This past weekend was the highlight of my time here in Ole Miss so far. My friend Sarah was kind enough to invite me to join her and her lovely family for the Easter weekend. Sarah lives in Terry so it took us roughly three and a half hours to get there from Oxford and that was including a 20 minute stop in Sonic for dinner (which was delicious!).
We drove to New Orleans on Good Friday morning and it took us just over 2 hours to get there and again that was after a quick breakfast in Waffle House. (Their waffles are to die for!) After eventually findiing a parking space we quickly checked into our hotel and left in our luggage. We stayed the The Wyndhem Garden Hotel which was thankfully right in the middle of New Orleans meaning that everything was within walking distance. We headed straight for the French Quarter which is the most picturesque and colourful section of the city. The area is also known as the Vieux Carre meaning ‘old square.’ The buildings in the French Quarter represent a blend of both French and Spanish influnce, with Cafe Du Monde being a main attraction serving beautiful coffee and exquisite ‘beignets’(french dounuts covered in powdered sugar).
We walked around Jackson Square which lives in the heart of the French Quarter which dates back to 1721. We took the opportunity to go explore St. Louis’s Cathedral which dominates the square and is the oldest cathedral in the nation. Just in front of the cathedral is a 20,000 pound statue of General Andrew Jackson on his rearing horse. As we dandered around the square I saw many different artists displaying their work for all the visitors and the famous horse drawn carrigies are patiently awaiting tourists to give them a tour of the city. (However at $15 per person we thought it was much better and cheaper to walk!)
As we wandered further into the French Quarter I overheard stories of pirates, priests, elegant families and their slaves and even practitioners of Voodoo who had long called this neighbourhood and the unique houses their homes. As we continued our sight seeing it continued to amaze me at just how many small cafés, bars and restuarants there ae scattered everywhere. It has been said that New Orleanians do not eat to live but rather live to eat!
We finished of the day by taking a street car ride through the Garden District which is one of the city's premier neighbourhoods. It is 65 block district which was built in the 1850s and known celebrities such as Brad Pitt have bought houses there.
Our second day very much consisted of trying to buy presents for friends and family back home and I have also fallen in love with the masks which can be bought anywhere in New Orleans. The masks are usually worn around Mardi Gras however they also make great room decorators! We finished off our trip by taking a stroll down the infamous Bourbon Street which is known for having a carnival atmosphere with its many nightclubs, strip tease shows and alcoholic concoctions! When we arrived back in Terry we called it an early night due to the exhaustion from walking everywhere and feeling very full from the delicious foods.
Sunday was a very relaxed and enjoyable day which began with a visit from the Easter Bunny! Sarah and I awoke to a basket full of fun treats and chocolate which quickly disappeared after the Easter church service. Her granny and uncle both came to join us for Easter dinner and they were full of many questions about Ireland which I was only too happy to answer. On Monday before we drove back to Oxford Sarah and I enjoyed a quick shopping trip to Jackson and enjoyed lunch at Peppers.
I was very sad to see this weekend come to an end and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing many new sights and meeting the lovely Terrys (this is also Sarah’s second name which is ironic since she comes from the town of Terry!) To conclude, it was an unforgettable Easter full of many fond memories!
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