Around and Across Lake Pontchartrain!

We reversed our "Streetcar" trip to the beginning of our day in City Park where our car waited for us.

 Next stop ... the Bayou, with Msr. Honey at the wheel and Miss Laury as his trusted navigator we ventured off through the misty, foggy weather to Manchac.

Our travels followed the shores of Lake Pontchartrain.

We arrived at our intended destination with an appetite as our "Morning Call" beignets and "Blind Pelican" nachos and dip had worn off. 

Here we enjoyed a Southern treat that we had never before tried ...

Middendorf's Restaurant is "Home of the World Famous Original Thin Fried Catfish". 

It first opened its doors in 1934 and continues to be a mainstay/ institution in the area.

It was well worth the drive ... 

Most delicious fried, thin slices of catfish with a very light bread coating (not greasy at all) served with fries, hush puppies and coleslaw.

There was an eerieness over the water as the misty taupe-coloured fog masked our views.

And our day was still not over ...

Further afield in the community of Covington we arrived at "Mahagony Oaks" the grand residence of Laury's dear friends, John and Michael.

A magnificent property of many oak treed acres festooned with the usual Spanish moss, beautiful landscaping and containing their wonderful home.

After a tour of their tastefully decorated home, we were invited to join everyone at the "Mahagony Oaks Bar"... where we shared "libations, hors d'oeuvres" and many laughs with our hosts J & M, Laury and another friend, Carmen. 

It was a fun evening of socializing and getting to know new friends.

        

 

The wonders of travel allows you to meet new people, see new places, provides opportunities and challenges you to try new things, taste different foods, etc ... opening up a new world to discover.

                                  

                  

    

                    

Our route back to the city of New Orleans was another adventure as we travelled across Lake Pontchartrain over the causeway.

(If interested the causeway is the yellow line in the middle of the lake shown in the map above.)

It is 24 miles long and the world's longest bridge and this evening we travelled in a convoy to cross it due to the heavy fog! 

And those who know me ... "bridges" are one of my fears, but I can now say I crossed the "World's Longest Bridge" albeit in the darkness of night and fog!

This is the end of our first day of adventures in New Orleans ... stay tuned for what we see and do on our second day!

Reflections on Art

We don't always see things the same way... It's not always "black and white" and there are a lot of grey areas in life.

Let's "face" it everyone sees things differently and there is always more than one way to look at something or someone whether it is a piece of art, a problem, a decision, a loved one, a treasured friend or stranger.

If we didn't it would be a boring life and the world that we live in would be a colourless, complacent place.

Do you see what I see?

    The gangs all here ...

                    

     And we are still altogether ... 

                                     

                                       

This is one of the art pieces that we viewed in the Sculpture Garden (New Orleans) titled ...

Stainless Steel. 

 I had always thought of stainless steel in the colour spectrum of black and white or more specifically  greys and silvers ... it wasn't until I got home and was looking at our photographs I saw all the colours just like a kaleidoscope!                                   

Streetcar Sightseeing Tour ...

#New Orleans#Streetcars#Blindpelican#Emeril'sDelmonico

#CanalStreet#CharlesStreet

After our first taste of beignets at Morning Call and tour of the Sculpture Garden, we headed to the bus stop ...  we purchased an all day ticket for $3.00 which allowed us to get on and off the buses and streetcars all day.

What a bargain and easy way to get around.

The day continued to be misty and foggy, so we did our sightseeing from the comforts of the streetcars, first the red "Canal Street" car that took us downtown where we transferred to the green "Charles Street" car.

What a wonderful way to view the historic buildings, interesting architecture, the vibrancy of the various neighbourhoods and see remnants of the Mardi Gras parade.

Again the shutter on my camera was clicking continuously as I was shooting photos from my perch on the streetcar seat ...

A famous restaurant...

The spring flowers are already in blooming ...

Mardi Gras beads dressing the trees lining Charles Street ...

On our return trip we needed a refreshment break ... we discovered an inviting, fun looking bar/restaurant that was new to our friend/ tour guide Laury.

The crawfish looked delicious at the "Blind Pelican" ...  Reason enough to plan a return trip to taste these delictable treats.

Refreshed with a cool drink and some chips, salsa and guacamole it was time to hop back on the streetcars ... 

Green (Charles Street) to the Red (Canal Street) back to City Park to get the car for the next part of our tour ...

I hope you enjoyed your "Streetcar Tour"!

Streetcar to desire ...