The Easter Parade

Today we had a really easy day of it as we will be travelling again tomorrow. We pottered about all morning and then went to have a drink in the Monteleone Hotel bar - it's actually a working carousel with chairs instead of horses and the bar stationed right in the middle. Very cool indeed, it even revolves, but you'd have to be minted to stay for more than one drink.

We decided that we just couldn?t leave New Orleans without having a hurricane so we went to Pat O'Brien's on St Peter St (or Bourbon depending on which entrance you use) the birthplace of the Hurricane! Wow! It really does pack quite a punch, I think its just as well we were no longer on the carousel because the world was already beginning to spin for me! Its 4oz of rum with 4oz of their secret recipe poured over ice, a slice of orange and a cherry on top.

It was so lovely sitting in their courtyard garden in the sunshine that we stayed for a couple of strawberry daiquiris and then somewhat unsteadily made our way to St Ann Street to watch the Gay Easter Parade. It was fantastic!

Easter day in N'awlins is all about the parades - there are three of them throughout the day but the one that's really worth seeing is the gay one. Apparently the Drag Queens spend most of the year planning their Sunday best outsfits. It's a bit like Mardi Gras on a much smaller more sedate churchy scale with lots of beads and eggy shaped favours being thrown to the crowds as they tour around the quarter in carriages and cars and floats. Very civilized and gracious, they are ladies after all.

Mags and I did very well indeed, I managed to collect 16 bead necklaces and 3 eggs and felt most pleased with myself! On the way back to the hotel I adorned random doors and posts throughout the Quarter with most of my beads and just kept a couple as a souvenir.

So tomorrow its farewell to the Big Easy and hello to Savannah! It didn't steal my heart in the same way as San Francisco did but we've really enjoyed our time here and today was brilliant :O)