FREE DAY!

Inner Journey


The thought of a free day was so exciting. The three of us slept in and finally got ready to leave the hotel around one in the afternoon. First we got food and then we went to the French Quarter. While there we walked around looking at the various artists and their works. We met a very interesting artist named Viktor. He was originally from Russia and it was his first year selling his art in the Quarter. His art was amazing. He had a variety of scenes from around the world that he had drawn while visiting. Those pieces are the ones that initially caught my eye but then I saw his portraits of women that he draws. The portraits were absolutely stunning. He can capture emotion and feelings of his subjects just by drawing them. Most of them were looking over their shoulder with tendrils of hair falling around their shoulders and brushing their faces. I was able to speak with him and pick his brain a little about his journey to making it to New Orleans. He spoke about growing up in Russian, then making his way to America. He first came to Wisconsin, then he was in Chicago, and then he was in Austin, Texas and he is now in New Orleans. I was taken back with how nice Viktor was. He was warm and kind and spoke with a strong Russian accent. We were too late to get our own portraits drawn but promised to come back tomorrow to see if he's there to do our portraits. His art was so cool and I will always remember him.















Awaiting the Parade










On our way to have adventures!






Outer Journey


I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that were going to be able to see the kick off of Mardi Gras. It starts with Carnival, which is celebrated by a parade through the French Quarter. This year was extra special because the city was celebrating the Patron Saint Joan of Arc. The celebration was larger than normal because it is the one hundredth year of her becoming a saint. The street were lined with spectators standing on either side of the street and all throughout the square. There were people standing along the iron fencing and on top of the various garbage cans to get a view of the people in the parade. The night was cool and mild with a soft breeze. The crowd was full of people dressed up in full body costumes, masks, fun hats and normal street clothes. There were people from all age ranges craning their necks to catch a fleeting glimpse of the parade walkers. The excitement was palpable and it only revved up once the parade came through. There were two bands that were playing while marching in the parade. The rat-ta-tat-tat of the drum line mixed with the cheering of the crowd made a permanent smile on my face while hanging onto the cold fence line. The parade only lasted for about forty minutes but it was pure excitement the entire time. As the parade came to an end, we went to the concrete stairs and sat down with other spectators and waited for Joan to get there. The costumes worn by the parade walkers were very intricate and detailed. Women and men were dressed in different shades of greens, blues, pinks, and whites. There was a small speech that Joan made and then we were up and off to our next adventure, char-broiled oysters!