Just Another Day in Paradise

Another 'late' blog, but Adarsh has saved the day again and helped me solve the problem!  Even with his help, I have continued to struggle with this, especially getting the photos to publish.  Am soldiering on and will publish this and see what happens!

We started the day the perfect way - at the beach!    This is the beach I spent most of my time at. "Back then" it was called 'wayside beach' and only had a parking lot. Now it is called Boardwalk and has gift shops, eating places and bars, plus a great beach.

Alan and I also enjoy the pier - for only $2 you can walk along and see things you might not want to see-like the sharks swimming so close to public areas.  But it is fascinating and I would recommend it to anyone.

I only require an hour 'beach fix' which worked out well today since we were supposed to meet my nephew and his family for lunch!  We had arranged to meet at Fisherman's Wharf, but in my head I was going to the Lucky Snapper.  When we arrived at the harbour, I discovered not only was this NOT Fisherman's Wharf, but it was also NOT the Lucky Snapper anymore! Still got to the correct place in time.    We had only met Bobby's son Zach, at his christening 3 years ago.  But we have spoken to him on Skype, so I don't think he felt we were complete strangers.  He was precious and seemed to enjoy his time with us.  I also really enjoyed spending time with Misty since I have never really gotten to know her.  Again, I just feel lucky to have such wonderful nieces and nephews who seem to also enjoy spending time with us!

After lunch, we meandered along the harbor and discovered a bull shark that had just been caught, weighing 453 pounds, and was at least 8 feet long.  I was afraid to ask exactly where the guy had caught him!

                                              

After this, we did a bit of shopping on the way home, had a drink at the local brewery and called it a day.  A very good day.

                                             "One can think of life after the fish is in the canoe".   Hawaian saying

Goodbye New Orleans

Good bye New Orleans

Sorry for delay in posting, had serious issues with this working.  I am hoping merely updating this app has fixed the problem - fingers crossed:   Didn't work, back to the drawing board....

After three very interesting days in New Orleans, it is time to hit the road for the beach. 

I have been obsessed with getting back to NOLA long before I married Alan.  It has always been one of my favourite cities.  I have no idea what took so long, apart from the last time we had the opportunity in July 2005. I will never forgive myself for changing my mind and going to Panama City instead.  Now that I have finally gotten here, I sincerely believe that was the last chance to see the New Orleans I remember.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn on Rue Dauphine, right in the French Quarter. Perfect location - away from the madness of Bourbon Street, but close enough to do and see everything.  We also discovered the streetcars, perfect way to get around. A day pass is $3 and super value for money.

Driving from Mobile going along I-10 on the way in, was not the scenic drive I remembered. Later, I saw a map and there is a route along  the coast - we will do that today.

First day, just wandered along the French Quarter, too early and very quiet.  Later, walking down Bourbon Street is so noisy, I videoed this and will try to attach at a later date.

We stopped at a nice place for a drink, I tried a Mojito and it was delicious.  

The menu looked fantastic, but when we went back there for dinner we discovered that whole area seems to close about 8.   It was called River's Edge Restaurant  across the street from Cafe du Monde (which is open 24 hours).

We ended up at a 24 hour diner where I got red beans & rice and sweet potato fries!  2 side orders and it was perfect!

Early night since we got up at 3am!

Next day we did the River Road to see the gorgeous plantation houses.  Roxanne suggested driving up one side of the river  and down the other, but everyone kept programming the satnav to get to the only 4 showing on a brochure we had.  I think we missed a fantastic drive....what we did see was breathtaking.

Destrahan 

San Fransisco 

Oak Alley 

When we arrived at Oak Alley there was a river boat, The American Queen, docked and passengers were walking over to visit!  Just like the days when river boats were the main transport!

Our tour guide at Oak Alley

We discovered a fantastic little place for dinner - The New Orleans Oyster and Hamburger.  I got A Strawberry Fields salad and it was wonderful - strawberries (obviously), sugared pecans, bleu cheese, onions, red cabbage, lettuce with poppy dressing.  We went back the next night, this time I got fried catfish!  Wonderful!

We were very lucky to get into Preservation Hall after dinner. This is a must for anyone going to NOLA. Traditional jazz at its finest. 

Unfortunately, no photographs were permitted once the band came out.

Last day in NOLA found us breakfasting at Cafe du Monde, with the requisite beignets and cafe au lait!  Donuts in another incarnation!

Our next mission was to discover the Garden District, we did this by taking the St Charles streetcar. I think we made a mistake actually getting off  at the  garden district  stop instead  of staying on through  the district.  It was  too late to remember that this was what my friend, Shoana, suggested.  It is a beautiful part of NOLA!

Our next adventure was to go on the river boat tour on the Natchez.  I don't know what I was thinking, but I immediately got myself a Marguarita, which was delicious!  However, I failed to think about the time - it was only 11:30am......whoops! 

The captain called this an American Jack. I have never heard of this....

Coming back to NOLA - we were greeted by 2 street artists. One was a President Obama lookalike "walking his dog", the other was a trumpet player who had serenaded us both leaving and coming back.  The 'President' was totally still for longer than seemed humanly possible.  He based himself prominently on top of the levee while we approached the dock, then he and his 'dog' placed themselves right where we disembarked.

We all split for a while, me to shop, Alan went to take more pictures and I don't know what Jim and Jennifer did-apart from buying us gifts!!!!!  It was fantastic being on my own for a few hours!  The only place I shopped was Chico's with their sale!

After dinner, we went to the dock for a group photo with the Natchez on the background. Then to Lafitte's blacksmith shop for a special photo Alan wanted to do. He bought us a beer while we waited. With a window seat, it was  a great place to wait for him.Alan and I intended at some point during the day or night to go to Pat O'Briens for a Hurricane. But after the morning Marguarita, and happy hour at the Oyster bar, and beer at the blacksmith shop, I could not face a further 4 1/2 ounces of rum!  So what is probably my last trip to NOLA did not see me realize the one thing I have never done there!  Oh well, I ticked all the other boxes so am not too disappointed at missing a massively strong alcoholic drink I can really get anywhere.

To be perfectly honest, I was a bit disappointed in the whole experience of New Orleans though.  I know you can never go back, but it feels as if the heart of New Orleans is gone.  The wonderful experience of street artists,which is one of the highlights to me - did not happen. Yes, there were a few, but comparatively speaking, not even half of what I have seen in the past.  I wonder if this is a direct result of all the people who had to leave after  Katrina and never came back?  Preservation Hall is so organised now, not the drop in place for old retired jazz players to jam together it used to be.  Still a fantastic evening, just not as magic.  Bourbon Street is mainly rock and roll, not jazz.  I think that was the most upsetting part, but the most understandable. The generation spending the money is younger and not into jazz.  So times do change.          

It's the song ye sing, and the smiles ye wear. That's a makin' the sun shine everywhere.  James Whitcomb Riley

Goodbye New Orleans

Good bye New Orleans

Sorry for delay in posting, had serious issues with this working.  I am hoping merely updating this app has fixed the problem - fingers crossed:   Didn't work, back to the drawing board....

After three very interesting days in New Orleans, it is time to hit the road for the beach. 

I have been obsessed with getting back to NOLA long before I married Alan.  It has always been one of my favourite cities.  I have no idea what took so long, apart from the last time we had the opportunity in July 2005. I will never forgive myself for changing my mind and going to Panama City instead.  Now that I have finally gotten here, I sincerely believe that was the last chance to see the New Orleans I remember.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn on Rue Dauphine, right in the French Quarter. Perfect location - away from the madness of Bourbon Street, but close enough to do and see everything.  We also discovered the streetcars, perfect way to get around. A day pass is $3 and super value for money.

Driving from Mobile going along I-10 on the way in, was not the scenic drive I remembered. Later, I saw a map and there is a route along  the coast - we will do that today.

First day, just wandered along the French Quarter, too early and very quiet.  Later, walking down Bourbon Street is so noisy, I videoed this and will try to attach at a later date.

We stopped at a nice place for a drink, I tried a Mojito and it was delicious.

The menu looked fantastic, but when we went back there for dinner we discovered that whole area seems to close about 8.   It was called River's Edge Restaurant  across the street from Cafe du Monde (which is open 24 hours).

We ended up at a 24 hour diner where I got red beans & rice and sweet potato fries!  2 side orders and it was perfect!

Early night since we got up at 3am!

Next day we did the River Road to see the gorgeous plantation houses.  Roxanne suggested driving up one side of the river  and down the other, but everyone kept programming the satnav to get to the only 4 showing on a brochure we had.  I think we missed a fantastic drive....what we did see was breathtaking.

Destrahan 

San Fransisco 

Oak Alley 

When we arrived at Oak Alley there was a river boat, The American Queen, docked and passengers were walking over to visit!  Just like the days when river boats were the main transport!

Our tour guide at Oak Alley

We discovered a fantastic little place for dinner - The New Orleans Oyster and Hamburger.  I got A Strawberry Fields salad and it was wonderful - strawberries (obviously), sugared pecans, bleu cheese, onions, red cabbage, lettuce with poppy dressing.  We went back the next night, this time I got fried catfish!  Wonderful!

We were very lucky to get into Preservation Hall after dinner. This is a must for anyone going to NOLA. Traditional jazz at its finest. 

Unfortunately, no photographs were permitted once the band came out.

Last day in NOLA found us breakfasting at Cafe du Monde, with the requisite beignets and cafe au lait!  Donuts in another incarnation!

Our next mission was to discover the Garden District, we did this by taking the St Charles streetcar. I think we made a mistake actually getting off  at the  garden district  stop instead  of staying on through  the district.  It was  too late to remember that this was what my friend, Shoana, suggested.  It is a beautiful part of NOLA!

Our next adventure was to go on the river boat tour on the Natchez.  I don't know what I was thinking, but I immediately got myself a Marguarita, which was delicious!  However, I failed to think about the time - it was only 11:30am......whoops! 

The captain called this an American Jack. I have never heard of this....

Coming back to NOLA - we were greeted by 2 street artists. One was a President Obama lookalike "walking his dog", the other was a trumpet player who had serenaded us both leaving and coming back.  The 'President' was totally still for longer than seemed humanly possible.  He based himself prominently on top of the levee while we approached the dock, then he and his 'dog' placed themselves right where we disembarked.

We all split for a while, me to shop, Alan went to take more pictures and I don't know what Jim and Jennifer did-apart from buying us gifts!!!!!  It was fantastic being on my own for a few hours!  The only place I shopped was Chico's with their sale!

After dinner, we went to the dock for a group photo with the Natchez on the background. Then to Lafitte's blacksmith shop for a special photo Alan wanted to do. He bought us a beer while we waited. With a window seat, it was  a great place to wait for him.Alan and I intended at some point during the day or night to go to Pat O'Briens for a Hurricane. But after the morning Marguarita, and happy hour at the Oyster bar, and beer at the blacksmith shop, I could not face a further 4 1/2 ounces of rum!  So what is probably my last trip to NOLA did not see me realize the one thing I have never done there!  Oh well, I ticked all the other boxes so am not too disappointed at missing a massively strong alcoholic drink I can really get anywhere.

To be perfectly honest, I was a bit disappointed in the whole experience of New Orleans though.  I know you can never go back, but it feels as if the heart of New Orleans is gone.  The wonderful experience of street artists,which is one of the highlights to me - did not happen. Yes, there were a few, but comparatively speaking, not even half of what I have seen in the past.  I wonder if this is a direct result of all the people who had to leave after  Katrina and never came back?  Preservation Hall is so organised now, not the drop in place for old retired jazz players to jam together it used to be.  Still a fantastic evening, just not as magic.  Bourbon Street is mainly rock and roll, not jazz.  I think that was the most upsetting part, but the most understandable. The generation spending the money is younger and not into jazz.  So times do change.          

It's the song ye sing, and the smiles ye wear. That's a makin' the sun shine everywhere.  James Whitcomb Riley

home

Good morning! Well, my experiment with the Ipad does not appear to have worked!  This is the  first time I have viewed my blog on a regular computer....no pictures?  I had to give up after a while during the trip, but will add pictures and catch up with all the things we did very soon.

Nice to be home, slept all night for the first time since leaving home!

Wish me luck and "see" you soon.

Stone Mountain Sunday

In all the trauma and excitement of wondering if and when we would get our cases and begin our road trip, I never mentioned what a wonderful first day in Atlanta we had!

I must admit this day began with an emergency trip to Walmart. This was not in the plans, but all of us had no clothes suitable to climb Stone Mountain and this was one of the things I was looking most forward to! I even "had" to buy two pairs of shoes,which I sincerely needed. The only shoes I had were slip ons and they were too hot for  day wear and not safe for The climb.

On top of Stone Mountain with Atlanta in the background

Roxanne and Ardash regularly climb Stone Mountain on Sundays and I was really looking forward to being there on a Sunday and joining them. Lucky for us, this was going to be Russell's first climb on his own, without being in a backpack on his daddy's back. I kept waiting for him to get tired before I took a rest, but he was a real trooper and virtually kept up with us. But then, he slept in his Mother's arms all the way down!

 (Alan reminded me that Adarsh also shared this honor!)

The rest of Sunday was very relaxed , with a few visitors dropping by.  The first was my niece(and Roxanne's sister), Candi, with her son, Payton.  It is always special to spend time with these girls. I feel so lucky to be an Aunt since I was really an only child, and nieces sweeter than these two would be hard to find.  

Alan, Candi, Payton, Russell and Adarsh just relaxing on a Sunday

I am also pleasantly surprised to have still very dear friends in Atlanta after all this time.  Have had to switch to Alan's computer after publishing this to get the pictures of Dayle and Dana!

Dayle and I used to be Docents at Zoo Atlanta many years ago.  I was so happy to see her and spend an afternoon catching up.

Dana is so much taller than I am, she very kindly took her shoes off for this picture since my shoes were lost somewhere in Roxanne's house!

Dana and her family, Danny and Allison came over a bit later. Which was perfect.  I got to spend quality time with all my visitors because they came and went at different times. Lucky!

Dana and I were absolute best friends almost the entire time I lived in Atlanta.  I cannot imagine what life would have been if we had not had to have adjoining desks and learn each other's secrets through the material that separated our cubicles.  She has just flown to Italy to celebrate her 60th birthday and I will see her again next week to find out her Italian adventures!

Allison, Danny and Dana

Hold a true friend with both hands - Nigerian Proverb

Bonus Day in Atlanta!

Update

After waiting all day for our bags to be delivered, Alan phoned and they informed him it will be tomorrow. We are supposed to be in New Orleans tomorrow. And if we had known, we could have done something more fun than waiting for our bags. This is so unfair.......

We did get a bit of shopping mainly, food and supplies for when we get to the timeshare in Fort Walton Beach. One strange thing happened at Walmart though;Alan picked up a case of Budweiser. When it came to paying -Alan was asked for ID! At first, we thought this was hilarious. But she was not checking his age........once he showed her his UK drivers license, she refused to sell it to him at all.  She said all Walmarts will only sell alcohol to people with US Identification!  What?????  Luckily, I has my US passport with me. But it aaa not good enough that I had ID, I also had to physically pay for it.  I jokingly  asked if it was ok to use a credit card that I had jointly with Alan.  (she didn't laugh). Of course, now we are going yo have to test that "rule by all of my travel mates attempting to purchase alcohol at Walmart! 

I was getting more and more unhappy at our situation, I would have happily just gone on and done without my contacts, medication and battery chargers for my phone! But I was out voted.....

We did manage to salvage the day by Adarsh taking us on a magical mystery tour of downtown Atlanta, we saw the Jimmy Carter presidential library, ate dinner at The Flying Biscuit close to Little Five Points.  First restaurant that has ever heard of a cumin allergy and not looked at me strangely when I ask if it is an ingredient!  For that alone, I fell in love with the place.  The delicious biscuits, grits and other food was an added bonus!

Jim, Jennifer and Adarsh

Then, to add icing to the cake, or should I say donut? - after passing the fabulous Fox Theater, Adarsh suddenly pulled into the Krispy Kreme parking lot and the sign in the window said "Hot Donuts Now".  I was so excited !!!!  I had been hungry for them for months. And they did not disappoint.  Adarsh has turned into my local hero!  And I am very grateful for such a delicious surprise.

Three of the four bags came at about 10 pm. Although it felt like Christmas, it was still upsetting not to have all,the bags, it was Jim's that did not come.  Not sure how it happened, but it was up to Alan and me to be awake when it arrived.  We slept with Roxanne's phone next to us so as not to miss it. Woke up at 2:29, no bag.....but it did arrive at 3am and we left almost immediately. So lucky to have been "stuck" in such a wonderful place with such nice and interesting people.  

Now the adventure begins!

"The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." Lao Tzu

woe is us!

Today

I must apologise for posting a little sentence. Adarsh was helping me figure out how to do this blog AND post pictures. I had been looking forward to this almost since we booked the tickets! Not sure why I was convinced he could do this, he didn't know anything about it either.  But he had knowledge of what to look for and eventually he figured it out!  Not that I can download any pictures, however............we never got our suitcases. That it is one reason I am sitting in Roxanne's living room at 3:33 am. Ok, that and the famous jet lag that caused me to start writing blogs when we travel in the first place!

Still struggling with how this works on an iPad, wish me luck.....

It was a bit sad leaving my Mom on Saturday morning, but we got Jim and Jennifer to arrive at Glasgow airport and begin the summer holiday!  Our first obstacle was getting off the bus from dropping the car off at long term parking. We were almost the last folks to get off and there was only one case left. It was not mine..........Alan and Jim ran to catch up with passengers and see if they could find it. The woman who had it must have been first off and a fast walker, but they caught her at the very last second before she would have entered the building and gotten lost in the crowds, whew!

The flight was uneventful, I even got to watch two complete and uninterrupted movies. I always thought that was impossible and many times don't even start to watch one. But I have been desperate to see these and an so glad I was able to. The first one was The Iron Lady, with Meryl Streep. It was a fantastic film, very well done and sensitive. I had read they concentrated too much on her dementia, but I loved it, in fact, I sobbed through the last part!  And The Artiste. A silent film that was a joy to watch. Nothing more to say about it!

At the new international terminal in Atlanta,which had opened 3 days earlier, the joy of being entertained died a sudden and painful death!  Not only are the lines for immigration ridiculously long (I cannot imagine Heathrow being half as bad even with all the press complaining).  Alan is able to come with me in the citizens and residents line. That took an hour.  We knew Jim and Jennifer would take longer, but never anticipated they would take TWICE as long! To add insult to injury, while in line, both Alan and I got texts from British Airways that our bags had not arrived with us.  

After getting through immigration, we found the BA rep to get details-not one of our bags followed us from the UK. This is usually not a big deal as they have always been delivered the next day.  In fact, it makes life easier not to,have to juggle bags through customs and in your transportation away from the airport.  I managed to get each couple compensation and away we went without a care in the world!  With a promise of being reunited with our bags at about the same time tomorrow.  You already know this did not happen. 

The documentation we have from BA gives ways to,track our bags, they do not work. The 1. 800. Number requires input of letters and numbers with the automated calling system, and none of the phones we have access to are able to do this.  They have my bag listed as turquoise and it is red.......so worried that these bags are not coming at all.

Lucky that we planned to spend a second night with Roxanne and Adarsh, but we intended to leave early and mosy down south on the way to New Orleans this morning. 

And we have no battery charging facilities for my phone or Alan's laptop. The card reader for the iPad is also packed, so all my energy of worrying how to download photos is almost a moot point. 

On the other hand, we could not be in a better place in the middle of a crisis. My niece, Roxanne, and her husband are very gracious hosts, we all feel wonderfully welcome and had a perfect day today, regardless of 'Hardship'!

That will be the story of my next blog, I am going to try to go back to sleep.

"Few delights can equal the mere presence we utterly."  George MacDonald