New Orleans

So......we went on a cruise!  A 7-day cruise to the Western Caribbean to be exact.  Matt and I have always wanted to try a cruise.  We love travelling, and a cruise seemed like a good way to see a lot of places.  My fears of cruising were basically twofold:  A lot of people in a little space and seasickness.  Oh yeah...and the boat sinking, but that was minor.

Overall, the experience was good.  We had definite things that we did not care for as far as "cruising" goes, but we spent 7 days in paradise so there's not much to complain about that!

I'll start with New Orleans, which is where we set sail from.  I was so excited to visit New Orleans. I hadn't done a lot of research on what to see since we only had a day to visit, and our friends had been there before.  We were planning just to walk the city, have dinner, and eat at Cafe du Monde Sunday morning.

Our hotel was right in the French Quarter. It was a beautiful day...about 65ish and sunny.  The Saints were playing that evening, so the city was busy.  Very busy. I liked how it wasn't busy with cars, though...just people walking everywhere.  We headed down Bourbon St.  I'll just say that I'm good if I never walk down Bourbon St. again.  Wow...the kids got an eyeful those 20 minutes!

Things got a lot calmer once we turned down a side street. This was the first time the kids got to experience so many street performers.  They thought it was crazy!

Living statues...

Magicians.  We took part in this act.  The kids were amazed.  Ok...I was amazed, too. He was good! 

Beautiful balconies and architecture. 

My favorite area was Jackson Square.  Such pretty buildings and palm trees! 

We watched a group of performers in an open air amphitheater for awhile.  They were 5 dancers/acrobats and had some amazing talent!

One of my favorite pictures of New Orleans.

The absolute best part of New Orleans...Cafe du Monde.  Cafe au lait and beignets?  Perfect way to start a vacation. 

Sunday morning, walking to the Port of New Orleans...ready to cruise! 

New Orleans was not my favorite city and I really never care to visit it again. I was glad we got to see it though...one thing checked off our bucket list :) It saddened me to see how people were living...probably how they thought they had to live, the only way of life they know.  There was a group of 4 or 5 young people on our hotel floor who got into a huge fight at 5am..yellling, screaming, crying...all because of what happened in their drunken state the night before.  It made me so sad for the young girls. When I saw the girl crying on the couch in the lobby, I wanted to give her a hug and say, "There's something so much better than this!!"

It's such a completely different life than little Springfield, OH.  I'm glad the kids got to see such a different culture. But I'll take our little town any day over New Orleans.

Although those beignets may just be worth going back for.