the bike

the bike

Wednesday 22 April 2015

Well I have day three and four in New Orleans.

Way too tired last night to get this one the road and write down what I had done yesterday.  Just sat and let the feet relax and cool down.  Then falling asleep last night not getting up until 10 this morning.  Well that made for missing part of the day.  We had a few plans for today but I guess they are going to be out on the back burner till tomorrow.

Yesterday was a great day.  All except having to get up early to catch a tour bus outside our hotel.  Bus was to be there at 7:45,  hmmm!  When we walked down at 7:00 to get something to eat from the continetal breakfast he was already outside.  Well I guess he is going to have to wait a little.  I need food on my stomach or my drugs will upset my stomach.  That would make the day a little rotten then wouldn't it.

Walked out to get on the bus at 7:30.  First thing he said was I think you should put on some pants. These jet boats go fourty miles an hour and it can get a might chilly.  Well I did have a sweater but went back up stairs and slipped on a pair of pants just in case.  Came back down boarded the bus and we were off to pick up a few more that we're going on the tour.  There was twelve in all from fpdifferent hotels in the neighbourhood.  Two from Australia,  two from Oklahoma,  and the rest by golly were from Canada.  Two of the ladies just came to from the next town from were I live.  We are practically neighbours. So to speak.

After all were picked up we were on our way.  First stop the swamp tour. A ride on the airboat.  Six got on each  boat.  Puttered along in the water down one canal to another.  Telling us stories about the canals and how they were constructed and that they were the waterways or roads for the area.  Can get you just about anywere if you follow the right route.

Then he opened it up.  Down one canal and up another. Through dense cypress trees some of them over 100 years old.  We slowed down and he turned off the motor.  Over on the shore was and alligator sunning him self.  A little ways down another one.  This one ready for food.  Came into the water and over close to the boat.  The guide threw out some marshmallow and the alligator came closer.  Okay that is close enough.

The guide stopped in another place turned off his motor and started talking about a murder mystery he was writing.  It was about a tour guide who gives tours in the swamp.  It seems that none of his group never seem to come back from their tours.  He is never really caught but people are disappearing.  He then picks up a stick and says he has decided on his next chapter.  Starts to point it at the Aussie but then uses the stick to push us away from the trees we are slowly guiding into.

He then started up the motor again and off we go again. Every so often you can see a gator in the water ahead of us.  They plop under the water as the boat goes over top of them.  He then takes the boat down a water way that does not seem to have any water.  We go over humps of dirt and then he stops for only a minute then gets us over the hump.  Said there was a razor back snake there.  Glad I didn't see it.  Not much on snakes.  We then zoom on full speed back to the dock.  Were we get off and are back in the bus.

Our next stop is a little ways along the Mississippi River.  We pull into oak alley plantation.  We get out of the bus and take a walk up to the resteraunts were we have a yummy buffet meal.  Wow lots of food. And some of it is not spicy.  I can't eat it.  My pallet does not go for spicy food.  I would not survive down here if I had to eat spicy food all the time.  I did find enough to not burn my mouth.  After lunch is over we have free time to take in the plantation.  Have a tour of the house.  Just such a beautiful house.  I love the woodworking and all the items that are in the house. Not get a jest of how they use to live.  The most impressive thing about oak alley is the oak trees.  They make two lines down the front of the house and they are about 300 years old and the ones in the back are about 150 years old.   These trees give shade and collect the breeze off the river and cool down the temperature.  When the breeze blows through the house  it cools it down.  The trees in their two rows set off the house beautifully..  I loved this plantation

The second plantation was laurel plantation.  It was a creole plantation.  European not American.   Very. Ugh a slave plantation.  We're the slaves were not treated very well at all.  The house was not as impressive as oak alley, but I thought the building of the house was impressive.  Made out of cypress trees from the swamp.  Beams run across and the uprights were doves into the cross beam.  No nails used at all to build this house.  It was also build off the ground so that if the River flooded it would not be damaged.  This has been restored a couple of times as fire has spread through it.

It was a big come trash from one plantation to the other.  Very interesting history story.  I liked seeing these plantations.

The ride back to the city took  about an hour.  I might have done a little napping on that trip.  Well I know my head was bobbing allot.

Dang tired last night.  Into the room and never left again.  I sat on the bed did a little picture transferring and then I companies out and did not wake up until 9:30 this morning.  Felt good to get a little sleep but we had some things we were deciding to do so soon had to get a move on.

The first was getting some brunch.  Couldn't be breakfast and it was too early for lunch.  So walked around the corner and went to the ruby slipper.  Had to eat someplace the continental breakfast was long done.  Waited about 20 minutes to be seated at the bar.  This place is busy.  Someone gets up and another one is seated right away.  They can do breakfast and lunch and not have to be opened for supper.   They say it is still a money maker.  I did enjoy my brunch it tasted very delish.

So after we finished eating.  Well what do we do now.  Go get a ticket for the trolley and take a ride on it.  Um!!!!!  How about we go this way.  Maybe we can go do that.  Well we finally figured out what to do.  Walking and walking and walking.  The sun was warmer today but yes we still walked.  We walked down by the river.  Then a little through the French quarter.  Then back around and went into the cathedral as we couldn't see it the other day.  Wow!!  Is what I said.  The three story ceiling and the painting on the roof.  The stained glass windows and the large pipe organ in the balcony.  I love looking at old building that have character.  We came out of the church and decided on more walking.  Went over to the French market.  All the crafty stuff there.  And the food.  My gosh so many food places.  I saw a few Dolphins carved out of stone.  I was temped but how the heck would I get it home without breaking it..  I saw hats that I would have liked as well.  They are a straw type hat that the air would blow through.  Would keep my head from getting too much sun and not sweat my head to death.  I thought about both, but then an do I really need them.  I still have a couple of days may be back there.

When we came out of the market.  Ventured back into fren quarter for a few blocks.  Coming out were the carriages are.  Would we like a ride.  Me yes I need to sit down for a little while.  Hm. 18 dollars to go through the French quarter and 36  per person to go to the cemetary.  I want to do both bi put that is just getting a little expensive.  Well I did want to sit down for a little while and get to know a bit of stories about the French quarter.  Just walking around does not get you much.  And I am never sure whether I should be walking into any stores or not.  The chicken is still in me and I do not want to end up someplace I should not be.  But that is just me myself and I talking to each other about what is right and what is still right.  I know sounds funny but they are very little stores and should I walk into them or not. Well anyways we got on the carriage and went around the French quarter on a little tour.  After a period of time trying to get the dang mule to move.  It seemed he just wanted to go back to the stable.  Or not move at all.  They pulled and pushed the mule but he kept backing up.  And trying to go back to the shade he was in.  He knew a good thing when he had it.  They finally got him out and walking around.  Up one road and down another.  We learned what real estate prices were for some of the places.  French quarter is an expensive place to live and the square footage is not much more then a garage size.  The front of the houses were to the inside of the block and the back of the houses were to the street side of the block.  I alway thought it was the other way around.  In way back days the street were used a toilets and garbage places.  Hmmm would you really want to live there.  I guess if you had no other place to live.  These places were called shoot places.  That is because you could shoot a gun straight through from the front to the back door of the house.  No walls in between.. Learn something strange every day.

The carriage ride was over.  We ventured into a couple of stores.  Looked at the masked and tried a few on. I was looking for on with allot of feathers.  I found one for 185 dollars.  Um no and put it back were it was sitting.  It was pretty nice but not for that price.  While I was looking at some other ones Rob went and bought a smaller one for himself.  Much cheaper then the one I was looking at.  I would have wanted it but not for that price.  And you know it was on sale.

After our little shopping expedition we headed back to the hotel room.  My feet are bushed.  So putting them up for a little while made some sense to me.  Rob wanted to take his bag back to the room anyways.

Oh earlier in the day I had also changed over our ticket for the Natchez.  I had an Internet ticket and they wanted a different ticket to get on the boat.  Good I thought of that or we would have had to get out of line tonight and go to the ticket booth and get it changed over.

So after a little rest in the room we headed over to the boat dock and waited to board the Natchez. Music playing from a pipe organ on the roof of the boat.  You could hear this from a long ways off.   It wasn't a long wait that was for sure.  They said they would board at six but were boarding at 5:45.  Up the ramp and onto the boat. Taking a seat in the dining room as we were first sitting.  Got a window seat.  Great could watch from there as we launched.  The dinner was buffet.  Lots of yummie food.  And bread pudding for dessert.  We had finished our meal before the boat even left dock.  So found a place to sit outside and enjoy the rolling water go by.  Not cold sitting out on deck.  Enjoyed the ride down the river.  Jazz music playing on the top deck.  A nice cool breeze blowing across the deck.  The landscape going by and a tour guide telling us about the landscape.  After an hour out we turned around and headed back.  Went down to the highway 90 bridge and turned around once more.  To get a right angle to dock the boat.    That was an enjoyable trip.  Up the river and back down.  The only thing is the whistle is very loud.  A steam whistle at that.  You could hear something like that for miles.

After we got off the boat we boat the picture of us that was taken before we got on.  Not a bad picture of us.  Then walked back to the hotel.  A little different at night then during the day.  But not too bad.

So two day three days down and two more to go.  Tomorrow will be taking a ride through the cemetary and that night ghost stories.  Gonna be one spooky day.  Maybe another ride on the trolley and see a few things in the garden district.  That one is up in the air yet.  Still figuring what else can be done in our next two days.

Our time is soon coming to an end.  So far are having a great time.

Talk to you tomorrow

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