"In the spring of 1988, I returned to New Orleans, and as soon as I smelled the air, I knew I was home. It was rich, almost sweet, like the scent of jasmine and roses around our old courtyard. I walked the streets, savoring that long lost perfume."

 "In the spring of 1988, I returned to New Orleans, and as soon as I smelled the air, I knew I was home. 
It was rich, almost sweet, like the scent of jasmine and roses around our old courtyard. 
I walked the streets, savoring that long lost perfume."

— Anne Rice ( Interview with a Vampire )

In early April 2011 I was fortunate to enjoy an adventure in New Orleans to attend a family party.   Evidently there is a festival in New Orleans almost every week; the weekend of our travel was a particularly large event called the French Quarter Festival.  We were fortunate to find a room in the French Quarter with late travel plans.

  

Chateau Dupre French Quarter Hotel
  http://www.neworleansfinehotels.com/chateauduprehotel/
Picture of our room, perhaps one of the last ones available for that weekend, behind this curtain is a view of a brick wall.   We had to pay $35 each day to park the rental car. It was a joy to be within walking distance to anywhere within the French Quarter from our hotel.

 Being able to walk a few blocks down to Bourbon Street is a great way to begin an adventure.

New Orleans is a strange mix of Alcohol, Sex, old time Catholic religion and Voodoo.

Poor Jimi looks like he has seen a ghost after a visit to this shop ;~)

The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States.

St. Therese , the Little Flower, my patron Confirmation saint. http://www.littleflower.org/abouttherese/learn/index.asp

                                                          http://www.stlouiscathedral.org/

St. Louis Cathedral looks like Disney Castle from this view in Jackson Square.

        I have more images to share from New Orleans that I will include in my next blog entry.