New Orleans, Louisiana
Our journey began in New Orleans, a fascinating city we had long wanted to visit. We spent three days strolling the quaint streets of the French Quarter, experiencing history and nature on a plantation and swamp tour, listening to jazz, and of course, enjoying the many culinary delights: beignets, café au lait, po-boys, muffulettas, gumbo and andouille soup, to name a few!
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Once we'd settled into our hotel, The
Best Western French Quarter Landmark Hotel, we set off to taste some of the food New Orleans is famous for. We had dinner at EAT New Orleans and the sweet potato and andouille soup, cochon with mustard greens, pork tenderloin with caramelized onions, and bread pudding were all excellent.
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After dinner, we wandered the streets of the French Quarter for a while, and then walked down Bourbon Street, people-watching and listening to music. We headed to Jackson Square to the well-known Café Du Monde, where we needed to complete our evening with some café au lait and yummy beignets!
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But it wasn't just the food that made our stay so memorable. The charming architecture of many eras and styles, the ironwork balconies, and the music everywhere all added to the atmosphere of this unique and historic city.
On our first full day we took a plantation and swamp tour. Our first stop was Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, named for its distinguishing feature: an alley or canopied path created by a double row of live oaks about 800 feet long, planted in the early 18th century, long before the present house was built. The alley runs between the house and the Mississippi River.
After stopping for a lunch of po-boy sandwiches we arrived at Manchac Swamp. The tour of the swamp was our favorite part of the day and we had an excellent guide. Seeing so many alligators (along with some raccoons) was impressive, but being able to hold a little four-year-old one ourselves was a real highlight!
We enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner at Oceana Grill and listened to a jazz concert at historic Preservation Hall.
After disembarking from the cruise ship a week later, we had several pleasant hours in New Orleans before our flight (and one more chance to visit Café Du Monde!). At The Market Café we ate a muffuletta, a sandwich that originated in New Orleans.
We listened to music, browsed the shops, and strolled the French Quarter one last time before heading to the airport and home.
Click here to board the Norwegian Jewel.