As many of you know, "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez," meaning let the good times roll, is a well-known Cajun phrase celebrating the "joie de vivre" (joy of living) attitude that pervades southern Louisiana. Ryan and I recently ventured to New Orleans (or better known as Nola) to visit my good friend Allison and her hubby Sanders, and attend Jazz Fest.
Ryan and I decided to take the early flight in that Friday morning, so we could have time just the two of us to do touristy things that I can only imagine Al and Sanders get a little tired of with all the visitors they graciously entertain. Upon arrival, Al kindly chauffeured us from the airport to the French Quarter. She and Sanders, along with their precious Jack Russell Harvey, were the best hosts ever. They were incredibly accommodating, entertaining and hospitable, making it such a perfect trip.
When Al dropped us off on Decatur Street, you can take one guess where our first stop was. Yep, Cafe du Monde! I could eat beignets every day of the week (yum I LOVE beignets!).
We walked around the French Quarter and luckily I was able to snap some pics of the cathedral and other fun passerby, art, and eccelctic scenes before it started pouring. Regardless of the torrential downpour, visitors and locals alike continued their Friday afternoon festivites, as did we! We walked around staying as dry as possible and snapping pics of the amazing (and very old) architecture.
I can never get enough of cities like New Orleans where you can look at the 100+ year old buildings and imagine life long ago; so much different than today, but in many ways, very much the same. Ryan and I got married in Charleston and that was one of my favorite parts about the historical city. You can almost find yourself pretending to be a Southern belle with a hoop skirt gown and ringlet curls surrounded by horse-drawn carriages and men with top hats. Haha so much different than the gladiator sandals, skinny jeans and aviator sunglasses I was sporting.
We had such a fabulous time on our trip! Without further ado, here are some of my pics from Nola. My photog skills are still a major work in progress, but it's a fun journey getting there.
