Wedding day

Our last day in The Big Easy.  Sad, but we've had an amazing time and I think we've seen/done/eaten pretty much everything we set out to.  Speaking of eating, I thought that coffee & a muffin would be perfect for breakfast this morning, so I Googled "bakery."  Low & behold, a bakery called Croissant D'or is located just around the corner from us.  While Andrew was still sleeping, I threw on some clothes and dashed off to see what treasure could be found.  Ahh...croissant heaven!  It's a really good thing I was not aware of this little gem earlier in the trip.  I brought back a couple of flaky, warm croissant (plain for Andrew, almond for me) and a couple of cafe au lait, and we dined al fresco on the porch.  

Breakfast on the porch

After breakfast we ducked out to do some shopping.  Shopping for souvenirs is something we do very little of when we're on holiday, so we're not particularly good at it and we likely ended up covering much more ground than we needed to. Oh well, what else have we to do today?  While we were out, we ran in to Chris & Cliff at the French Market, and Jason and his group in Jackson Square.  I can't tell you how delightfully surreal it is to encounter people that you know while on holiday in a strange city!  We also wandered up Bourbon Street to get Andrew a "hand grenade", which was the last item to be checked off of his to do list.   A "hand grenade" is a slushy cocktail comprised of gin, vodka, grain alcohol, melon liqueur, and rum.  Lives up to it's name, as you can imagine.

Andrew and his Hand Grenade.  It's 11 am, in case you're wondering.
The beads came from a wedding party that went by us with their Second Line band.
He didn't even have to show his boobies to get them.

Shopped out, we grabbed a sandwich to go and made our way back to the apartment.  We did some laundry and started to get a little organized for our departure tomorrow.  Andrew had a nap, courtesy of his cocktail!  :)  I sat outside for a while with the cat.  Did I mention that there is also a cat here?  Her name is Annie.  She looks remarkably like Freaky, don't you think?

Tonight was the main event that we're here for - Chris & Cliff's wedding.  The wedding took place at the Pharmacy Museum, which was the first licensed apothecary shop in New Orleans.  Interestingly, it was also on our haunted history tour.  In an attempt to cure himself, a syphilis-ravaged pharmacist from the mid-1800's administered inhumane, experimental medications/concoctions to slave women that he first infected.  The treatments and lack of general care over the course of a decade ultimately resulted in the death of an unknown number of women.  Dr. Dupas also eventually succumbed to his disease.  They say, however, that he can still be found working behind the counter on certain nights.  As well, the slave women who were imprisoned under such terrible conditions on the second floor can be heard moaning and wailing.  People who are "sensitive" to the energy of these women are known to become nauseous when inside the pharmacy.  Fun!

The wedding venue

The original soda fountain in the pharmacy

Some crazy things on these shelves!

Leeches - for what ails you.

 

The wedding itself was absolutely beautiful.  Chris and Cliff have put an amazing amount of thought in to the planning of this event, especially as it relates to their guests.  They have provided us with countless communications outlining hotels, event details, places to eat, recommended tours, and safety tips.  Each guest was greeted in their hotel room by a "Welcome to New Orleans" gift bag that was customized to their interests.  For example, ours had wine and a book on ghost hunting, along with pralines and some voodoo items.  In short, attention to detail would be an understatement.   The best part of the evening was the Second Line band, which led us through the streets of the Quarter, including several blocks of Bourbon Street.  Second Line bands are a brass band that traditionally lead a jazz funeral procession.  Now, however, they are very commonly used to lead wedding parties.  The bride and groom (or groom & groom, in our case) each get a parasol and the wedding guests get handkerchiefs to wave.  Passersby line the streets to dance to the music and applaud the newlyweds.  What a fun tradition!

Chandeliers hung from a tree in the courtyard

Chris & Cliff about to jump the broom

The Second Line band getting ready to lead us out in to the streets

The crowd following the band, waving their handkerchiefs.

Andrew & Jason showed up in matching hats

We've had a wonderful time here in New Orleans.  What an amazing city full of history and culture!  I hope we get to come back someday soon.  In the meantime, we're boarding a cruise ship tomorrow for a 5-day vacation extender.  See you there!