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A French Quarter visit
The weather was cool but sunny, a perfect day for a visit to the French Quarter! Of course, we started out at the obligatory Cafe du Monde with Begnets, always a treat. Followed by a walk along the Riverfront, back through Bourbon Street and eventually through the Farmers Market. Got some king cake and pralines, too.
Then a nice lunch at Kenny’s Seafood, a local fresh fish store as well as a restaurant. Great day!
Where we started
Bourbon Street balcony
Street corner
Everything they sell is pink
Statue at the Jazz Memorial
Farmers Market
Holocaust Memorial
Statue commemorating Old Man River
A different view of the Cathedral
St. Louis Cathedral
City Park, New Orleans, LA
City Park, New Orleans is as unique as the city of New Orleans. The 1,300-acre outdoor park has been a New Orleanians favorite since 1854, making it one of the nation’s oldest urban parks. Each year, millions of visitors stroll under the same historic oaks and picturesque moss canopies that served as the backdrop for dances, concerts and even gentlemanly duels for generations.
It is pretty impressive to see such a well developed park right near the downtown of a major city! In addition to walking and cycling paths, there are lakes, birds, playing fields, rental buggies and more. Plus, the NO Museum of Art is located here, as well as the Botanical Gardens. Guess we’ll have to do make another visit!
Sculptures near the Museum of Art
White ibis, roosting in a tree
Female and two ducks
Rental pedal cars
Big Lake, quite picturesque
Entry to the Museum of Art
New growth
A promenade of oak trees
These oak trees are bigger around than they are tall
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 182. American forces, commanded by Andrew Jackson, fought and defeated an invading British Army. The British intent was to re-capture the city of New Orleans and the large lands acquired by the Louisiana Purchase. The Battle of New Orleans is considered to be one of the greatest American land victory of the war.
The National Park Service hosts an annual Re-enactment on the anniversary of the battle. There are gun and cannon demonstration, and many people dressed i period costumes. It was an interesting display, and we enjoyed the visit.
Tending the cooking fires
British headgear
The militia arrives
Looking over the battle field
Cannon fire
Rifle fire
Local volunteer
Colored participants were important contributors
A display of rank
“Animals Inside” at the Perot Museum
This week, we visited the “Animals, Inside and Out” exhibit at the Perot Museum. This exhibit shows the inside function of animals (and humans), in graphic detail. It made me realize that I like the outside of an animal much better than what is inside.
Actually, this exhibit really does show how complex living organisms are, even if they do look kind of gross.
The design of the Perot has gotten both praise and scorn
Outside, a xylophone gets the attention of a young girl
Hey, you can’t do leap frog without frogs, right?
These look much better cooked and on a plate
Looks pretty nasty to me
Really? all that is under the fur?
Quite a display of intestinal fortitude
OK OK, don’t get mad about it!
Fall in the arboretum
With the approaching winter storm, it was a great day for a fall visit to the Dallas Arboretum. And it was a great day, although the Christmas decorations were not out yet. But the arboretum is great in any weather!
Halloween leftovers
Fall colors
Broad leaves
Fountain
Statue vs. real life
Check out the bee….
These guys will get cold tomorrow
Butterfly on flower
Waterfall
Japanese maple
Oak tree in fall color
Fall flower
Children’s play area
Promenade
Decorative cabbage
Nassau, Bahamas
Our last port of call was Nassau, the Bahamas. We’ve been here many times before, so we spent very little time on shore. Just enough to take a few photos. Besides, it was hot (85F) and muggy so the air conditioned ship (with open buffet, of course) was the obvious choice.
And not to forget: there were four (4!) cruise ships in port, making for a way too busy street scene.
Just before the shopping frenzy starts
Yep, 4 ships in harbor
A side street is not too busy
OK, everyone: get your credit cards out!
Colonial traffic management
Tourists love this kind of stuff
Atlantis, across the bay
Our ship, doing life boat drills
Madeira, Portugal
Madeira is a Portugese territory, discovered in 1419 by Henry the Navigator. It is located some 700 miles south west of Lisbon, and is a popular tourist destination. It is best known for Madeira wine, but also exports bananas to the mainland. One thing you notice right away, everything is on a hill side… very little flat land in Madeira. The farmers still use old hand methods since tractors will not work well on the steep slopes.
Our cruise ship docked in Funchal, the main city of Madeira. We had a very interesting tour that included the Cliffs of Madeira (2nd highest in the world), the banana farms, a Madeira wine tasting, and a visit to downtown Funchal.
Early morning arrival
Some fine looking ships in the harbor
A fishing village
Drying sharks
Some colorful local boats
A local, contemplating fishing (?)
Everything is on a hill side
Looking down from the cliff top
The Cliffs of Madeira
Must be hard to find a place for a soccer field
Inside the Madeira winery
An artist shot of the wine tasting
What we really did at the wine tasting
Local flowers
I think this was Henry the Navigator
A local church
Downtown Funchal — lots of taxis
A downtown fountain
Funchal Harbor
Cadiz, Spain
Our first stop of our cruise was in Cadiz, Spain. This historic city is on the far west side of Spain, on the Atlantic ocean. Not only is it one of the oldest cities in Spain, it has a rich history of sending explorers to the “new world”. The city is small, with narrow streets and very walkable. Lots of parks to visit.
Early morning arrival sunrise
From the street, looking in on a courtyard
“Shopping” in the square
Lots of sea food
Some “appetizing” sea food!
More Cadiz market
Door knocker
Local fisherman
Cadiz waterfront
Church tower
Main church in Cadiz
In one of the many patks
Antonio Gaudi
Antonio Gaudi (1852- 1926) is recognized as one of the leading architects of the late 19th century. Much of his work may be found in Barcelona, including the now famous Sagrada Familia church (see separate blog). His influence can be seen throughout the city.
Below are some images of his work, notably in Park Guell (a park in the north of the city), Palau Guell (a fabulous castle and one of his early works) and other street architecture. This is our third visit to Barcelona and thoroughly enjoyed his works.
The food markets in Spain are incredible. If you can eat it (and some you shouldn’t) you can find it here. Just for fun, browsing lets you see and learn things you’ve never known before. And if you’re adventuresome, bring your wallet… Some highlights from the Barcelona and Cadiz markets.
Chocolate
Famous (and expensive!) hams
Any cut of meat
Eggs
Mushrooms!
Blood oranges (I think)
All kinds of fruit
Colorful candy
Veggies
Fish
More fish
Baby goat
Not sure how you prepare this!
Peppers
Laninga's Travel Blog 