New Orleans Garden District

4 Feb 2018

Our last day in New Orleans was spent touring the Garden District. This area is well known for its 19^th century homes and gardens.  It was originally part of the Livaudals Plantation. In 1852 it was annexed by the City of New Orleans.  Our first stop was the Lafayette Cemetery No.1 founded in 1833. It is a famous and frankly a bit spooky place.  Being in an area that has had numerous floods since 1833, some plots show the wear and tear.

Many of the Garden homes are in wonderful condition.  Strolling the streets, one can imagine what life here was like in times gone by.

We were surprised to find out that there was a parade preparing to start as we walked along. It turned out that is was one of the better ones we had seen.  Most of the spectators with small kids arrived carrying a ladder arrangement I have not seen before.  It gave the kids a great view of the parade.

WWII Museum

3 Feb 2018

The World War II museum located in downtown New Orleans is a must see.  The museum is in five buildings and is truly an amazing place to spend at least a day.  It is hard to capture the essence of this place with pictures. It uses all the modern technologies to let you see and feel the war from many different perspectives.  The multimedia displays and film clips from the era put you on location.

We spent a full day there and if we had the time could have gone back for another day. It is a must-see museum.

We recently ordered a museum courtyard brick for my father, who served in the European theater.  His signal company ended up caught in the Battle of the Bulge, where they took significant losses. His company’s last duty was communications and guard duty at the Nuremburg trials.