swamp thing

our first full day in n'awlins found us in full-on tourist mode.  having woken up a just a smidge too late, we had to forego a trip to cafe du monde in favor of this lesser-known spot as recommended by the hotel doorman:

it was okay.  the coffee was good and the beignets were fresh.

as we finished munching on our breakfast, the shuttle arrived to take us on a little drive here:

check out our sweet ride.

while we waited for our tour to begin, we said hello to a new friend:

and got a little silly.

we climbed aboard and glanced a bit wistfully at the boat next to us, which promised a much more exciting ride than the calm, peaceful one we were going on.  but hey, at least we didn't have to sit in the sun.

i never realized how many cemeteries there are in new orleans.  they're everywhere.

it was actually really nice cruising along, i have to admit.

our tour guide was full of information and passed around a few examples for us to check out.

and then as he shouted "ici!  ICI!!" we were joined by some more new friends, who were looking for a treat.

that treat did not come in human form - at least, not during that trip.  no, instead they were happy to munch on marshmallows that our guide tossed out for them to gobble up.  they're able to see light colors easily in the swamp, so when those things land on the surface of the water, they know to head right towards them for a snack.

and then we were all a little startled to turn around and find that we had a stowaway on board.  most of us took a turn holding him for a few seconds.

after he was put away again, more examples were passed around for us to look at.

a good time was had by all.

back on dry land, we headed down the street to grab some lunch here:

this "surf & turf" po'boy, on the secret menu, was fantastic - roast beef and fried shrimp.  oh, so good.

after everyone took a little nap, we headed outside to take a walk around the french quarter and ended up taking a carriage ride pulled by claudia the mule.

she was super fancy - see her sparkly hooves?

in jackson square, we listened to this man play several tunes on these water glasses.

we capped the night off with a dip in the pool for the bean, who'd been dying to jump in all day.  too bad we got there only half an hour before it was closed.

oh, well.  better than nothing, yes?