Goodbye New Orleans

Well, they say that all good things must come to an end... and so must the magical trip to New Orleans. (boo hoo). Our last day was wonderful - filled with great sites, fantastic people, melodious music, and of course - excellent food. Here are a few parting shots of the city that holds my heart!

Below is a picture of the statue of Andrew Jackson. It stands in the middle of Jackson Square, in front of St. Louis Cathedral. (which is the picture above) If a statue shows a man on a horse, and both of the horse's front feet are in the air - that means that the person depicted in the statue died in battle. Andrew Jackson was our seventh U.S. President. He was a hero in the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. This statue was dedicated in 1856.

Yesterday ended with an incredible meal at Bayona on Rue Dauphine. Click HERE for their website. We were very adventurous at this meal. We had two excellent appetizers - Veal Sweetbreads with a Lemony Caper Sauce & Goat Cheese Crouton with Wild Mushrooms in a Madiera Sauce. So TASTY! JJ even tried the Sweetbreads, which really surprised me. He announced that they "weren't bad".

JJ ordered the Hanger Steak that came with perfectly prepared Asparagus, Fingerling Potatoes and a Bordelaise Sauce. Cindy had the Boudin Stuffed Rabbit Roulade and Buttermilk Fried Leg. This was served with the tastiest Creamy Grits and perfectly tart Greens. Richard ordered the Grilled Duck Breast that was served with Pepper Jelly and Wild Rice. We all tasted each others food. JJ thought the Steak was the best (what a surprise!) but Cindy and Richard both thought that the Rabbit was the best.

What better way to end an evening than by visiting with new friends at Cafe Du Monde. (Can't believe we didn't think to take pictures!) Christine and Michael came to visit with us. It was the most excellent ending to our trip. What a fun couple they are. We really enjoyed talking with them, and getting to know them. We hope that we will get to see them again sometime soon - either here in NOLA or in our fair state of Oregon. Thanks for a wonderful evening guys!

And, so the sun sets on our superb adventure in the Crescent City! If you have never visited NOLA - please think about coming! This city relies on tourism in order to thrive. She needs you to come and fall in love, like I have, and then tell all of your friends to come too! If you have visited NOLA and you are afraid that it may still be too soon after Katrina to visit - please put your fears to rest and get on a plane soon! There are indeed some differences, and certainly the ecomony is currently playing a part in the fact that there are fewer tourists right now... but it's time to return and help the Big Easy recover.

Thanks for "joining" us on our adventure. We head back to Oregon in just a few hours. I'm already planning our return trip to N'awlins!