Day after Mardi Gras

---

February 10, Thursday. Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Booobbbb…….(Just be glad you don’t have to hear me sing!) After the birthday boy opened his presents, we were on our way to New Orleans. The morning portion of the tour included a drive complete with narration from one end of town to the other. Meanwhile we were making notes on where we wanted to return on foot. The City Park in New Orleans was a surprise. It is huge, and has many wonderful attractions, however it is a good distance from the heart of downtown.
Our first stop on foot was to get a coffee and beignet (a French donut-no hole with lots of powered sugar). Our second stop was the National Park Jean Lafitte where Bob got his stamp for the passbook. We then walked the flea market and made some purchases. One is suppose to bargain, I don’t do that well. We made our way to the General Market for a muffulletta, that we shared. It is a sandwich on a round roll with salamis, cheese, and an olive spread, quite yummy, so much for dieting. We wandered around the French Quarter in and out of shops and saw the remains of the carnival. Beads were everywhere, in trees, on balconies, even on vehicles, this is one party city, glad we missed the chaos. By 2:30, we boarded the paddleboat for the rest of our tour, and saw the city from the muddy Mississippi River. The weather was cool and windy with bright sunshine, just wonderful for walking and touring, although a bit cool on the water. We asked for some recommendations for a nice birthday Cajun dinner for “Mr. Bob”, the name Gumbo Shop kept coming up. So we tried it and were not disappointed, unfortunately they did not have a candle for the bread pudding, alas!
Our next experience after walking some more was a bus ride back to Jude. We figured out the bus line and got our transfers. Having started my teaching career in Newark after the riots in 1969, it still felt strange being the only white folks on the crowded bus. All the people we met were friendly and polite.

---