BEIGNET .....DUN DAT!

Skyline of New Orleans, LA
April 2017

Our trips are always filled with surprises.  This one is no different.  New Orleans is ALWAYS a lot of fun and if you get bored, it's your own fault.  You can sit in one seat all day, and not only would you be entertained, you'll probably walk away shaking your head.  It's here...it's all here.

French Quarter - New Orleans, LA

Our campground and home until Friday morning is Ponchartrain Landing Marina and RV Park.  But first you have to get here.  Exit I-10 and meander down a road with potholes that could swallow an RV tire.  We arrived safe and shaken, but truthfully,  this is a nice and secure place to be as close to New Orleans (maybe 10 miles away).  A  restaurant is available on site as well as villas on the water if you don't have an RV.  

Breakfast on Day 1 in New Orleans is usually at a beignet and french coffee restaurant.  Cafe du Monde is the beignet restaurant of choice, conveniently located in the French Quarter, but it was packed and we had plans that began at 11:00 a.m.

Cafe du Monde - French Quarter - New Orleans, LA

Beignet from Cafe Beignet - NOLA

  Anyway, there may have been a line about 100 deep when we arrived, so we backtracked to beignet place #2, Cafe Beignet, and had the customary breakfast, jazz trio, etc.,  and left with me shaking about 5 lbs of confectioner's sugar off my clothes.

Maybe I should have worn the white pants!

After breakfast we had reservations for lunch aboard the steamboat "Natchez" for a 2 hour cruise.  The 2 hour cruise was enjoyable and the weather for the day was stellar.

Steamboat Natchez 

 A delicious buffet lunch aboard the "Natchez" started immediately upon our boarding but the only reason we decided on an early seating was because Melrose Elementary (not related to Melrose, FL Elementary), brought several hundred students on board for the cruise for the 12:30 p.m. seating.   The cruise was worthwhile and we learned more about New Orleans history.

Jackson Square
French Quarter - NOLA

We departed the steamboat and headed for another New Orleans tradition...a trip to Central Grocery, home of the original muffulettas.  Here you can buy homemade muffulettas, Central Grocery original olive salad, Louisiana BBQ Shrimp Sauce and Cafe du Monde Beignet Mix.

Central Grocery - Home of the original Muffuletta

Central Grocery - French Quarter - NOLA

Do you see a pattern developing regarding food?  We bought enough muffulettas to freeze and enjoy for lunch on the way to Cajun Palms on Friday (and then some),  just in case you think we're not thinking about the next meal.