Next stop was New Orleans. It was definitely one of the coolest cities I have been to so far! It was so much fun, and the vibe was insane. This was also the part of my travels where I was meeting up with my best yankee friend Hannah! Even though she went through some trials getting to New Orleans(flight being cancelled and having to take an 18 hour train ride), she made it in the end and it has been great to have some company! It has been awesome to reconnect with her again and it reminds me how much fun we have together and how alike we are!

So before she arrived, I tried to keep my activities to small things as I knew she would be coming soon. So for my first day in new orleans I slept in, grabbed a quick brekkie and then headed out for a walk and headed in the direction of New Orleans City Park. It was a lovely place to stroll through and had a really amazing sculpture garden. So I spent a few hours here looking at the beautiful surrounds of the park. In the afternoon, I set up in a cafe and watched videos and read blogs on things to see and do in New Orleans, making plans for when Hannah arrived.

The next day was supposed to be spent with hannah, but with her flight being cancelled, she wasn’t going to be getting in until the late afternoon. So I decided to do something I knew she wouldn’t be interested in and something that I would LOVE!! A cooking class lol! It ended up being more of a cooking demo, where we sat and watched the chef prepare some beautiful New Orleans staples; Gumbo, Jumbalaya, Banana Fosters and Pralines. It was an awesome morning and we pretty much got a three course meal! Everything was delicious and I can’t wait to try my hand at Gumbo one of these days. I then walked around the french quarter which is where my cooking class was. What a city! I was in awe as I strolled around the streets. Every street is just as cute as the next. I am sure I had a pretty goofy smile on my face the whole time.  Jackson Square, being the centre of the French Quarter was the image of New Orleans that you see everywhere and it didn’t disappoint. There was live music around everywhere! I was lucky enough to get a picture with one of the live jazz bands and it was a hoot. Pun definitely intended. Walking through all the mask and art shops were also a sight as well. There were also plenty of art street vendors who set up shop around Jackson Square. After spending hours just walking around and browsing, I went and met Hannah back at the hostel, who had finally arrived.

Our first day together, we revisited the french Quarter and and began the day by grabbing brunch. We then headed to check out the infamous graveyards. It was a sight to behold that was for sure. Some of the graves were very old. The walls of the graveyard are also tombs themselves. Apparently because of the states crazy hurricane weather, if people are buried under the ground, they often come back up! So they chose to build them above the ground in huge crypts. After being sufficiently freaked out we headed back into the city area and walked along the Mississippi and around Jackson Square. We also happened to walk past the Museum of Death, in which Hannah freaked out about, so we went in! It turned out to be pretty morbidly interesting and we spent a lot of time reading about crazy serial killers and looking at letters, artefacts, photos and articles all related to death in one way or another. It flowed on very well from the graveyard visit in the morning. After this, we were interestingly enough still hungry, so we went to an oyster bar to try the famous Louisiana oysters. They were huge! The cocktail sauce they traditionally serve them with is delicious.  We then headed to Frenchman St which is another place you apparently HAVE to visit. It was pretty cool, I’ll give it that! We went to a bar called the Spotted Cat. Which is my kind of establishment! A bar with awesome live music and cat ornaments everywhere! Yay! Hahaha.

The next day was New Years Eve. We checked out of our hostel, which was completely booked out for NYE, and into our hotel room for the night. So another tip, for any time in New Orleans when there is an event on, or a major holiday, book WAY in advance! We thought we were booking in advance about 6 weeks before, but it wasn’t early enough! During the day we headed out to go on a swamp tour which was a boat tour of the New Orleans swamp area which was really cool. We saw ALOT of racoons which the tour guide fed marshmallows and we also saw an alligator chilling in the reeds. The tour guide also had a baby alligator hidden on the boat, in a cooler that he was sitting on, so it was a awesome surprise when we got to hold it. After the tour, we went back to the hotel, rested up for a little while before heading out for a nice NYE dinner and Martinis. I had the best Mac and Cheese dish ever, as well as truffle fries which will go down in history! After dinner we headed to Jackson Square to watch the fireworks and watch the fleur  de lis drop. This was a giant form of the New Orleans symbol that dropped at midnight down a giant pole on top of a building rooftop. It was a really great night walking around the streets of New Orleans seeing the craziness that goes on! Everyone was very colourful, covered in beads and NYE decorations. It was great to have Hannah with me to bring in the New Year! It was awesome to be with an amazing friend and the best company!

 

New years day was our last day in New Orleans before catching a 12 hour bus to Orlando, Florida. So we spent our time exploring the garden district which is famous for its huge historic houses and quaint surrounds. We wandered around the streets for a while and we also visited the other cemeteries the city is known for. After this we headed back into the FQ to wander and kill time. We then had a very late dinner in a lovely restaurant which had buskers singing to people at their tables. By the time we finished it was time to leave and we headed for our bus.

 

New Orleans was by far one of my favourite destinations so far in the USA. There is so much to see and do and the culture and feeling of the city is like nothing else. I hope I go back…one day!