Roadtrip Part VIII - New Orleans

02.06. - 05.06.2018 After a restful night in a real bed, we went to the gym for a little workout before sitting for several hours again. After so many days in the car, you miss movement and you get a bit rusty. Flexible like a sack of potatoes. This time we took our time before hitting the road. As it is about 9h from Dallas to New Orleans, we decided to stay overnight in Alexandria. However, we still had around 4 1/2 hours of driving ahead of us. The temperatures were still around 40 degrees and so we sweated in the car. On the drive, we were happy to find some relief with a 'Snow Cone' (ice with syrup - really just ice made of water). Unfortunately, this was also extremely sweet, like pretty much everything else in America. Every time we stopped at a gas station in search of a tasty drink (because you eventually get tired of still water), we stood in front of the huge refrigerators and looked at the labels in search of a drink with low sugar content - almost impossible. Luckily, some gas stations have unsweetened iced tea, which you can fill into a 1.5l plastic cup and get it for $2.

After sweating out what felt like a thousand liters of water, we arrived in Alexandria. Due to the high outside temperatures, we decided to sleep in the hotel again, otherwise we would have been roasted... or steamed. Depending on the preference. The hotel was nothing special. The one in Dallas was better. Whatever. A bed in a cooled room and there was breakfast. We were happy. Sort of. Since our room faced the pool, it was unfortunately quite loud until 11 pm. You have to live with that.

The next day started 'fresh' and 'well' fortified. Unfortunately, there was another typical American breakfast like the day before. Waffles, bacon/sausages, scrambled eggs, soggy toast, and nothing on it. Yammi! So, off to New Orleans we went. On the way there, the landscape became more swampy, the climate more humid, and we became more excited about The Big Easy. Shortly before New Orleans, we almost exclusively drove over bridges towards the city. Impressive and a bit scary. After all, there was no shoulder. The bridges also looked a bit outdated. As if no investment had been made in infrastructure for a long time. No big deal. In an emergency, a crocodile will save your life... maybe.

Arriving in New Orleans, we settled into our quarters for the next few days. Well, dirty and small. The door didn't close properly and had a big crack. And somehow, the air conditioning smelled musty. So, we went back to the reception to ask for another room. And it seemed as if we had fallen out of favor. It took the two hotel employees 15/20 more minutes to finally agree on a new room for us to stay in. We can only guess why. After we finally settled into our new room (unfortunately, there was no refrigerator now, so we went back down to the reception. The refrigerator was delivered late in the evening), we made ourselves comfortable and looked for a restaurant that offered typical Southern cuisine. While exploring the area for a nice restaurant, we noticed the many colorful chains scattered in the trees, like tinsel on a Christmas tree. Probably remnants of Mardi Gras, the carnival of New Orleans. During that time, large colorful parade floats pass through the streets and throw chains, which are supposed to bring good luck. Right next to our hotel, we found a restaurant. Mr. Ed's Seafood & Oyster House offered typical Creole cuisine. They had Jambalaya and Etouffee. Delicious, delicious. After stuffing ourselves, we went back to our 'beautiful' room. Just before we fell asleep, the aforementioned refrigerator was delivered.

Sunday morning started... of course, with typical American grub. We were getting tired of it. We also noticed that in the previous hotels and in this one, there was no proper cutlery and dishes to eat breakfast on. Everything is solved here in the holy land of consumerism with plastic. Everything. Really. Everything. The amount of waste we produced just the two of us was already impressive. But it doesn't matter, plastic decomposes on its own in about twelve million years. We headed to the French Quarter. Since we were stationed in Faubourg Lafayette, the walk wasn't soooo far. The French Quarter is like the secret center of the city. And unfortunately, also the party hotspot. At least some streets. It felt like being at the Ballermann. Loud music, drunk people, and strange smells. A mixture of urine, stale beer, and musty old houses. As if Hurricane Katrina had just passed through the city. Nevertheless, the city has a certain Caribbean charm, somehow reminiscent of Havana (even though we have never been to Cuba...). After having an ice cream to cool down, we went to the Louis Armstrong Park. We didn't cover much ground. It was incredibly hot. Every 10 minutes, we had to take a 10-minute break in the 'cool' shade. Hard to endure. Near the park was one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the city. Since the ground is so damp, people are buried above ground in mausoleums. Otherwise, there would be epidemics. However, everything here is turned into a business. Even the dead. $20 per person for a 'tour' of a cemetery. Yeah... no thanks. On the way home, we fortified ourselves with a sandwich, called Po-Boy here. Why? I don't know. They just want to be special. Arriving at the hotel, we realized that I, the king, had a fever. I didn't feel well in the morning either. The walking around in the hot and humid New Orleans was not beneficial. It's probably just a summer flu. We thought. More about that in the next post. The evening offered little excitement, except for a short meal.

The second full day in New Orleans started slowly. The fever had settled in and reached the 40 mark for the first time. So, we only started the sightseeing tour in the afternoon. This time we took one of the old trams, which were reactivated a few years ago. Off to the French Quarter again. We visited the French Market, which lured us with many delicacies. We settled for a refreshing drink. Then we walked towards Frenchman Street, the locals' Bourbon Street. A little less Ballermann feeling, but more authenticity. Jazz music wafted out of the bars and the streets were adorned with street art. On the way back to the French Quarter, we stopped at a house where there is supposed to be paranormal activity. But we didn't encounter any ghosts. New Orleans is America's number one ghost capital. Ghosts, voodoo, and vampires are local here, and numerous ghost stories revolve around the French Quarter. To make money out of it, there are all kinds of ghost tours and voodoo shops. Bella also read a little about the ghosts on the side to immerse herself in the subject. To end the day, we went to Coob's. Another restaurant that offers typical Creole cuisine. Also delicious. Slowly we made our way back to the hotel. After all, the effect of the pills wore off and the fever rose steeply again. That's not what we had imagined.

Tuesday, the last day in NOLA and the day of the next leg. To conclude, we visited a nearby cemetery. With mausoleums and huge tombstones. And all of this without an entrance fee. Unbelievable. After taking a few photos and discovering a grave with my ancestors' name on it, we got back in the car. The Gulf of Mexico, or rather the miles-long sandy beaches, were our destination. On the way, we saw many homeless people seeking shelter under the highway and living in their tents. Maybe they had lost their homes in the hurricanes. Perhaps. The entire city was strongly marked by homelessness and poverty.

In East New Orleans, we actually wanted to quickly refuel, as our car was thirsty (it was also warm for him). However, there was even more poverty here, and we white folks were clearly outnumbered. We noticed how all the attention was focused on us. Quickly back into the car and look for a way out. Before there's a shootout. Because it seemed somehow like that.