New Orleans, Louisiana

Destrehan Plantation House

Us with Diane, Ben, Kathy & Mike on Mississippi River, New Orleans

Aunty Dympna on Bourbon St with her two bodyguards & Hurricane drinks!

The Ryall girls on the Gulf of Mexico - storm coming!


Natchez Steamboat on Mississippi River, New Orleans


Downtown New Orleans

Cafe Du Monde - oops, someone ate all the Beignets!

Ben, Diane, Murray, Cindy & Mike

Italian Cream Cake for dessert

You would all recall the devastation that Hurricane Katrina bought to the Gulf Coast in 2005 when 1836 people lost their lives. In a rental car we drove Ret & AD along the Gulf of Mexico heading east from New Orleans, with Biloxi, Mississippi our destination. They saw remnants of the damage as well as the new homes constructed in subsequent years during the recovery. By the time we hit Gulfport, MS we encountered heavy rain, and the road quickly became flooded. We decided to leave the coast and head inland, but not before we walked on the sandy beach and dipped our toes in the Gulf of Mexico. Sadly the oil from the Gulf oil spill will darken these shores in the coming days.

My aunt & sister had never been to New Orleans, so we were keen for them to experience Bourbon street at night. Times have been tough for the locals since Hurricanes Katrina & Gustav, and we were aware that the streets might not be too safe at night. Pick pockets were active especially in crowds watching night street musicians & dancers. Our friends Diane & Ben came to the rescue and offered protection in the form of two off duty Baton Rouge police officers - their daughter & son-in-law! The 8 of us met at our downtown New Orleans hotel on the edge of the French Quarter, and walked 1.5 blocks to the Riverwalk on the Mississippi River where we had a Hurricane drink to get in the party mood. Later some Grenades (similar but nicer than Hurricanes) were also purchased and consumed, with Aunty Dympna keeping the 'glasses' as souvenirs. After tasting the local fare including fried green tomatoes and crawfish etouffe as well as steak, fish etc, we slowly wandered to Bourbon Street where the music was flowing out of each separate establishment. Girls in bikinis were gyrating in doorways to entice the public inside. Several times I had to help Murray forward as his shoe seemed to get stuck to the pavement or something like that. Funny how it only happened at one of the doorways! Our last stop was a bar where Big Al Carlson was singing. Murray & I had seen him play on a previous trip in 2003 and were keen to see him again. It was time to call it a night, as our friends had an hour's drive back home. As we wandered back to the hotel (0.8 mile, about 1 km) we watched the street performers blowing trumpets and hip hop dancing, mindful that our trusty bodyguards were close by. Thanks Mike & Kathy!!

On our last morning in New Orleans we walked to visit the beautiful St Louis Cathedral which is the oldest cathedral in North America. The parish, located on the banks of the Mississippi River, was founded as a Catholic parish in 1720. From there we walked to Cafe Du Monde, the original French Market coffee stand that was established in 1862. We enjoyed the local cafe au lait, a blend of coffee & chicory, served with fresh beignets (French style donuts) warm from the oven. Delicious. The girls couldn't leave New Orleans without seeing a plantation, so despite some raindrops, we visited the Destrehan Plantation which was established in 1787 and is the oldest documentated plantation home in the lower Mississippi River Valley - it is located on the banks of the Mississippi River. The plantation, worked by slaves, was initially used for Indigo (dye from these plants was highly sought by textile companies as it turned fabric a bright blue) before the fields were planted with sugar cane. It was later used as an oil refinery. Before we knew it, it was time to drop Ret & AD to New Orleans airport for their flight back to Los Angeles & then Brisbane. They are due to land in Brisbane in 30 mins time. It is 12.30pm Sun in Florida now.

Murray & I joined Diane & Ben again at their home north of New Orleans (where we left the RV), and all drove to other friends' Mike & Cindy for a very warm welcome (see Australian flag flying at their front letterbox), and a lovely, home cooked dinner. Mike had prepared local food including deep fried catfish & seafood (crawfish) etouffe and finished up with a huge Italian cream cake served with gourmet coffee. Cindy & Mike presented Murray & I with parting gifts - a CD of Fats Domino playing Christmas music to remind us of our 'Deep South' visit, and I got a sterling silver charm of a 'Fleur de Lis'. The symbol is seen all around New Orleans and represents its French heritage and is now used as a symbol of New Orleans recovery since Hurricane Katrina. The following morning we bid farewell to Diane & Ben and drove away with another CD, one of Ben recorded singing local music, and a Cajun cookbook. Thanks to you all for making our visit so enjoyable. We were sorry to miss meeting up with Laura and her family who live north of Lake Ponchartrain. Perhaps next time Laura?