Winter Break 2013 - Getting there.

We were supposed to go on a different trip entirely. A group I have cruised with before had a convention cruise scheduled for the end of January. Unfortunately, they didn't get enough reservations to secure the booking. Sure, some people would have given up, but my BFF and I pulled up Carnival.com and our date books (and maybe a calculator or two) and found something that worked even better for us and her husband.


We started out at 7:30, 8:00, 8:30 on Saturday, January 5. For a change I was the first one ready. We passed the time by listening to an Audible version of Garden's of the Moon. Interesting, but a little dry. Sometime after lunch we switched to Christopher Moore's A dirty Job. Audible is the only way to travel. It almost made up for the fact that Missouri is an obscenely long state.

Eventually, we did make it into Memphis, and  stopped for dinner at Central Barbeque. Lea did a lot of research, cross referencing our route with Zagats, Google and Diners Drive Ins and Dives before choosing a prime example of Memphis Barbeque. I don't actually eat barbeque as a rule, but they assured me the ribs were great, and I definitely enjoyed the pulled chicken and onion rings. Lea was probably the most excited by the collard greens.

Another hour in the car and we arrived at the Quality Inn in Grenada, Mississippi. I'm not sure what we were expecting (it was Mississippi afterall), but it somehow failed to meet our expectations. We slept well enough, but were quite glad to get on the road in the morning.

The day was overcast, and not terribly warm, but after Iowa, seeing green grass and leafy trees was quite a treat. Also, the rest stops in Mississippi are more than a little antebellum looking. Nothing says roadside toilets and vending machines like Corinthian columns (or are they Doric? I never can remember the difference).

It was about 5 hours from our hotel to New Orleans.  Lea's research, and a coupon from restaurant.com brought us to Cajun Mike's on the edge of downtown. Lea and I sampled a couple of local beers, and after a few swallows decided that we preferred each others so we had to swap. Travis was shocked (and thrilled) to discover that he could enjoy a beer and a cigarette at the same time indoors in Louisiana. He also enjoyed an alligator Po-boy. I had the gumbo of the day (andouille and shrimp). It was okay, but a little heavy - almost more like a stew than a soup, and  was still craving Cajun food when I was done.

We did some sight seeing afterwards. We mostly stayed in the most commercial part of the city, right along the river. We did enjoy the sculptures and the art galleries.  Lea made friends with some of the locals. There were funny teeshirts exploding out of every second door, and we saw dozens that would have made appropriate souvenirs for our stoner friends. We also found a cute pair - Princess One and Trouble Two - for our friends who were expecting a baby right after our return.









We walked around the french market, being harassed by vendors every time we stopped to look at anything.I lost track of how many people told Travis he needed to buy something pretty for his lady. The pigeons were very bold in the market, confident that someone or another would be dropping crumbs for them and impatient for someone to get around to it.

The car  beckoned around 6:30, so we started back. Got a gorgeous view of Jackson Square and Saint Louis Cathedral after dark. Then we fell victim the smells coming out of Cafe Du Monde, the original French Market Coffee Stand. Coffee and Beignets were just what the doctor ordered.

Our original plan was to head back out for dinner, but two days on the road and all that sight seeing had taken it's toll on us. We grabbed sodas and sandwiches from the Wendy's down the street and called it a night. Well, at least two of us did. A couple of cockroaches in the bathroom left Lea tossing and turning and imagining creepy crawlies. I know there's not a lot you can do to keep bugs out down there, but this was definitely Quality Inn Strike Two. After breakfast, Lea and I sat by the pool drinking coffee, reading books and weaving bracelets out of the fibers hanging off palm trees. What? If we ended up stranded on a Caribbean island this could be a vital survival skill.

Eventually, we decided to go back downtown and tour the Cathedral. It was beautiful and fascinating and killed almost 20 minutes. Lea was nice enough to take a really horrible picture of me taking a picture of the nativity. It's like one of those close up pictures that makes a puppies nose look all huge and cute, only its of my butt. Classy.


I'm a little embarassed to admit that we spent more time in a little hole-in-the wall toy shop where I bought marbles and a toy mosquito for Sam and then we rushed back to the hotel to catch our shuttle to the cruise port. And that's where the real fun begins.