Florida Day 23

March 21

Hiked not so much; travelled by bus, paddlewheeler and streetcar

Blew and blew all night, but very warm. We awoke to dull skies, wind and the threat of torrential rain, but we took the 10:00 shuttle into town.

We decided to take a river cruise in the Natchez, a steam-powered paddlewheeler. While waiting, we were serenaded by a trumpeter then the calliope on top of the boat.

We were all asked to stop for a photo “for security reasons”. But of course, we had to pose in front of a replica of the ship's wheel and were asked to smile. Hmmm...(later found it was $30 for that security photo).

The cruise was great. We saw the importance of New Orleans as a shipping port with a sugar refinery, second only in size to one in Brazil. There were barges and freighters:

And there were levees, like those that failed during Katrina:

And some historic buildings:

It started to storm for a while, so we settled for a Bloody Mary and Hurricane (yum) and waited it out.

Back on shore, we were greeted by a mime (the guy in white held that pose for more than 10 minutes). Funnily, we saw these two much later drinking beer in a bar!

We decided to buy an all-day pass ($3) for the streetcars and did a tour of The Garden District, along with a lovely couple from New York. It was fun. The houses were gorgeous and the streets tree-lined. And, the trees and hydro wires were festooned with Mardi Gras beads. Loved it.

A quick stroll down Bourbon Street back to the shuttle and we got home. 

We got a pizza (another perk of the park) and rested after two great days in NOLA.

Here's a picture of our little piece of Pontchartrain Landing: