NEW ORLEANS – THE BIG EASY

Tuesday 20th December. Here we go!
Ok my Pocket travellers. Today is day one of the next great adventure, this time we’re all off to New Orleans, or should I say ‘n’awlins’ or nawh-lanes, I’ve yet to know the real pronunciation of this until I actually get there. If you followed my last blog to New York in August you will know that I say it as it is, so what you see is what you get, and by doing that, I hope that you will feel my feelings, see what I see, hear what I hear, and meet the people that I meet. That way you don’t even have to leave your house, you just come with me in my pocket and share this adventure. Before even setting foot on American soil I have already a story to tell. I flew from Bari to Stanstead this morning, then got a bus to Heathrow Airport where my flight leaves tomorrow. I am now at the Renaissance Hotel near the airport and I’ve had a super evening with some new friends. On arrival at the hotel there was a massive queue waiting to check-in, just the place to meet people, and I was fortunate enough to be in a queue next to Chris and Sharon, Manda and Colum, and within minutes we turned a stressful situation into a barrel of laughs, ending with us all meeting up for drinks at the bar and a meal together. Unfortunately I have been let down getting a caricature for this blog, but I must thank Sharon‘s husband Chris for trying his best searching for a way to get a cartoon of me playing the saxophone. We tried always to create the perfect avatar with me holding a wine bottle in place of the saxophone, which created much amusement, not only with us but with the other people in the restaurant. I’m hoping to get the cartoon published later, many people have been involved trying their best to get it done. And so the adventure begins in a light-hearted mood, taking away all the stress that I have felt arranging this trip. What a brilliant way to start the journey. Tomorrow I will be up up and away early morning and hopefully will be able to write up the days story when I arrive in New Orleans and check in to Hotel St Pierre on Burgundy Street. Buon Viaggio!

Wednesday 21st December. 

Good morning Pocket travellers! I’m writing this at 2am on Thursday morning as I didn’t arrive in New Orleans until late evening and now I am finding it impossible to sleep. The time difference is really kicking in. The day started badly for me as I had a very emotional experience at Heathrow airport. The last time I was there on 2nd May 2021 when I had flown from Italy to the UK to complete the sale of my mother’s house, as she was moving to a care home. It had been a hard decision to travel and leave Chris alone, but he assured me that he would be fine looking after himself. Reluctantly, I went to do the business. I was waiting for my return flight to Italy at Heathrow when I had a phone call from my son James to say Chris had suddenly been taken ill and had died on arrival at the emergency hospital in Italy. It was one of the worse days of my life. As I entered Heathrow airport yesterday the memory suddenly came back to me and I was overcome with grief. It was a shock and I had to be be strong and carry on, but I was breaking up inside. The reason I am doing these trips is because it is my way of coping without him, trying to build a new life alone, I had not been prepared for the shock of this deep memory erupting in my heart. But life has to go on. It would been his birthday today (22nd) and I know he is with me in Spirit, encouraging me to live a full life. Although my flight wasn’t until 10am I had to get to Heathrow early because I had booked assistance. Ok, you may think this was a ‘cop out’ (for my Italian friends.. this means avoiding something because you think it’s too difficult), well that’s just the reason why I did it! My journey involved a flight transfer in Houston, which is a massive complicated airport, and I only had 90 minutes to transfer. I decided it would be wise to have some help, especially as I don’t walk long distances very well with luggage. It was definitely the right decision and I was well looked after, getting through the crowded border control process quickly with no stress, just what I needed to keep my blood pressure stable! The flight with United Airlines to Houston was 10 hours 45 minutes, a nice flight, great crew and good food, so I was very happy. As soon as I boarded, I just had to have my photo taken with Rob, who I presumed was the captain, as he had wings and stripes on his uniform. I think he was actually the head of the cabin team as when I saw him after take off he was serving drinks..I thought, well, if he’s the captain who’s flying the plane! He was such a nice man and during the flight I went to the back of the plane and had a nice cup of tea with him and his super colleague Mario! A lovely experience, making new friends even on the flight. The time past quickly, several small sleeps, snacks and watching movies. The flight from Houston to New Orleans was only 1 hour 15 minutes and on arriving I was once again taken care of, the assistance people organising a taxi to take me to Hotel St. Pierre in Burgundy Street. It’s really amazing. A maze of beautiful rooms in different areas, named after Jazz musicians and historic figures. I’ve attached a short history as it is such a unique place. (I hope it downloads ok as the internet is very poor in New Orleans due to it being very flat.) I don’t like posh high rise hotels, I like simple historic places which I why I chose thIs particular hotel. The manager Shaun, was brilliant and I when I arrived late I felt at home straight away, confident he will be my friend and support during my week in New Orleans, My room is in a little wooden building that used to be the Morning Star baptist church, now part of the complex, cosy and holds a lot of history, just what I like, and for those who know me well, you will understand the attraction. So here I am! It’s 3am and I’ve had a short sleep, now I will try to adjust my time clock and sleep once more. A great day ahead and I am excited! Chris is in my thoughts, especially on this day, and I will be wandering the famous historic graveyards, maybe he will be waiting! ………UPDATE 9am New Orleans time, Thursday… I have just been given a different room as the internet was so poor in my original one and it is essential I have good connections, especially for doing my daily blog. Today’s Manager, Larry, has been fantastic and has shown around the big maze of lovely buildings, courtyards and gardens, searching all the time for the best internet. I would have loved to have stayed in ‘ The Louis Armstrong’ room, but unfortunately it was not possible. Louis Armstrong was our favourite jazz artist, his song ‘All the time in the word’ was our song, played at our wedding. Sadly, we did not have ‘All the time in the world’. But I know I will hear it played sometime while I am here and know Chris is with me.

Thursday 22nd December Day 2 

Well, I really don’t know what day it is or what time it is, obviously it’s a jetlag thing. At the time of writing it’s 8 pm here and I’m trying to catch up on what’s happened since I last did the blog. I am now located in a different room in the hotel, as last night I had hardly any sleep because of the banging pipes and it has been impossible to link to a good Internet signal in this particular part of this wonderful building complex. I cannot fault the staff here, they have been amazing and have shown me several different rooms to see if they will suit me. How good is that?! I have never known such patient helpful people in any hotel I’ve ever stayed in and I’m now in a beautiful room above reception where I can get good Internet and hopefully continue my blog each day. As the hotel does not do breakfast and as I was still tired I didn’t want to walk to find a cafe, I called at the local Cornershop and picked up some yoghurt, cereal and fruit to eat in my room. It was a very long walk to the cemetery and when I arrived I realised that I would have to pay $25 for the privilege of walking round with a guide. It is not allowed to wander freely in this main cemetery which is called Saint Lewis Cemetery 1, because previously people had vandalised the cemetery and written graffiti on some of the tombs. There were several people outside the guarded gates, trying to decide whether $25 was worth it for a 40 minute tour. Amongst those people were two men, one about my age and the other in his 40s, they introduced themselves as Gary and Aaron, I think they were from Idaho. We got chatting and decided we would all walk to one of the other cemeteries a few blocks away which we were told were free entry. It was quite a way to walk but when we arrived it seems that all the gates were closed so we were disappointed. Gary went back to collect their car and after taking the traditional photo of us together. we parted company. I decided that as I would only be in New Orleans once, I would pay the $25 and take the tour anyway. I was still very tired from a broken nights sleep and jetlag and wondered if I would be able to make the long tour but I took on the challenge and it was really worth it, especially as it was something I wanted to do on Chris‘s birthday. The guide, Alan, a great character with a huge beard and a personality to match, was very knowledgeable about the cemetery and I think if I had been alone I would not have learnt so much about the history, the ‘residents’, and the process of the burial system, Maybe all too much to go into here on the blog, although I am tempted as it was very interesting. We walked amongst the tombs, which are all above ground due to there being a very high water table and it is impossible to bury a body beneath the ground or it would float up if the land was flooded. I imagine not a pretty sight and resembling a horror movie! There were some very interesting tombs, I have taken photos of the plaques that were on some of them to give a little bit of information and history about each one, which I thought you might like to know. One was the tomb of of Marie Laveau, a well-known voodoo queen, this one had been vandalised many times. I could not resist taking a photograph of a grand tomb built in Italy of Italian marble by architect Pietro Gualdi in 1850 and shipped over to New Orleans. Ironically he died shortly after it was completed and was the 1st to be interred in the tomb! One of the strangest tombs Is one shaped as a pyramid which has been built for Nicolas Cage, the US film star. He paid $1 million for it and had to get permission to build it. having first proved that he had distant descendants from New Orleans. I don’t know what you think about this but I think it’s outrageous and it has lowered my opinion of him. After the tour I made my way back towards the hotel and decided to walk down town to a different area to get some lunch. On the way I met a lady who had a basket of home-made voodoo dolls. You may not agree with what I done, but I bought one from her on impulse, as you would buy a flower from a gypsy on the street with a basket of blossoms. I’m not sure why I bought it, and now I’m not sure what to do with it. But one thing I will not do is cause anybody any harm, so just trust me no one is in danger! She did explain that the voodoo dolls are not just used for bad things as most people think, but they can also be for good. I think I will make more enquiries before I do anything with this one! I was walking on a bit further to find a restaurant when a car pulled up with Gary and Aaron inside! They said they were going to lunch and would I like to join them so I got into the car and off we went. You may think that this was a bit stupid to get into a car with two strange men, but we had met earlier and had a very good connection so I felt quite safe, although it could’ve turned out quite differently with two different people. We went to I really nice place called Coop’s Place, a Creole restaurant where we had a delicious lunch. I had Cajun fried chicken served with rabbit and sausage jambalaya and coleslaw, something I would never eat in Italy, totally unhealthy, but totally delicious! They walked part of the way back to my hotel with me and we parted company the best of friends, exchanging email addresses, and now you will find Aaron on my Facebook page so we will definitely be keeping in touch. I had a short nap this afternoon to try and catch up on some sleep and then took a walk out to find a nearby bar for a drink, But the only one nearby was at small dingy place with loud modern music, not my scene, so I walked back to the hotel in pouring rain, stopping off to buy a can of beer and some crisps and to write up my blog. What a lovely day I have had!

Friday 23rd December. Day 3

It’s absolutely freezing now, the temperature is dropping so quickly and all day I have been absolutely frozen. I had planned to go to the jazz Museum today and was really looking forward to it and walked quite a long way to get there, glad that I had brought some warmer clothes with me just in case the weather was cold. One thing I did bring was a hat, but not the ideal style to cover my ears, but at least it kept my head warm. When I got to the jazz museum I was so disappointed to see that it was closed for the holidays. I’d looked it up on the Internet before I left and there was no sign of it being shut for the holidays, so I was a little bit disappointed. Hopefully it might be open again before I have to leave on the 28th as jazz is one of the main reasons I’ve come to New Orleans. The jazz museum is located in the French market district so I was hoping that many stores would be open but because of the bad weather, and also the Christmas holiday season, it was fairly empty. The few stores that were set up were sparse and stall owners were already packing up their goods at 11 am. I seem to be the only person there, apart from the groups of homeless people huddled in doorways trying to get away from the bitter wind blowing from the Mississippi River, which actually made me feel quite vulnerable. I tried to avoid the sidewalk, a little afraid that someone would jump out and take my handbag, but was approached in the roadway by a scruffy looking man who asked me if I could spare some money for a hot coffee. I had some loose change in my back pocket of my jeans which I had taken out to stop my bag being so heavy, so it was easy just to give him that. He was so grateful, just for a few cents, and thanked me and said I was the only person for days that had given him anything. I’m not looking for any compliment or approval, because that money is nothing to me and I give it gladly to anyone who needs a hot drink, the main thing is for me that someone may feel happier just by knowing someone had listened to them. He said he was a veteran of the Navy and that he had always been called Flipper. It was actually quite interesting talking with him as he told me a little bit about his life, whether it was true or not doesn’t matter, his story was different from other ones I have heard from homeless people. Usually it’s ‘my dogs died’ or ‘my wife’s left me’ ‘my bag was stolen’. Flipper told me his mother was a Russian Countess who had married an American soldier and he went on to tell me a little bit about his life in Russia before he came to the USA. He said he actually had a house but couldn’t afford to heat it so he would wander the streets just to be with the other homeless people who he tried to help if he could. Suddenly a young girl in a filthy white dress dashed past, he called out to her and she came back to him, falling into his arms. She was so young and I noticed that she was a few months pregnant. She was crying and Flipper held her in his arms for awhile, she cried to him that she had been raped the night before and he comforted her like a father to a daughter. Flipper seem to be a pillar of strength for the homeless people around him. Because of the respect the others had for him I asked if I could take his photo and he pulled off his dirty old hat, bowing slightly as he did so, which made me laugh. I think he will be on my mind for a while, how different life is for him and his homeless community. Walking further on in the French market area I found lots of shops, mostly selling tourist rubbish, but still I went in just to get a little bit of warmth away from the bitter wind. I past by the famous Cafe Du Monde that sells sweet powdery cakes called French Beignets, not something that appeals to me, too much sugar. I don’t really like touristy places so I moved on towards Jackson Square and Saint Louis Cathedral. On the opposite side of the road I was so pleased to see a restaurant called Landrys Seafood House which I had seen on the Internet as one of the places to visit for good seafood, I decided to go inside for lunch and to get warm. There was so many tempting things to choose from and as I only wanted a light lunch I chose the corn and crab bisque with a side serving of fried white fish. The soup was absolutely beautiful, just the thing to have on a cold day to warm me up. I’ve never tasted anything like it, it was delicious, thick and full of flavour. I continued my walk, pleased that I had not gone to the jazz museum or I would not of come across all of the nice shops that were in the area, or have met Santa Claus who was wondering the streets! Of course I had to have my photo taken with him before he set off on his sleigh delivering Christmas presents. I went into a small store to pick up a bottle of wine for my Christmas present to myself and was amazed at the biggest apples I have ever seen. I have taken a photo of one because it was bigger than my hand, I imagine they are genetically modified to become such huge fruits so I didn’t buy one as I prefer natural miss shaped fruits that I know are truly real. The streets of New Orleans are set out in a grid fashion, making it quite hard sometimes to know which direction one should be travelling in, however it can take you to places that you don’t mean to be in, and I came across a small courtyard that lead to a pub called Pat O’Briens, again one that I had seen advertised on the Internet. All I wanted was a nice hot cup of coffee so I went inside and saw that there was a big Santa chair, I couldn’t resist having a photo taken on it so I asked a kind young man to take the photo for me. I spent the next half hour chatting with the Clayton, the barman, and enjoying a cup of hot black coffee which they kindly gave me for free. It was getting late and the weather was getting worse, so I decided to get back to the hotel. On the way I passed by a small pub and thought a quick beer would be nice and an opportunity to meet more people. The barman, James, was really nice, a lovely young man, funny and friendly so I quickly settled in ordering a most unusual beer. James could hardly say it’s name he was so embarrassed. It was called ‘Piggy Fart Dust’, a wheat beer brewed in New Orleans. We laughed about it and soon I was inspired to write a quick poem. Those who know me well will know this is a normal pastime for me, writing on any scrap of paper to quickly get the words down. James pulled some paper from the till roll and soon I had a little ditty about the crazy named beer. It was fun and James and I had a great laugh together. To end the day I have just been out to a jazz session down Frenchman Street. My American friend Jill arranged for her friend Larry, a jazz musician, to pick me up and take me out to some bars to experience the jazz scene, but as the night progressed the weather was so cold we only stayed an hour. And now I am tired from a very long day, I hope it’s not so cold tomorrow. It’s minus 7 degrees now and I’m glad I am here in the warm. Flipper and his friends are on my mind, and I wonder how they will get through the night in this weather.

December 24th Day 4 Christmas Eve

The unusual freezing weather continued today and I was tempted to stay in the hotel, but I wanted to check out somewhere to have Christmas dinner tomorrow. I hadn’t pre booked anywhere as I wanted to be familiar with the restaurants first. Last year, when I was in Iceland for Christmas, my trip was organised by a tour agent, and included a Christmas Eve meal but not Christmas Day. I hadn’t been able to find a table anywhere so I was eating cheese and biscuits alone in my room for Christmas dinner, which was ok with me. This year in New Orleans my hotel is located in a quiet area, which is really nice, but is not too near the restaurant areas, which means when I want to eat I have to either walk or get a taxi so I looked up a few that were nearby and went to explore by foot. It isn’t that I don’t like taxis or don’t want to pay, it’s just I meet people when I walk and that’s what makes my days interesting. I found a restaurant called Broussard’s, and asked if they had a table. They said that the restaurant was completely full but there would be a possibility that I could have a meal at the bar. Of course I would’ve rather been in the restaurant but thought that if I didn’t get somewhere to eat I would be on my own in the hotel room for dinner. So I took I look at the bar area which seemed okay but, unfortunately the bartender was the most grumpiest man I had met since I have been in New Orleans and I did not relish the thought of spending Christmas Day in his company. When I went back to the booking desk they asked me if I would like to make the reservation and I said that I would prefer not to because I didn’t feel comfortable at the bar. The manager overheard my conversation and was very kind to find me a place in main restaurant, and that’s where I’m going Christmas Day. I went on my way to try and find somewhere to have lunch but unfortunately ended up on Bourbon Street, an area which I tend to avoid, it’s loud noisy and full of shops selling voodoo items. New Orleans is laid out like a grid of streets, a maze with no street signs, so when you need to find your direction it’s very difficult. It had been sometime since I had eaten and I began to feel disorientated so I was desperate to get something to eat. As I searched for food I was afraid I was going to fall down, and had to grab the most disgusting piece of pizza I’ve ever had in my life just to keep me going. After another 30 minutes I felt ill, concerned about my health I tried to call a taxi but unfortunately there are no taxis that go along Bourbon Street so I just had to brave it and walk it back to the hotel. The feeling I had in Bourbon Street was like one of those scenes you see a film where someone is stood still and the whole world is spinning round and round. It was very frightening I don’t think I will go down the street ever again. This evening I have been on my trip on the steamboat down the Mississippi. When I booked the trip it sounded ideal place to be on Christmas Eve but on arrival at the boat I was given a single table by the door, and with a force 12 gale blowing through every time someone came in I began to regret booking the trip. The event that had sounded inviting was also not anything special, the jazz band was on a different level and was projected on a large screen, and eating alone was not my ideal preference. It became clear that everybody was eating at different times and the maincourse was buffet style, almost like being in a cafeteria. Not something that I had visualised. Luckily, a couple who were sat nearby, invited me over to their table, and that was the change of the evening. We had a very nice conversation and lots of laughter which came to an abrupt end when our waitress Melanie, rushed passed us in tears. She looked so upset, I asked her what had happened. She had her coat on and she said she had been sacked. How awful, that someone could sack someone on Christmas Eve. She said she had always had a problem with this particular manager and for some reason the disagreement had come to a head and she had lost her job. I was so sad for her, she had four children, struggling to make ends meet as a single mother, it seemed like something out of the Dickens story, ‘a Christmas Carol’, to sack someone on Christmas Eve was so uncharitable what ever the situation. I just felt I had to do something. I went down to see her manager and asked her what was so terrible that she had sacked this girl on Christmas Eve. The manager, a stern oriental woman, said that Melanie had been rude to her in the kitchen, and she could not put up with it any more. I asked her if she had seen the film a Christmas Carol where Scrooge had been so mean to Bob Cratchit and if she could give Melanie another chance just for the evening. Eventually she softened up and said if Melanie waited another 10 minutes she could go back to the kitchen. I really got the sense this woman was a bully and wanted to make her own rules, but it did seem that Melanie had a chance of holding her job. I went back to tell her the news but she was not convinced that this woman would give her her job back and that she had been a victim of this bullying for some time. We went outside in the cold winter wind and had a chat, I told her one of the most important phrases Chris ever said to me when we first met was “you can’t change other people, but you have to change your attitude to them “. Its the only way to deal with a bully. So Melanie went back to the kitchen. We didn’t see her again. The boat was on the water so there was no way she could’ve left the boat. We asked another waitress what had happened, and they said the manager had sent her downstairs in the cold place of the boat, so she didn’t go back to the kitchen. Another passenger knew of the situation and, like me, had been to see the manager, having no response he went to the higher rank and reported the incident. Melanie will always be on my mind, not knowing what happened to her. I just hope from my heart that things will be worked out for her and that maybe the whole incident has given her strength to fight against those who try to control her. So I was very disappointed in the steam boat trip, but the whole experience was so memorable in its own way. I hope I haven’t bored you with this story, it’s so long, but I felt it important to include it in my blog to show how we should all have the spirit of Christmas, that if things go wrong, there are arguments or disagreements, we can always forgive and be kind to each other. Happy Christmas everyone!

Sunday 25th December. Happy Christmas! 

Happy Christmas everybody from New Orleans! I hope you all had a fantastic day. My morning was very quiet, no opening of presents, no Bucks Fizz, but nice cup of tea and a ginger biscuit. I was looking forward to my Christmas lunch at Broussard’s restaurant and took a stroll down early instead of taking a taxi. I was lucky enough to get a reservation at this lovely restaurant and had a table for one, although it was set for two. I thought, this looks like it could be a blind date maybe someone else will be joining me! But nobody came. However the staff were so nice and cheerful I soon felt happy to be there. I’ve put a picture on here of the menu which included a turtle soup. Although it sounded very interesting I was a little bit doubtful about eating such a precious little animal, I’m not a vegetarian, I do like beef and lamb and pork, which are also precious little animals. I told Rebecca, the manager who had come to speak with me, my fears and doubts about eating turtle and she made me laugh so much when she said that these were snappy turtles and not very pleasant so we could eat them, but it didn’t change my mind and I opted out for the salad. It wasn’t long after I had started my meal that a couple on the next table asked me if I would like to join them. Of course I was delighted, it seems when I eat out this always happens and I hope people don’t do it because they feel sorry for me because am alone. But I always love to meet new friends and I felt happy to spend Christmas lunch with them. The meal was excellent and the company even more so. Kim and Michael were lovely people and had driven up from Florida, it was so nice to share a table together and soon we became great friends. I am so lucky on my travels that I meet such pleasant people, it’s what my trips are all about. Not the place particularly, but the people that I meet on my on my way. After yesterday‘s incident in Bourbon Street, where I felt very uncomfortable, I am now feeling charged up again to start enjoying some more of this vibrant city. I have no plans yet for tomorrow, I’ll take it as it comes but one thing is certain, I will not be eating such unhealthy food. Living in Italy, I am used to a very healthy diet and apart from the occasional lamb chops and chips, my diet does not contain excessive amount of fat, cream and butter that I seem to find in every place I have eaten in New Orleans. Possibly this is why I didn’t feel so good yesterday, because my body is not used to this heavy fat diet. I am craving broccoli and greens, something I have not seen anywhere, so tomorrow I will search for a vegetarian place to eat, although I have noticed even those have loaded sauces which again are very unhealthy. But today has been a special day, the food has been excellent but not a diet that I could stick to for more than a few days. certainly today has been a great Christmas and I hope that everybody has had a super day too.

Monday 26th December. Day 6

It doesn’t look like I’m going to get to the jazz museum, it’s shut again so I decided to go and find some different type of shops apart from the tourist areas that just sell souvenirs. Quite a long walk again, but I eventually found Royal Street, a very nice area of art shops and unusual gifts. In one of the shops I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a dragonfly ring! If you have read my previous blogs you may know that the dragonfly it’s very important to me, a symbol of Chris. This one was beautiful, unique, made of silver and Amber, the amber is very symbolic for me, as Chris bought me antique Amber which was made into a necklace and bracelet, ankle chain and earrings, so this ring is absolutely perfect for me. I just had to buy it. A Christmas present from Chris I am sure. Walking further along the street I came across a young homeless person sitting in a doorway. This young man caught my eye more than the others because he was so much like my son Simon who died in 2015. As I always do, I asked him about his circumstances that had put on the streets and, as he told his story, I felt that he was different from the drug addicts and the drunkards that I had come across before. In fact instead of giving him money I asked him if he’d like to go for a hot drink and he was happy to do so. We wandered a while and decided to sit in the sunshine on a bench outside The St. Louis Cathedral. We talked together for around 30 minutes and I really wished that I could help this young man, he’s only 37, and still has time to turn life round to get his life back on track. I think I must’ve been in the wrong job in the past, I think I should have been a social worker because I just feel I want to help people who are struggling with life. Anyway, he wasn’t that poor because he had a mobile phone. His name was Nicholas, I told him if ever he could get his life back on track to get a passport he could come to Italy to help me at Paradiso, I gave him my telephone number. Maybe I’m just a soft touch, but I did feel that this time it was different with Nicholas. We will see what will come from this. I moved on to find some lunch, something light and healthy this time instead of the fatty high cholesterol food that I have been eating. I found the New Orleans Creole cookery seafood restaurant and noticed on the menu that they had salads so I thought this may be a good choice. I ordered the iceberg wedge which I first came across in New York. It’s a really good way of serving a salad, which is a quarter of an iceberg lettuce that is covered with a dressing, in this case a rich blue cheese crispy bacon and dressing that was healthier than the gumbo or the Creole. I ordered the side of Gator bites, which I thought would be like a chicken nuggets but instead of chicken chunks, alligator meat, but when it arrived it was more like a salami sausage, very spicy and I wouldn’t have known it was alligator or chicken so I was disappointed. Funny how yesterday, on Christmas Day, I did not want to eat a turtle yet I had no qualms at all about eating an alligator! Maybe it’s because I think turtles are cute and alligators are mean. There doesn’t seem to be much jazz happening lunchtimes so I walked back to the hotel and lazed about for the rest of the afternoon. Around 7 o’clock I decided to have a walk outside and just went down to the pub down the road where I had the ‘piggy beer’ and had a quick pint. I really didn’t want to venture out down to Frenchmen Street where most of the jazz takes place, it was a long walk and not worth taking a taxi in case everywhere was still shut for the Christmas holiday. I’m not one for being out late at night, especially on my own, I do feel a little bit vulnerable wandering around, and there is no way I want to get lost at this time of night. I see new arrivals faltering at Crossroads wondering which way to go and although I’m slowly getting used to this maze of streets I sympathise with the newcomers as they study their map, but most are couples or groups, not single like me. So here I am back at the hotel after another adventurous day, just one more day to go then I’m homeward bound. Tomorrow is another day and I look forward to what it will bring.

Tuesday 27th December Day 7

What an amazing day! I decided I wanted to get to Frenchmen Street today to find some jazz so I set off about 10 am. It’s quite a long walk, but I like to walk because that’s when I meet people. I’ve already packed my case this morning and I had a padded jacket that I had brought with me which was a little bit too big. It was also very bulky to put into my case so I decided that I would take it in a carrier bag, and if I saw anybody who was homeless who would like it and make good use of it, I would be pleased just to give it away. I hope that doesn’t sound as if I’m wanting to sound like a goody-goody, really all I wanted was just to make sure someone could use make use of my jacket. On my way to Frenchmen Street I passed through the French market, which had been closed during the recent freezing weather. There are a lot of homeless people in that area and I knew that the right person would be there, somewhere who could use the jacket. I soon came across young woman, so so thin, she wore only a torn cotton dress and had a dirty blanket around her shoulders. Her face was red from the cold and scabbed, her lips sore and broken, How awful that someone so sick was on the streets. I asked her if she would like to have the jacket and she eagerly took it out of the bag. She put it on inside out, so I had to help her to put it on properly. It was so good to see her wrapped up warm in the padded jacket and I felt so happy that she would feel more comfortable. I made my way to Frenchmen Street, the jazz centre of New Orleans, hoping to hear some jazz, but I think I was there too early, so instead I went into a darkened bar where I could hear laughter coming from inside. There was an American couple in there having a drink and soon other people came in. I don’t drink alcohol during the day so I had a Cranberry juice. A few minutes later another couple arrived and sat on the stools next to me and within minutes we were chatting away. The young woman’s name was Ashley and she was a bundle of fire, laughing and I instantly warmed to her. She was with a guy who introduced himself as Roy and I immediately began to feel more comfortable, rather than a single person alone in a bar. After while we learn more about each other and I was telling them about the problem I had getting healthy food in New Orleans, Suddenly, Roy left the bar and when he returned he gave me a business card and a $50 token for a restaurant called theTrue Food Kitchen on Saint Charles Avenue. He is the general manager there and I was absolutely amazed at his kindness. Ashley has a problem with alcohol, she also has a 15-year-old daughter. I knew of someone who was an alcoholic and had a young daughter but is now recovered and I was able to talk with Ashley about where she saw her future. It’s not necessary to go into the conversation here, but she has my email address and I’m hoping her and her daughter Emma will come over to Italy one day for a weeks holiday and to help me at the trullo. We exchanged telephone numbers and I left grateful that I have meet so many wonderful characters in this city. The restaurant was quite a long way from Frenchmen Street and I decided to try and walk, but after several blocks I became exhausted and not wanting to have the same reaction as I had went on Bourbon Street, I decided to get a taxi. Unfortunately I could not find a taxi anywhere and I asked a group of young black women if they could give me a number of the taxi service. They suggested that I got an Uber cab but I do not have the app on my phone, plus my phone would not connect to any American number. They were so kind and soon an Uber cab for me, the people in this city are amazingly friendly and helpful. An Uber cab arrived within a few minutes and I got in, thanking the young lady so much for her kindness. The cabdriver was called Doris, a really nice lady, and I told her the story that I had not been able to use the Uber app. On arrival at the restaurant I asked her how much I owed. She said that the fare had already been paid for by the young woman who had called the cab. I had no idea that this was the system with Uber and as the young woman didn’t mention it I had no idea she had already paid, so I felt very bad. On the short journey to the restaurant Doris had asked me where I had been that morning and I told her my concerns for the homeless, and the shock of seeing the young girl. She said there are many homeless people in the area and sometimes it wasn’t always safe but I told her about the jacket and how it gave me pleasure to help them. Doris said she felt that an act of kindness is always returned and that the girl who paid for my fair also gave her act of kindness which would be returned. It seems to be the attitude of New Orleans people. Everybody helps everybody else, willingly, with no expectation of thanks. I was glad to be part of that culture. I had an amazing meal at the True Food Kitchen, the best meal I’ve had since I’ve been here, if anyone comes to New Orleans please look it up, it is a little treasure. So now I am back at the hotel, packed and ready to go in the morning. Taxi booked, I think I’m checked in but will leave early just in case there may be a problem. I have had a wonderful time the hotel St Pierre has been my home for a week, and I have gained another little family and I hope one day I can come back to visit. Certainly they all have an invitation to visit me and I hope they will. I may not make a report tomorrow as I will be in the air most of the day, not arriving until the following day when James will collect me from the airport and take me to visit mum at the care home. A quick sleep and then I will be back travelling back to Paradiso.

Wednesday 28th December…or is it

Thursday 29th December?

I have t got a clue what day it is, or what time it is, so this will be brief. I left the hotel in New Orleans 8am Wednesday 28th. Flew to Houston Texas. Changed planes and flew Houston to Heathrow.. 11hrs in the air, very little sleep. James met me at Heathrow, we drove 3 hours to Devon. Visited Mum, it was well worth the effort, she was so well and knew me. She even let me cut her hair. It was so lovely to see her almost as she used to be, asking questions about who was still alive, and telling me where she wanted her ashes to be put. Now I will sleep at James’s home with the family and catch the bus to Stansted Airport tomorrow, a 5 hour journey. I am so so jetlagged, dizzy, exhausted, confused about time. I think I’ve done too much. Signing off.

Friday 30th December. Recovery

I think I’m getting back on track after sleeping a few hours. I’m writing this on the bus at 07.30am as I travel from Devon to London then on to Stansted airport (8 hrs on the bus), where I will stay overnight, Then homeward bound to Paradiso tomorrow, arriving New Year’s Eve. Thanks to you all for travelling with me in my pocket and I do hope you enjoyed the New Orleans experience, (without the stress of cars, buses, trains and planes.) it may take a few days for me to recover! Watch out for the next adventure… who knows where or when it will be! Just a final comment. Thanks to my grand daughter Lauren for designing my Big Easy Travel avatar!