I have been traveling and sharing travel stories and photos with friends and family for just over 1.5 years now and was recently encouraged to start a blog and share with more people. So here am, after thinking about this for a while.... I finally started my own blog...way to go Renate
Since retiring I have learnt there is a lot of time freed up when no longer filling the work week with many hours of work. The challenge is to fill the time with some meaningful activities that stimulate and excite. Why be retired if you just sit around and veg, right?
I have always wanted to travel and see many places. I love photography and nature. So I decided to combine my interests into my new adventure hobby.
First I pick an area I am interested in seeing. Next I research that area for things to do. Since I love nature and walking I start with looking for parks and nature trails. Add to this list botanical gardens, zoos, historical architecture, bridges, waterways and I soon have an eclectic list of destinations.
Once my plans are prepared I hit the road camera and binoculars near at hand.
So now the adventure in blogging has begun :-)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
2009 - 06 - Trip to New Orleans - a 4 day adventure
My first trip was to New Orleans with my husband. Being new to this whole travel concept I just got a ticket and got on the plane. I had an idea that there was the old French Quarter and figured it would be easy to walk about and discover more when there. Learnt very quickly that if you don't have an agenda you end up mostly walking around and around a lot hoping to find the interesting bits!
On to the adventure:
New Orleans trolley was one of the first sights to greet me as we strolled the down town streets. This public transportation is also a very popular way to get around and site see other areas of town.
However my first days mission was to see the old French Quarter to I put the trolley ride on the agenda for later during my stay.
The Old French Quarter is now a tourist destination and caters to the different needs / desires of the various visitors. One of the first things I noticed was that large number of "gentleman's clubs" all down the main strip. Since this was not my reason to be in New Orleans I had to explore further.
Random walking showed me more of what I was after...the various styles of architecture that makes older communities so unique.
I loved the wrought Iron work on many buildings.
Almost everywhere you look you can see variations on this type of construction.
Less common is the intricate carved stone work. A fine example of this was on the facade of the Monteleone hotel
Strolling about we located the much talked about Pirates Alley. Luckily we were there fairly early in the morning and I was able to capture this photo. When we returned here later in the day it was crowded with visitors.
Next we located the French Market Place. This unusual site caught my attention. What an unusual way to prepare and present sidewalk food!
Several hours of random walking game me a good indication of what this part of New Orleans was all about. Some of the interesting features were the old "horse head" hitching posts.....the hidden courtyards and fountains....
....and the fact that you can grow a garden anywhere!
Day 2
Since New Orleans is located on a bend of the Mississippi, it is sometimes called the Crescent City and no trip to New Orleans would be complete without exploring the Mississippi River.
Looking toward the water are these incredible views of boats and bridges.
Then in the afternoon it was time for that Trolley ride....past stately monastic buildings....
and homes with remnants of the Mardi Gras parade!
Close up to see those are really beads in the trees!
:-)
And surprise surprise! one of Emeril's Restaurants!
Day 3
Third day and we decided to take some time to explore outside the city.
We took a drive to find adventure along the Mississippi
On the map I found a mention of a ferry crossing so this is what we went looking for. Road signs actually took us right to the ferry!
So here I am standing on the Belle Chasse - Scarsdale Ferry with the view south down the river.
Then we set the GPS for a tiny community in the Bayou and what an exploration that was!
We found the homes built up on stilts.....and a local street festival in progress.
Yes they closed the street down! Fire engine and police vehicle side by side! And they were at the event too! Celebrating the local sheriff's long term in office. :-)
Chicken Bingo anyone!?
You bet on which square the chicken will poop on! :-)
Then we returned to New Orleans to see the aftermath of Katrina. Drove through a neighborhood that had been hit quite hard and saw homes fully redone and right next door...
homes that were still in a state of total destruction.
No trip to New Orleans would be complete without a stop at the Mardi Gras superstore.
Then we finished the day with more views of the long bridge over the Mississippi.
And since I love flowers...
they often feature in my photographs.
The final day of this adventure, we once again headed to the outskirts of town.
I wanted to see the levies as these are such an important part of New Orleans.
So with a final goodbye to some of the downtown architecture... we went on a levee hunt.
We drove along until we saw a sign for the Kenner Heritage Park.
Here we stopped for a walk about to see the lay of the land.
After reading some historical plaques we climbed the stairs to the top of the levee and there we discovered this old cannon. The river can be seen in the background.
Along the top of the levee is an old road ?? now a walking trail.
From the levee we could watch the barge traffic on the river and turn around to look back at the coastal community.
That was the end of the New Orleans weekend adventure as we headed to the airport for the flight home.
On to the adventure:
New Orleans trolley was one of the first sights to greet me as we strolled the down town streets. This public transportation is also a very popular way to get around and site see other areas of town. However my first days mission was to see the old French Quarter to I put the trolley ride on the agenda for later during my stay.
The Old French Quarter is now a tourist destination and caters to the different needs / desires of the various visitors. One of the first things I noticed was that large number of "gentleman's clubs" all down the main strip. Since this was not my reason to be in New Orleans I had to explore further.
Random walking showed me more of what I was after...the various styles of architecture that makes older communities so unique. 
I loved the wrought Iron work on many buildings.
Almost everywhere you look you can see variations on this type of construction.
Less common is the intricate carved stone work. A fine example of this was on the facade of the Monteleone hotel
Strolling about we located the much talked about Pirates Alley. Luckily we were there fairly early in the morning and I was able to capture this photo. When we returned here later in the day it was crowded with visitors.
Next we located the French Market Place. This unusual site caught my attention. What an unusual way to prepare and present sidewalk food!
Several hours of random walking game me a good indication of what this part of New Orleans was all about. Some of the interesting features were the old "horse head" hitching posts.....the hidden courtyards and fountains....
....and the fact that you can grow a garden anywhere!
Day 2
So the next day started with a stroll through the water front area.
Then turning your back on the river are these wonderful architectural images.
Then in the afternoon it was time for that Trolley ride....past stately monastic buildings....
:-)
And surprise surprise! one of Emeril's Restaurants!
Day 3
Third day and we decided to take some time to explore outside the city.
We took a drive to find adventure along the Mississippi
On the map I found a mention of a ferry crossing so this is what we went looking for. Road signs actually took us right to the ferry!
Then we set the GPS for a tiny community in the Bayou and what an exploration that was!
We found the homes built up on stilts.....and a local street festival in progress.
Chicken Bingo anyone!?
You bet on which square the chicken will poop on! :-)
Then we returned to New Orleans to see the aftermath of Katrina. Drove through a neighborhood that had been hit quite hard and saw homes fully redone and right next door...
No trip to New Orleans would be complete without a stop at the Mardi Gras superstore.
Then we finished the day with more views of the long bridge over the Mississippi.
they often feature in my photographs.
Day 4
The final day of this adventure, we once again headed to the outskirts of town.
I wanted to see the levies as these are such an important part of New Orleans. So with a final goodbye to some of the downtown architecture... we went on a levee hunt.
We drove along until we saw a sign for the Kenner Heritage Park.
Here we stopped for a walk about to see the lay of the land.
After reading some historical plaques we climbed the stairs to the top of the levee and there we discovered this old cannon. The river can be seen in the background.
Along the top of the levee is an old road ?? now a walking trail.
From the levee we could watch the barge traffic on the river and turn around to look back at the coastal community.
That was the end of the New Orleans weekend adventure as we headed to the airport for the flight home.
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