Sun 3rd July Vicksburg to New Orleans Louisiana (NOLA)

A week after we left Marietta, we leave Vicksburg at 08.30 and it's already hot

After clearing Vicksburg city limits we re-join the Natchez Trace Parkway for about 45 miles, during which we make a rest stop...

...and where I meet and chat with a couple from Indiana touring on a Buel and a BMW.

Near the end of the Trace, we come off onto Highway 61 (dual carriageway),
skirting around Natchez

At 11:30 we make a coffee stop at Flicks Convenience store / diner ( & hunting & fishing ) in Woodville, Mississippi ....   across the road is this interestingly named establishment...

After, we carry on south on Hwy 61 to todays lunch stop at the VooDoo BBQ and grill at Baton Rouge, crossing from Mississippi state into Louisiana along the way.

We would have liked to try their White Chocolate Bread Pudding, and also to try Beignets, but alas they have no Beignets, so it's two portions of the W.C.B.P. please. It's very tasty - no too sweet, not too rich, not too dry - just right.  Yum.

While we enjoy our lunch, they're showing the France-Iceland game on TV, we see France go 2-0 up before we push off.

From Baton Rouge we take Interstate 10 into New Orleans.
Its hot.High 90s F (they don't really quote temperatures in degrees C over here)

We can see a storm in the distance to our left as we cross over the I-10 Twin Span Bridge, over the edge of Lake Pontchartrain with lightning, but where we are, although the road is a bit wet, we remain dry...
...until, we hid a bit of rain but after 5 minutes, it's gone and we soon dry out before turning off I-10 down into New Orleans French quarter. It's a little bit gridlocked but we're not far from our hotel, and we reach the secure parking lot by about 4.30.

Sunday evening...
We check in to our hotel now for 2 nights, Le Richelieu (Chartres St.) but have to make a change of room to 316, which is better and even has a Juliet balcony (shame its too hot to sit out there though)

There is complimentary cocktails down in the bar...(only 1 each mind), after which we go and get washed and changed and venture out.


Le Richelieu is well located and everywhere within the French quarter is within easy walking distance.

Mrs. K and I find a restaurant for our evening meal, Pere Antoines in Royal St. on the corner with St. Ann St.    Mrs.K has the Club Salad with blue cheese dressing and I have the Catfish platter. Very good food and service. and we are seated in the window.

Coming out of the restaurant we continue down Royal until we reach Canal Street which is  very wide boulivade, at which point we walk up a block to the start of Bourbon Street.

Bourbon St. isn't what I expected. It's dissapointing. It's very busy, mainly with people out on the razz, there's a very visible police presence with lots of mounted police officers. We don't see any trouble but it's not a comfortable environment for us and we keep walking.

I was expecting to see and hear jazz music, I thought that's what Bourbon St. was about, but there's hardly any jazz to be found, and everywhere is just too busy. maybe it's because it's the day before 4th July?