Mon 4th July - Rest day in New Orleans, LA ... "Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler" ...

The big question is... What to do in N'awlins today?

We rise later that we have been doing today, at 08:30. Breakfast is included at the hotel for the first day. That's good but what I can have is rather disappointing - just 'continental', and not even buffet - it's only a choice of fruit juice, coffee, and choice of (toast/danish/croissant/biscuit) - that's it.
Today is not a day to enjoy a hearty breakfast.

Tomorrow we're loading the van at 07:00, leaving at 7.30 am , and will stop on the road for  breakfast. Today for me it's just croissant and coffee.

Mrs. K. and I book up with the hotel reception to do the Celebration Tours City Tour guided bus tour, where the mini bus will pick us up at the hotel at 2, and drop us back at 5.

Before this tour we have about an hour an a half so we take a walk down to Canal street. Its very hot today. I find an ATM that only charges £0.99 per withdrawal and get out enough dollars to last us to the end of the trip.

We have a quick n light lunch on Canal St. at McD's and then go back to wait for the tour.

The tour is in a small air conditioned bus, and altogether there's 9 passengers on board. I say 'air conditioned' but it's struggling to keep us all cool.

We learnt a lot about New Orleans from the guide who was also the driver. He used various laminated photos to illustrate his talk on some of the historical facts about NOLA.
These tours now include information about what happened when hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005, and the subsequent flooding. We drove through neighborhoods that were then up to 12 feet underwater. He explained what happened, and why and how it happened, and what has been done sine to prevent it in future. All very interesting.

We had a rest break at PJs coffee ...

...and then toured one of the city's many cemeterys, where he explained why people were originally buried above ground, and that it continues today, and how it works.

After the tour we're dropped back at the hotel, and go for a drink in the bar as it's happy hour.

For our meal tonight, we decide to go over to Frenchman Street, in search of a more authentic New Orleans Jazz experience. We find a restaurant (PERE ANTOINE'S ) that looks good, and they have a live jazz band starting soon.

The meal is great, a large glass of wines each plus I have Royal Blackened Catfish served with garlic mash and green beans. ...

...Mrs. K has two homemade crawfish and crab cakes, breaded and sauteed,  served with salad.

For pudding I have the White chocolate bread pudding (a bit like at Baton Rouge yesterday) and Mrs. K has strawberry cheesecake. Good food, good service, great band. We're done and the band takes a break so we leave and make our way towards the river where the 4th July firework display is about to start. It's billed as 'dualing barges' and is set up on 2 barges moored on the Mississippi river.

We don't need to go right down to the water, we get a good view, just a block from Frenchman.

Fireworks, fireworks, it lasts 20 mins. its just fireworks though.

As its an early start tomorrow, we have an early-ish night.

footnote: On today's new T-shirt (New Orleans Road Trip 2016" it says "Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler" ...