The every day seem to be pretty great. It is Thurs. the 8th of November. We really have not had that much bad weather. We were moving to Turner Marina today which is right next door to Dog River Marina. Some of the other Looper's had left very early in the morning. I decided to make a banana nut bunt bread for breakfast. Yummy.... The people at the marina were waiting fro us so it made it very easy to dock and tie up. Don, Dave and Dianne went to pick up the rental car at Enterprise. When they got back we left for New Orleans. It was a great day to travel. We stopped at a Welcome Centre in Louisiana and made hotel reservations at the Hotel St. Marie in the heart of the French Quarter. We had taken our GPS so it was easy to find. The hotel was on Toulouse Street just a block away from Bourbon Street and right in heart of everything. Our room was nice but Dave and Dianne had a problem with theirs. We went out for a walk and of course a drink, we are in New Orleans.... It was dark out and all the lights and people and things going on everywhere was fun and exciting. My phone was not taking great pictures so we came back to the hotel to pick up mine. Some how there was some kind of misunderstanding but when I came down everyone was gone. They though I was not coming back I guess. Anyway they went out for dinner but I waited for them to come back.... Not a great way to spend your first nite in New Orleans....
Fri. the 9th, day two started off with an explanation of what happened the nite before, and then I just wanted to put it behind and have a great day. We had to change hotels so we are now moving to the Prince Conti Hotel on Conti Street. We all decided to do the Hop On Hop Off bus tours, that way we could decided where and what we wanted to see. We started at the St Louis Cemetery #1 where the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Marie Laveau is buried, and Nicholas Cage has his burial site all ready for him in the shape of a pyramid. One of a couple I think.
The old charm was there as we travelled along in the bus. We went by where they make and store all the Mardi Gras floats and a costumes. So interesting and to think that Mardi Gras started originally in Mobile.... We stopped at the Riverboat Docks on the Riverwalk by their World Trade Center. Had a great lunch and my first Shrimp Poorboy.
We all got back on the bus and Don and I got off at the Jackson Square stop. So much to see and so little time. The first thing we saw was the Basilica of St Louis King of France. Beautiful church built in 1718. Inside the ceiling had a beautiful fresco painted on it and another one at the front of the Church behind the alter. 
Outside the streets were all line with vendors, some wanting to read the tarot cards for you, some to sketch your portrait, lots selling painting and musicians playing on every corner. There were people on all the balcony's, drinking and having fun. It was great. We then walked down Decatur Street to Cafe du Monde to buy some of New Orleans famous beignets to take back to the boat. The Cafe was packed and it was late afternoon. Even at the take out window I had to wait 20 minutes. Later we continued to walked down through the French Market Place. Store of every kind and size, but lots of little shops off on all the side streets. You could certainly leave lots of money here. We walked back to one store to buy a Mardi Gras ceramic mask that had been mounted on a stick and with a wooden base. Our New Orleans memento....
We walked back to the hotel and got ready to go out for dinner. We met Dianne and Dave on Bourbon Street and just prosed around the streets. People on the balconies were throwing beads down on everyone. If you were lucky you could catch some of them. We stopped for dinner at the Chartres House and had a wonderful dinner. We walked the streets for awhile aver dinner then back to the hotel. Don and I stopped in the bar Vacherie at the hotel and had a nite cap. Great day in a beautiful city. Would love to come back again. 
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