New Orleans...
The return trip afforded many beautiful views of New Orleans...docked paddle boats...
and St. Louis Cathedral...
We wanted to have a po-boy dinner at Johnny's, but we found out that they are opened only for lunch. So, we walked back toward the hotel with our eyes open for a good dinner spot. We ended up right in front of Oceana, so we decided to just eat dinner there again...
I really wanted a po-boy, so I ordered the shrimp po-boy again, and it was just as good as it was the night before. Charles decided to try the Mardi Gras pasta which was delicious - shrimp and crawfish with a Cajun alfredo sauce over fettucini! We were stuffed but just had to have another piece of the wonderful bananas foster cheesecake...
We went back to the hotel for a little rest and then braved Bourbon Street for a bit.On our last morning in New Orleans, we grabbed a croissant for breakfast, found a street car stop and waited for a street car...
We decided to take a street car... 
on the St. Charles line...
through the Garden District...
We saw such beautiful old homes...
Charles and I both admired the architecture...
In addition to marvelous architecture in so many different styles...
we also saw numerous stands of beads throughout the trees...
We saw Loyola and the Audubon Park - here's the park's entrance...
When we got to the end of the line our driver had to get the street car ready to return...
After taking care of all of the outside switches, he flipped all of the seats to face the opposite direction...
A street car ended up stopped on the track beside us. Its driver flipped its seats too but missed one...
Our driver got eveything switched and stepped inside the street car to start our run back...
We had to switch tracks for the return ride...
and we made sure to sit on the other side of the street car on the return so that we could take in the sights on the other side of the road...
After our lovely morning ride, we walked back to the hotel to check out. On the way, we saw a street cleaner... 
We left our luggage and car at the hotel and then went to Oceana, yet again, for lunch. We enjoyed a fried eggplant appetizer. Charles enjoyed an oyster po-boy while I enjoyed crawfish fettucini...
Delicious! We were seated in a different dining room this time...
It was on the top floor, and we were seated next to a window so that we could look out on the streets of the French Quarter. As we made our way back down to leave, we glimpsed other dinning rooms...
After a little bit more of a walk, we picked up our luggage and car.
We decided to take a street car... on the St. Charles line...through the Garden District...
We saw such beautiful old homes...Charles and I both admired the architecture...
In addition to marvelous architecture in so many different styles... we also saw numerous stands of beads throughout the trees... We saw Loyola and the Audubon Park - here's the park's entrance... When we got to the end of the line our driver had to get the street car ready to return...After taking care of all of the outside switches, he flipped all of the seats to face the opposite direction...A street car ended up stopped on the track beside us. Its driver flipped its seats too but missed one...Our driver got eveything switched and stepped inside the street car to start our run back... We had to switch tracks for the return ride... and we made sure to sit on the other side of the street car on the return so that we could take in the sights on the other side of the road...After our lovely morning ride, we walked back to the hotel to check out. On the way, we saw a street cleaner... 
We left our luggage and car at the hotel and then went to Oceana, yet again, for lunch. We enjoyed a fried eggplant appetizer. Charles enjoyed an oyster po-boy while I enjoyed crawfish fettucini... Delicious! We were seated in a different dining room this time...It was on the top floor, and we were seated next to a window so that we could look out on the streets of the French Quarter. As we made our way back down to leave, we glimpsed other dinning rooms...
After a little bit more of a walk, we picked up our luggage and car.Before leaving New Orleans, we stopped at The Creole Creamery for some delicious ice cream...
With so many unusual yet delicious flavors, it was difficult to decide what to order...
I love their motto -- Eat Ice Cream - Be Happy! Charles enjoyed a scoop of strawberry...
while I enjoyed a scoop of lavendar honey and a scoop of red velvet - a sweet cream ice cream with bits of red velvet cake mixed throughout...
While they were all delicious, the lavendar honey was my favorite. Wish I could find some around Hernando!!
With so many unusual yet delicious flavors, it was difficult to decide what to order...I love their motto -- Eat Ice Cream - Be Happy! Charles enjoyed a scoop of strawberry...while I enjoyed a scoop of lavendar honey and a scoop of red velvet - a sweet cream ice cream with bits of red velvet cake mixed throughout...
While they were all delicious, the lavendar honey was my favorite. Wish I could find some around Hernando!! We then bid au revoir to New Orleans and headed to Plaquemine, LA where we were stayed for the wedding. We followed the GPS which took us through Louisiana farmland. We saw lots of what I guess was sugar cane. The GPS then told us in 400 feet to board the ferry. Well, we hadn't seen water on our trip and looked around us. On one side was farmland, but on the other side was a levee. We took the little narrow road to the top of the levee, and lo and behold, we found ourselves in line for the ferry...
Charles was like are you sure we have to ride this ferry?
We thought is was pretty funny when we saw 2 trucks pulling boats deboarding the ferry...
All the vehicles deboarded, and it was finally our turn to board...
We were directed to our spot...
and sat back to enjoy our ride. It didn't take very long to cross the body of water (we still don't really know what exactly we crossed), and as we were driving off the ferry...
I turned around to get a picture of the water...
Charles was like are you sure we have to ride this ferry? We thought is was pretty funny when we saw 2 trucks pulling boats deboarding the ferry... All the vehicles deboarded, and it was finally our turn to board...We were directed to our spot...and sat back to enjoy our ride. It didn't take very long to cross the body of water (we still don't really know what exactly we crossed), and as we were driving off the ferry...I turned around to get a picture of the water...We left the ferry and headed on our way to Plaquemine and checked into the hotel. After a little difficulty in getting an empty room, we rested and then got ready for Rosemary's wedding. We drove to Nottoway Plantation which was just beautiful for the wedding. It was such a sweet wedding in the white ballroom of the house. We then walked to another structure for the reception.
We left the next day. I had wanted to stop at the historic sight in Plaquemine (it was a pretty neat looking complex along the river); however, it was raining, so we skipped it.
We stopped to see Matt, LeAnna and Patrick on our way back home. We enjoyed a later lunch with them and had a great visit! Patrick is just so cute and funny! When Matt told Patrick that Charles is a teacher, Patrick looked quizzically at Charles and thought for a moment and then said, "But I didn't want teachers coming to my house!" Patrick quickly got over the fact that Charles is a teacher, and they went outside to swing and play super heros - Charles really enjoyed playing with Patrick!
We had a wonderful trip and enjoyed our time in (and the food of) New Orleans!
