Two and a half years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to take a vacation on a cruise ship with Steven and his family, courtesy his grandparents and their 50th anniversary celebration plans. Our ship, docked in New Orleans, floated us down the Mississippi and out into the Gulf of Mexico, headed for Cancun and the Yucatan peninsula.
The trip itself was wonderful. I have a fondness for boats and I enjoyed that experience even more so than my venture into Mexico. It amazed me how much wind could be generated by a slow-moving cruise ship and I was very thankful for my trench coat and the nonstop flow of coffee.
I was also glad to see New Orleans again. When I was a child my family and I took numerous weekend trips there since my dad’s Navy Reserve squadron was stationed nearby. I know parts of New Orleans isn’t the best of cities but Cathy and I only knew the good parts: the La Quinta Inn near the big American flag and, naturally, the French Quarter, where you could buy a fake ice cube with a fly in it to freak out your mother later on.
We only were in New Orleans for a few hours before boarding our ship; after all, that was the true reason we were there. When we arrived back in town after our boarding adventure, we were greeted with a gloomy city that had seen a good rainfall just a few hours before and the clouds were threatening to have another go.
After we disembarked, I found out the plan was to immediately start heading back to Alabama. Well, I thought it a sin to be in New Orleans and not even go by the Café du Monde, so I talked Steven’s parents into taking a short jaunt down to the Quarter, despite the gloominess.
So that is how we ended up under the awning of the Café du Monde on a chilly, wet February morning, partaking in an early lunch of chicory coffee and warm beignets. We walked by Jackson Square and saw the St. Louis Cathedral, which was unshamefully covered in scaffolding — ahh, they heard I was visiting.
As we were driving away, full and satisfied, Steven’s parents remarked on how much they enjoyed our brief visit to the Quarter and they were very glad I had mentioned the idea.
I’m glad I mentioned it, too.