NOLA: Day Five

Monday, November 9

After breakfast at the Deja Vu Bar and Grill  we took a ride on the paddlewheel steamboat the Creole Queen to the nearby town of Chalmette to visit the site of the Battle of New Orleans, where many of my ancestors and relatives fought against the British with Andrew Jackson in 1815. Along the way, we also photographed the larger steamboat Natchez which was steaming up and down the river at the same time.

Unaccountably I somehow managed to look like this BEFORE drinking the Hurricanes

The Marchioness was much amused by this history geek, who didn't appear to be an official part of the tour but was dressed like a 19th century pirate nonetheless

St Louis Cathedral as seen from the Mississippi River

Paddle Wheel as seen from inside the boat:

The battlefield.

The Chalmette Monument.

Your correspondent. I was actually hoping to look somewhat less like Mr. Bean.

Like the gator in our last post, I needed to see a tree with Spanish moss, and I finally got one.

On our trip back, our tour brilliant tour guide Charles, a true poet, told the story of Hurricane Katrina. Along the way, he pointed out this high school in the 9th ward, which still has protective roof covering ten years after the event

The steamboat Natchez from the Creole Queen:

After dinner, we went to Jean Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, one of the oldest buildings in the city (1740s) and today a popular bar. If I lived here I would be there all the time.

This being our last night we allowed ourselves something resembling the alcohol consumption that everyone around us was indulging in. The night grew trippy and surreal -- and still we somehow managed to stop ourselves well short of getting ill....the true sign of an old fogey.

Then we finally had a peek at Reverend Zombie's House of Voodoo

This being our last night there we lingered long to hear the street musicians, in this case an outfit calling themselves Death in the Evening: