Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Pauline and I started off the day with a search for breakfast but surprise surprise! Sunday brunch on Easter weekend is buuuusy. Turns out we get to do a little Easter egg hunt of our own. We did find a place eventually and settled in with some much needed coffee, some Cajun shrimp and grits, biscuits and spicy gravy and sausage omelettes. I loved the biscuits and gravy that I thought would be so-so, and was not a fan of the grits that I thought would be great. I guess I didn’t think about grits being basically sticky boiled cornmeal…

We ambled over to the old wooden tram car station and sardined ourselves onto the next available cart towards the Garden district: an old neighbourhood filled with opulent mansions and historic townhomes that was part of Pauline’s must-see list. The streets were lined with large oak trees whose roots have basically rendered the sidewalks useless in many places but only added to the charm. We very briefly considered eating at Commodores Palace for lunch but quickly squashed that idea when we saw the pressed suits, high-heels and general finery of the people going in. The fact that there were valets should have been a dead-giveaway that my ripped jeans and sneakers and Pauline’s crop top and corduroy’s were not going to cut it!

Instead we wandered down Magazine street, browsing through local art shops and curated vintage stores that were clearly well loved. We were getting a little peckish at this point and decided that we had to try another beignet from…café beignet! It’s right in the name so of course that was the obvious choice. The lineup was almost out the door which means it must be good, right? Wrong. I didn’t even finish my basket! And that’s saying something for me who’d happily eat almost any form of sugar. I didn’t think they’d really be that different but I stand corrected. Café du Monde wins!

Many of the shops were closed due to Easter Sunday so we made our way back to the French Quarter to tick the Vampire Café off the list. As silly as a vampire café sounds even locals said it was worth it! There was an Easter Pride parade touring around for the afternoon so the streets of the quarter were packed full of colourfully dressed dancing and singing people, loud happy music and bright confetti. We watched large neon floats glide by – a complete contrast to the dark vampy bar we found ourselves in. For the first time we got up the nerve to try alligator, which was kind of like a combination of white fish (cod maybe?) and chicken. Definitely worth the try if you ever have a chance. Unclear why I was expecting basically whale blubber…

What I didn’t enjoy was the blood bags that our drinks came in – realistic looking vinyl bags you’d suck your drink from through an attached tube. Although the drink itself was fine I couldn’t get over the whole idea and was a bit squirmy-wormy as I tried to get through it. But like come on! I’ve eaten actual jellied pig blood on a stick in Taiwan – you’d think I could handle a regular drink in a weird container but noooo apparently this is where my brain draws the line. Pauline on the other hand LOVED it.

Before we even left for the trip we booked jazz tickets at Preservation Hall – which is this really old really small world renowned jazz hall that’s dedicated to keeping up traditional jazz practices and caring for old musicians. You’re not allowed to smoke in the hall but you could still see the smoke stains in the ceiling from many years ago. The wooden benches and floors were worn smooth and the paint was peeling to reveal red brick. Just my opinion but I honestly think it would be sort of ruined if they fixed any part of it up at all. A group of white-haired men that can only be described as ‘cool’ played an energetic 45 minute show – songs with solos for each instrument and Louis Armstrong-esque vocals.

We were happy but exhausted from another long day of being on our feet, so we decided to stop for a last meal at the first place we went for a bowl of gumbo, Oceana. Unfortunately we walked six blocks in the wrong direction (whoops! Not me navigating surprisingly!) so we had to walk eight blocks back. The gumbo was even more delicious than Friday night – I might have to learn how to make it at home! Exhausted but bellies full we returned to the hostel to pack up our bags. SAD.

I’m leaving the middle of the night so Pauline and I said our goodbyes before she went off to bed and I went off to the airport. Even though it’s been 4 years since we’ve seen each other it somehow feels like we’ll be back together again before we know it.

It was a quick but jam-packed little dip into the Deep South and I’m excited for the next adventure that awaits us. I’m just guessing here but I think it’s safe to say we have more spontaneous little weekend trips in our future. Now for my 24 hour trip home…

Until next time!!

Sav