The music in the heart❤️

After returning the dog gang to the care of my mother and Andreas, we are getting ready for the last part of our USA trip. This current trip is all about music. We want to visit the country capital Nashville and the jazz hub New Orleans.

In the morning of our departure, we take care of a few things for South America, get an oil change at the Ford garage before we hit the road! The journey to Nashville is relatively short, about 150 miles, and we reach the city early in the afternoon. We park right next to Broadway, where the main mile is located. It's pure madness, one bar after another lines up to the Cumberland River. Everything is blinking, sparkling, and even in the afternoon, you can hear live music blasting from every bar. That's exactly how we imagined it. We stroll along the mile and then visit the Johnny Cash Museum. The story of the world star is told very nicely. You can see many personal items from his life, listen to his music from his beginnings to the 2000s, and see his countless awards. A truly great person who knew how to move the masses. Afterwards, we have one more drink for the good old Johnny and then drive to the nearby Airbnb to check in. We sleep at Zerek's place with his two roommates and their two dogs. We get ready for the evening and then walk to the mile on foot. To satisfy our hunger, we go to a bar on the mile with an integrated BBQ restaurant. There is a huge portion of BBQ pulled pork with live music. After the feast, I can hardly move, but we still go through a few more bars and celebrate merrily. Shortly before midnight, we leave the last bar and are a little startled by a loud blaring siren echoing through the streets. We ask what's going on and are told that it's a hurricane warning. The rain is pouring and we feel a bit uneasy as we get into the Uber taxi back to our Airbnb. But nothing bad happens, and the next morning the sun is shining again over the blue sky. After a coffee, we drive through the other districts of Nashville. Our path leads us to the city park, where we enjoy the beautiful weather with a romantic walk around the lake. We then walk on foot towards Broadway to celebrate our last evening in Nashville. We have our first beer at a rooftop bar. We are in a festive mood and after sunset, we visit a blues bar slightly off Broadway. A guitarist and a saxophone player rock the stage. We listen attentively to the concert and soon the band changes. An old man with a six-piece band enters the stage. A well-coordinated team gets the bar cooking. Several beats later, we leave the bar and head to our last destination. The most famous bar in Nashville called Tootsie Orchied Lounge, a three-story building with three stages. It's very crowded, and we're glad it's not the weekend! We dance through all three floors and celebrate into the night.

The next day, a little hungover, we continue to our stopover in Hazelhurst. The journey is long, and we drive about 450 miles, which takes the whole day. We're happy when we finally check into our motel. The next day, we continue to our second destination: New Orleans. After a short drive, we arrive in the city and park on the outskirts, where parking is free. Right next to the city park, we find the parking lot and venture into the city's green lung. Beautifully designed, with small lakes, bridges, and green areas, the park lines up. We treat ourselves to a coffee and enjoy the moment. We stroll around a bit more and then head to the train station. Small streetcars take us directly to the heart of New Orleans for three dollars. After a bumpy ride, we arrive downtown. We walk towards the French Quarter, the party mile of the city. Everything seems to be a bit bigger and crazier than in Nashville. Strange characters roam the streets, and we're glad it's still daylight. What's special about this neighborhood is that alcohol is allowed to be consumed on the streets. Many tourists wear the chains from the famous annual festival Mardi Gras. We admire the beautiful architecture of the houses; everything looks very European, probably because of the city's Spanish and French influences. Small sweet shops selling strange things line the streets. A lot of hocus-pocus is sold, fortune tellers and palm readers wait at small tables for customers. We look inside a shop here and there and then go to the French Market. We're hungry, so we sit down in a cute restaurant right on the coast where a live band is giving a concert. We listen attentively to the sounds of the band while trying out the city's specialties. A type of rice soup called Gumbo and a spicy rice dish with sausage and chicken called Jambalaya. We walk along the coast and take a look at Jackson Square. Then we return to our car, and about 20 minutes later, we check into our Airbnb. This time it's a very special one because it's a converted garage. It's like a small apartment with a sofa, bed, and private bathroom. We immediately feel at home and enjoy our first night.

The next day, the weather is quite stormy, and raindrops fall from the sky from time to time. We decide to visit the local swamp area "Jean Lafitte," which is about 30 minutes away. Upon arrival, we get information at the visitor center and opt for a two-hour trail through the swamp landscape. Unfortunately, it's quite cold, and we don't see any alligators because they warm themselves underwater. Nevertheless, it's very adventurous, we are pretty much the only visitors, and there is absolute silence. Every now and then, you can hear a loud splashing of water, and we're sure it's the alligators. But due to the dense, overgrown landscape, we're unable to spot them. We do see a few squirrels, frogs, caterpillars, and giant spiders that looked very dangerous. Back in our home, we end the evening in front of the TV. Our last day in NOLA (short for New Orleans Louisiana) is already here. The sky looks much more inviting. We drive back to the city in the Ford Flex and visit the "Garden District," a neighborhood mainly inhabited by the wealthy. We see magnificent buildings and beautiful gardens. After a short walk, we go to the French Quarter, where we eat and drink. As a final activity, at my request, we play a round at the casino. Virtual horse racing and the Game of Thrones slot machine. Luck is not on our side, and we go home without hitting the jackpot.

The next day, we sadly leave our beloved little house and make our way back to Dalton. We were advised not to drive on the highway and take the coastal route instead. A really beautiful area reveals itself to us. White sandy beaches, beautiful villas, and the sea, we're even lucky with the weather and make occasional stops. Mile after mile, we continue until we check into our motel late in the evening, just before Montgomery. The next day, chaos ensues, with rain pouring from all buckets, and it's difficult to even see the road. A bit uncomfortable, but after a few hours, we arrive safely back on Valencia Drive. We are warmly welcomed and happy to be "home" again.

We spend our last two days in the USA relaxing and taking care of various things for Colombia. We are extremely excited about how the final part of our journey will be and look forward to our third summer in a row.

Once again, a heartfelt thank you to Mommy and Andreas (and the four-legged ones) for the unparalleled hospitality and the wonderful time we were able to spend in Dalton!

Lars & Anita