A Fresher Start: You know...

You know you had a good vacation when the only pictures you have from a vacation are pictures of food. While in NOLA, I took pictures of food, a fire fountain, and that's it. Not one single picture of Bourbon Street (although I did get beads...but not that way), not one picture of the river (although it was gorgeous). I guess I have a few pictures of the stunning cathedral/minor basilica that is there, but I have more pictures of oysters (fresh and chargrilled), alligator (tastes like chicken!), meat pies (best gas station food ever), beignets and cafe au lait (even better at midnight) than I have of the touristy things that are there.

I think this is one of the first vacations I've ever been on where I was more focused on enjoying and experiencing than adventure, rather than taking pictures to remember. I think that's part of the reason I look back at it as one of the best vacations I've had, even though it was a whirlwind.

Mo and I hopped in the car Thursday morning and were headed south by 7 AM. It was a boring, but sometimes pretty, drive. Mo drove the whole way (I can't drive his car!!) so I got to read, space out, and just relax. We got to Bossier City, which is just across the river from Shreveport. Mo, his mom and dad, his granny and I had hot sausage pi-boys for dinner and then all of us, except for his dad headed to Great Raft Brewing for drinks. It was hot. It was so hard for my brain to wrap around it being 90 degrees when it is October. We had some AMAZING fish tacos and a meat pie while we were at the brewery, too.

Friday morning, we left Granny at his parents' house to watch the dogs and drove to Baton Rouge. I had my first experience of oysters, thanks to Mo's dad. I liked the fresh (uncooked) oysters, but I REALLY liked the chargrilled ones, with garlic, butter, and cheese. Of course I like the unhealthier ones!! We met up with his brother and we went to the Baton Rouge Zoo for the Zoo Brew. It was fun, but we didn't get to see the animals as much as we'd hoped. After that, Mo, his parents and I, headed to New Orleans. (Yes, LOTS of driving was done that weekend.) Luckily, I got a nap in the car so by the time we got to the hotel, I was refreshed and ready to go. Our hotel was just a few blocks from Bourbon Street, and we had a neat view of Canal Street from our hotel.

We went out, walked down Canal Street. The coolest thing about NOLA is that you can get a drink from anywhere, and walk out of the bar with it in your hand. It was so strange, but so cool! We walked down Bourbon Street, to the cathedral, and to Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au lair. Mo wasn't feeling so hot (we'd had a few, and lots of spicy food) so we headed back to the hotel and crashed.

Saturday morning, Mo and I got up, did some of our own wondering around, did some shopping, and met up with his parents. We all did some shopping, some drinking, some eating (more oysters, and deliciousness). We went to a delicious oyster bar for dinner and to watch the LSU game, where I had even more oysters, and got to try alligator! About that time, Mo realized he'd left one of his watches in a store we'd bought significant amounts of wine at. So, we got to experience the streetcar and learned a very valuable lesson: during non tourist hours, they don't stop at every stop; you have to pull the cord.

So we ended up sitting outside a station, which the driver got his break. We got his watch and met his parents back on Bourbon Street, where we went to Pat O'Brien's. It was a HUGE bar, with a patio, fire fountain, and lots of "rooms" that had different things (live music, dueling pianos, and who knows what else). I couldn't tell you how many hurricanes I had. But I had a great time! There's lots of funny pictures from the night, but unfortunately I can't share them :/

Eventually we decided to head back to the hotel, but not before a stop at IHOP on Canal Street. I'm not really sure what I ate, but there were more laughs for sure. We got back to the hotel, and fell asleep quickly after walking over 10 miles that day!!

Sunday, we drove from NOLA to Bossier City, had lunch, got Granny packed up in the car, and the 3 of us headed north. We finally got to Mo's a little after midnight. We were all so tired, but luckily Mo didn't have to work on Monday (Columbus Day) and I just had PD (so no students!).

It was easily one of the best vacations I've ever taken. I had great company, great food, and a great time! I can't wait to go back again. I'll add some pictures later, when I'm not at school (oops!)

Also, because I wrote this post as more of a "scrapbook" for myself, I'm including anecdotes that I can't explain, so please don't ask publicly. :)
-Sheldon the Shark "That's not yours"
-Ranch dressing
-The blue signs on the right