So I know I said I would write my next post about my crazy host mom, but that's going to have to wait. I just spent the weekend in New Orleans and I really wanted to share my adventures with you all!
I was in New Orleans for my friend Jane's debutante/Mardi Gras ball. I had been one time before and I absolutely loved it.
We arrived late Friday night, but had no energy so we went straight to bed. On Saturday morning we got up early, then headed to the French Quarter. Naturally, this was one of my favorite places. From the architecture to the street names to the brightly colored doors, the whole thing made me nostalgic for France.
Our first stop was of course the famous "Cafe du Monde". We had to wait in line for 30 minutes but it was definitely worth it. We had beignets and café au lait, and I was in heaven. It didn't even matter that I got powdered sugar all over my clothes.
Here's a picture from the cafe.
After our food coma, we walked over to the French Market, which sold lots of cool jewelry, masks, and food! Once again, I felt myself missing those markets in the South of France.
French Market
Then we made our way to Bourbon Street, which was crazy! It wasn't even Mardi Gras yet, but that didn't stop people from celebrating early. I thought I was going to get trampled. It was an experience, that's for sure.
After a few hours of shopping and sightseeing, it was time to get ready and go to the ball!
The first part of the ball was held at a hotel, and after that everyone went to the New Orleans Country Club for a late-night breakfast buffet and dancing! The band that played was incredible, and the dancing was a lot of fun.
The next day after a late start, we headed over to Magazine Street for a parade! There were about 25 different floats, as well as high school marching bands and dance teams. What I thought was really funny was that instead of throwing out candy to the kids, all the floats threw out Mardi Gras beads! I may have gotten slightly injured by some of them, but I still managed to catch quite a lot.
My friends and me at the parade--I don't think we have enough beads ;)
I found it really interesting how seriously New Orleans takes Mardi Gras. Almost every house we passed either had a Mardi Gras flag, Mardi Gras colored wreaths, and many other decorations. My friend, who is originally from New Orleans, told me that instead of Spring break, they would have a "Mardi Gras break". It seems like Mardi Gras is like Christmas in New Orleans!
On our way home from New Orleans, we were itching for some real seafood, since we were right on the gulf coast. So we stopped in a cute beach town called Bay St. Louis, Mississippi and were looking for a restaurant with fresh crawfish. We finally found a restaurant called "Lil Joe's", which had all kinds of fresh and fried seafood. Normally I'm not the biggest fan, but I had to try it. And it turned out to be delicious! I had the soft-shell crab po'boy, and the crawfish. We were all really happy that we made the detour.
Here's a picture of the restaurant:
All in all, it was a fabulous weekend and I was so glad I got to go back to New Orleans and explore new things! I hope to return soon.
Have any of you been to New Orleans? If so, what was your favorite part?
xox
Helen
P.S. Next week I PROMISE I will write about Beatrice, but I'm warning you that the post might be long...lots of stories to tell.
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