From My Travels... New Orleans

We arrived just outside of the French Quarter and stopped at La Madelines for breakfast. We ate quiches, oatmeal with roasted nuts, toast with jams and jellies, and other pastries with coffee. The coffee was weak but the food was delicious, a perfect start to the day. From there we drove into the quarter passing Audubon Society and Tulane University. We arrived to the house to drop off our things.

Our house is in the middle of the French Quarter, a few blocks up from Cafe du Monde, and in between Canal and Esplanade. It the perfect walking distance to everything. The house itself used to be a garage for horse drawn carriages and at some point was converted into living quarters.  

The house also has a courtyard in the back area that joins the owners house. There's brick everywhere, inside and out, and lots of old touches like tall doorways and wooden trim. I adore all the shutters, on our house and others, with bright colors like teal and purple.

From the house we went straight to the French Market to walk around. We stopped to get daquiris first to accompany us as we walked through the wares and crafts. Becca bought a lot of gifts for her family and friends at the market. After feeling it in our legs, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant across the street from the market called El Gato Negro. It was there that we had such a great meal with the sweetest server, Corey. We ordered cilantro pineapple margaritas which were so heavenly, and then munched on chips and salsa, guacamole, queso, and tuna and avocado ceviche. The queso was so delicious, buttery at the beginning and a little spicey at the end. 

Of course, I completely agree with almost everyone I've spoken to about New Orleans. All of the people here are so friendly and the atmosphere is so different. It's hard to describe, but it's unlike any other city. I attribute it to the combination of a rich history with southern hospitality, and a dash of alcohol to create this unforgettable city. 

We came back to the house to relax a little since we had a long night on the road. After we refreshed ourselves we hit up a ghost tour. We had time to kill before the tour got started so we stopped in Pat O'Briens for some hurricanes in to-go cups. The hurricanes were so sweet and had a ton of rum - not sure if I'll be doing that again! I love that in New Orleans you're allowed to walk around with open containers; we brought our drinks along for the tour. Halfway through, we all stopped at a bar called MRB for restrooms and another drink when our hurricanes ran dry. We joked around with our tour guide and made friends with the only other person on the tour that was drinking.

After the tour, we stopped in Muriel's down the block to grab a cocktail that was highly recommended. It was called Honey Child and it was made with honeysuckle vodka (immediately intriguing), Chambord (a favorite), blackberries, and basil - so good! Muriel's kitchen closed at that point so we made our way to Angeli for late night pizza and beers.

So far, a successful and packed first day! I did leave out the part where I tripped, twice. I nearly sprained the same ankle, once at the beginning of the walking ghost tour, and once at the end of the night when almost to the house. I'm looking forward to the days to come and I already feel like it's almost over! 

Adieu, Yelle