Oktoberfest in New Orleans

Because clearly New Orleans is known for its German food. Well, at least it should be. This past weekend, Matt and I took a whirlwind trip down to NOLA to visit my family. And I mean whirlwind-- drove down Friday, hung out Saturday, and drove home Sunday. Both travel days were in the rain for 75% of the drive, but it was well worth it. We had a great time on Saturday as you'll be able to see-- enjoyed a lot of great food (that I strangely didn't take pictures of, sorry) and had a great visit with my aunt, uncle, and grandfather. Next time we'll definitely stay a little longer, though! :)

We spent Saturday morning touring the French Quarter

And discovering cute alleyways

And watching street performers outside of Brennan's. They tried
to get Matt to dance, but he refused. After seeing what he
would have done though, I must say that was the right call.

And now Oktoberfest, where they had wiener dog races! Sounds strange, but is really fun!

They had several heats we got to watch, some more comical than others

The one on the far left was Layla. Her fans (yes,
she had groupies) had t-shirts that said "Lightning
Layla." She ended up winning the competition!

Of course they had to have the 'Hold the Beer Stein' competition. I have
no idea how much it weighed but it was quite impressive to watch them go!

Matt turned into Mad King Ludwig

Here's the same castle by the way-- Schloss Hohenschwangau;
picture courtesy of my trip to Germany in 2010. 

And our amazing host for the weekend, my aunt Paula, rocking the dirndl!

New Orleans Trip- French Quarter Wanderings

On our final day of our trip, we hung out mainly in the French Quarter. We visited the museums located in both the Cabildo and the Presbytere, took the ferry across the Mississippi River to Algiers and back again, and of course ate tons of food. Don't worry though, we walked all around the French Quarter and saw some very interesting things, including not 1, but 2 cross-dressing men (complete with leather skirts-- only in NOLA, right?). Finally, we enjoyed our (early) anniversary dinner at Stanley, a restaurant located right on Jackson Square to finish up the trip. It made for an exhausting but awesome day to finish up our trip!

This was inside 1 of the museums; it had an exhibit about Hurricane Katrina
and this model made me smile. Can you guess why? 

Pete Fountain's clarinet that was damaged in the Flood.

An example of Mardi Gras

More Mardi Gras exhibit

One of the costumes

Another museum's display of weaponry

We had fun picking out our choice of saber

This is a very famous room in the Cabildo and heard several important cases, such as Plessy v. Ferguson.

It is also the home of 1 of the death masks of Napoleon.
A little creepy, yes?

Then we stalked a wedding that was happening in Jackson Square

Now onto our ferry ride!

It is free and you get to see a really good view of the city

Outside Pat O'Brien's

Our dinner (really brinner). Matt's pancakes (yes, that's a scoop
of chocolate ice cream).

My Breaux Bridge Benedict, complete with boudin, poached egg,
Hollaindaise sauce, and french bread.  I feel like I gain 5 lbs
just thinking about that meal. Yum!

Sitting on front of the square, enjoying the sights.

So there you have it. We had an amazing trip to NOLA and can't wait to go back-- not only to visit family but to see the sites. There is a lot to do in the area and if you have any questions about planning your own trip there, feel free to ask!

New Orleans Trip- Oak Alley Plantation

The day after our bike tour, we headed out with my aunt, uncle, and grandfather to Oak Alley Plantation. This is about an hour away from NOLA but is definitely worth the drive. This is an amazing piece of property that has been restored to its antebellum glory when it was a sugar plantation. When you think of Southern plantations, this is the kind of place you think of. White columns. Old oak trees covering the property. Kind of like this.

 Yeah. It's pretty gorgeous. We toured the grounds, which included reconstructed slave cabins, the old blacksmith shop, and also took a guided tour of the mansion. It has a very interesting past and if you're ever in the area, I definitely recommend you check it out. The restaurant on property is also delicious and we all enjoyed our lunch. 

Fun fact- the plantations were all very close to one another and they all used the bell system to signal to the slaves when they should do what. These bells could be heard up to 4 miles away, but as the properties were so close to one another, each bell was given a unique tone so the slaves could distinguish their bell from the others.

And now for the pictures!

Some of the slave cabins

Inside one side of the cabin. A family of about 5 slaves would live in here.

A very old fire extinguisher

My delicious lunch of Louisiana Redfish

Matt's red beans & rice- also tasty!

Inside the blacksmith's shop

Walking towards the back of the home 

Looking from the front of the home out towards the road

HUGE 300 year-old oaks

Inside the living room during the tour

This 'fan' in the dining room was used to help keep the flies off the food

Looking out from the 2nd story balcony

The bell for this plantation 

We decided this is our new home

Have you ever been to a plantation? This was my first trip and I am definitely interested in seeing more of them!

New Orleans Trip- Bike Tour

When Matt & I planned our trip to NOLA, we wanted to do something different. Not only was it our anniversary trip, but since I've been several times before & Matt has visited once before, we thought it would be cool to really do something to make the trip stand out. So, we decided to take a bike tour. Thanks to Trip Advisor, I found the Confederacy of Cruisers' website and we decided to take the Original Creole New Orleans tour (as opposed to the drinking or culinary tours). 

My uncle went with us and he actually knew the tour guide. Benefits to growing up in NOLA- you know everyone it seems! We ended up having our own little private tour with the 3 of us plus the tour guide, Keith, so that was awesome. For 3 hours, we rode around the older parts of the city, including the Bywater and 9th Ward districts. Keith and my uncle, Mike, filled us in with a lot of interesting historical details and stories, but I'll spare you the history lesson and just show you the pictures!

My cute little bike.

The spot where Plessy of Plessy v. Ferguson was arrested

Old Trinity Church

An old neighborhood bar in Bywater 

The levee in the 9th ward that failed

Our tour guide, Keith, and my uncle

In 2010, I went to NOLA for Alternative Spring Break and actually
worked on that blue house in the middle! Cool to see it completed!

Taking a break in Congo Square

Chief Tootie Montana

After the bike tour- only a little sweaty :)

In the end, we had an excellent time & I would highly recommend this company to anyone. It is fun and different way to experience the city. NOLA is very flat so it was only 'difficult' due to the heat. When you were riding though, the breeze felt great! Plus, you can rest assured that you're working off some of the amazing food you will enjoy on your trip.