Hey guys got to New Orleans on the 30-5-2012 checked into to our hotel The Sheraton about 100 meter up from the famous Bourbon ST. Rooms a great. On the 49^th floor with floor to wall glass windows, so it looks like you could walk of the edge.

We cleaned up and being a Saturday night we hit up Bourbon street. The street runs for a few miles to the edge of the French quarter. It’s full of partiers, drunks, bums, night clubs, strip clubs, restaurants, hot dog stands, shops, jazz bars, jazz gardens. (That’s just in the first block)

You can buy one litre beers called HUGE ASS BEERS go figures hey and for the ladies large frozen cocktail in a milk shake cup. 2 beers, 2 cocktails will cost you around $25

We went into a restaurant where we ordered some traditional Louisiana food such as Alligator tails, Seafood Gumbo (which is like a stew), Deep fried Oysters, Crawfish Cakes and Catfish tails. All the food was very nice. Sarah even ate the alligator tails.

On the next day we went on a swamp tour on an airboat adventure. It was really cool and they hand fed the alligators (apparently alligators like to eat marshmallows) and we got to hold some of the younger and smaller ones. The tour went for about 2 hours.

That night we were told to check out Frenchmen Street which is just outside the French Quarter. It is full of cool music of all different kinds and plenty of restaurants.  We walked passed a restaurant just as the hostess was telling someone that the band was just about to start so we thought we might as well check it out. The band was a folk/country band and was led by singer Kristen Diable. They were awesome and we ended up staying all night. I think Jenna was in heaven. We ended up buying all her CD’s and a record. I think that I should mention that the food was also good. They served tappa like food and we kept them coming all night. Small portions are like gold after you have been eating enough to feed 10 people.

We checked out the WW11 Museum, which is 1 of 2 in the whole United States. They decided to put it in New Orleans because the guy who invented the D day landing crafts that landed on Normandy was Andrew Higgins and he built them in New Orleans. Eisenhower said that D day was successful because of these landing boats.

We watched a 4D movie, which featured Tom Hanks and featured voices of some other famous actors. The movie basically summed up Americas involvement in WW11 from start to finish. It was really interactive as the chairs vibrated, lights flashed in your face, smoke machines blew smoke into the audience and there were props.

We went on a plantation tour, which visited 2 different plantation houses. A plantation home is basically a farm that grows some sort of crops with massive homes on them, The plantations in Louisiana grow sugar cane only. The first we visited was called Oak Alley and it was a really beautiful home with an alley of massive oak trees leading up to it hence the name Oak Alley. The house was built in the years from 1837 to 1839 as a gift from a wealthy Creole sugar planter, Jacques Telesphore Roman to his bride Celina. It was later owned by Andrew and Josephine Stewart who gave it the name Oak Alley. The plantation has been used in various movies and TV shows such as Interview with the Vampire.

The second house we visited was called Laura. This home while not as beautiful as the first was richer in history. It was originally owned by a Creole family. The first to own it was Guillaume Gilles Duparc and his wife Nanette. When Duparc died the plantation went to his wife who later handed it over to her daughter Elisabeth and eventually was given to Elisabeth’s granddaughter Laura. The plantation was named Laura long after it was owned by another family and a heap of manuscripts written by Laura were found in the house describing life on the plantation and about her Creole family history.

And that bring you up to date it’s the 4^th of July today. We a about to board a old steam boat for a rive cruise down the Mississippi river.