Farewell to New Orleans

Today on our last day in New Orleans, we met at Café du Monde for café au lait and beignets. This was a great find in New Orleans and definitely worth the trip to itself. After Café du Monde, we went  to the French Market. The French Market was my favorite place in the French Quarter because it represented the city in one location. I was able to do most of, if not all, of my Christmas shopping and souvenir shopping in this one location. This are as best described as a giant flea market outside that had everything from local favorite eats to handmade jewelry and clothing that represents New Orleans. There were stands that sold fresh oysters in the half shell and shrimp and local favorite beverages making this the perfect place to be. I loved this market and declare it a must go to place for anyone visiting New Orleans. I had my very first alligator sausage on a stick here and also shared a muffuletta sandwich with my friends. Almost anything and everything you would want in New Orleans could be found at the French Market. The isles were very crowded and the vendors were very pleasant. I would definitely visit the French Market every day if I lived closer and were able to every day.

My  favorite part of our class trip was the tours that we took. They were all very educational and told their own stories. I especially enjoyed the Hansen's Museum and the Ghost tour that we took. The tour guides were all very friendly and really knew their stuff. I especially enjoyed the fact that if I were to travel to New Orleans on a vacation instead of as a class trip, I probably would not have visited some of the museums and taken the tours that we did. I entered this trip with the expectation of trying many different cuisines and to be as adventurous as possible with my food choices. I am happy to admit that I lived up to this expectation and found that I enjoyed it more than I thought possible.

I also learned a lot about the history and the people of New Orleans. The locals are very proud of their city and are happy to show it off to anyone with an interest. I almost sensed a feeling of celebration and freedom. The history of New Orleans is very rich and the personalities and history are equally rich with their historical roots. The liveliness on the streets is contagious. I learned a lot about New Orleans as well as myself while on this class trip. I learned a lot about the history and its founders. There are many different cultures still alive today in this one location. I believe that is what I enjoyed the most. There was a sense that everyone belonged and that everyone respected each other. I had heard a lot about a high crime rate in New Orleans and was somewhat worried about this at first, but I felt very safe with the high presence of police. We were also smart about where we travelled to and did not travel alone. I learned that New Orleans is a very happy city and despite all the hard times they have had with natural disasters, fires, and haunted spirits, the community pulls together. I appreciate the way the community speaks as one and is a happy city in general .