April 15

It's a special day today. Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me... and thank you all for the good wishes, no, don't send anything, I know you wish me all the best.
We slept in this morning, until 8:15! Wow! Grabbed a glass of juice in the hotel and drove right into N.O. The lobby guy gave Henk some good parking advice so we took the car, left it at the visitor center where we picked up a map and some flyers, as well as directions to Mother's; Niamh and Steve said we should get breakfast, lunch or dinner there. Breakfast it was. We got there at around 10, I think, and that was good timing, the line wasn't too long. This is how they work it. Once you come in, you grab a menu from the holder at the end of the counter and line up in front of it. Read the menu and decide what you want, because when you get to the front you tell the girl at the register what your order is and you pay. The next girl gives you your coffee (or juice). You take your coffee and receipt and hunt for a table, sit down, and put the receipt on the table. The third girl retrieves the receipt, you start in on your coffee, and she shows up with your order and with a fresh baked biscuit, little butters, and a mini dish with a blob of Mother's grape jam. Very efficient! We both ordered Mae's omelet, with bits of Mother's own black ham, and a side of grits. We honored the grits with a taste (Henk more than I), shuddered, and then focused on the omelets and biscuits.

We didn't need food for hours after this ;)

We walked the French Quartier for hours: mysterious drizzly fogginess, narrow streets, wrought iron balconies and hanging plants, gift shops and restaurants, the old plaza lined with street artists, the river front with steamboats. We watched the waterwheel thing at the back of the "Natchez" for a while, and realized that the two crew members were fussing around with their cameras because there was a rattle snake wrapped around one of the dripping spokes. They kindly left it where it was ;) We didn't go on the steamboat ($$$$) but went back and forth across the Mississippi on the free pedestrian ferry instead, which covered all the important aspects: we were on the water, out of the drizzle, and took our weight off our feet for a while.

At 1:30 we had beignets at Cafe Du Monde, you're supposed to because it's a local delicacy, but we were a little disappointed. We're spoiled I guess with the memory of the pastries of Opa Oolders Sr... At 4 we went to Deanie's Seafood for dinner. We were tired and done with the walking, and they serve food all day and don't care when we get hungry ;) Fried crawfish tails, blackened red fish (Opa), crab quartet (me) - that's crab, prepared four different ways; and as birthday dessert, three balls of vanilla ice cream under a chocolate shell, on top of a brownie, with whipped cream and cherries on top. Yum. We shared one, and we're all set for a while now in the way of food.... burp....

Tomorrow morning we'll be on our way early again. Henk is almost out of hotel points, so we'll sleep over only one more night and ought to be home late on Wednesday. So that will be two long days in the car. But our feet ain't complaining after today!