Tours and Tastings

Outer Journey 

It was a bit chilly and windy this morning here in New Orleans and we had a day full of tours planned from 9am till 5 pm. Me and four other girls decided that we were going to take an uber to the cemetery tour where we were meeting everyone. Our feet and bodies were aching from all of the walking we did the day before. It was nice to take in the sights as we had someone driving us to our destination. On the cemetery tour I was surprised to see how many of the tombs were decaying and crumbling with age. We did see some new tombs being rebuilt and brought back to their original colors. The cemetery had a very unique look and was nothing like I had ever seen before. The tombs were all above ground and many were decaying and weathered. The tombs were mostly white and gray, and some had been weathered down to their bricks. We also saw a lot of newer tombs that belonged to people who were not dead yet but who were preparing to die. Overall, the feeling the cemetery gave off was very interesting and not as creepy as I imagined.










On the cuisine tour It was such a fun experience to try different foods and dishes I normally would not try. The first place we stopped was called Tujagues restaurant I had the most delicious fried green tomato. It was crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside and came with and cocktail sauce for dipping. It was a small corner bar that holds a lot of history and even several ghost stories. This was something I have never had before, and it was so yummy. Another dish that really stuck out to me was the seafood gumbo this is something I have never had before, but it was a very hearty and flavorful dish that had many different types of seafood in it. On the cuisine tours we had the opportunity to see and experience so much history, flavors, and different types of cooking styles here in NOLA.


Below is the link to one of the most famous restaurants we have gotten to visit now. Once for out cuisine tour and once for the ghost tour.


https://tujaguesrestaurant.com/

Inner Journey


Today was a day of tours, tastings, and learning about the city. I took so much away from each and everything we did today. I had several things that I could spend hours writing about, but I think the things I enjoyed the most were the cemetery tour, the cuisine tour, and seeing the architecture in the French quarter, so pretty much the whole day. Before coming to New Orleans, I did not know that their cemeteries placed the deceased body in vaults/tombs that are above the ground. They do this because of the water levels and the flooding would wash the bodies away. Another reason was to help the decomposition of the bodies. The tombs heat up in the sun which cremate the bodies on the inside. I learned that many people were buried in one grave and families will places all of their loved ones together. The cemetery had a very old and run-down look to many of its parts which made the tombs look kind of spooky but also so beautiful. I think that this cemetery tour really got me thinking of how the city views death as more of a celebration of life than a mourning. Our tour guide explained that families that have loved ones in the cemeteries will visit their graves once a year to celebrate and share memories as well as fix up the tombs. We also went to the French Quarter and learned a lot about the architecture and why the houses were built the way they were. Overall, I took so much away from all the tours, but I learned a lot about why certain cultures embrace certain ways of life as well as why things were built or done certain ways.





One of the houses in the French Quarter

Arrival and first experiences in NOLA

Outer Journey

Arriving in New Orleans has been eventful so far and I have had so much to look and take in. For me I feel that I started to get excited when I noticed the scenery around me on the train as we approached NOLA. We were surrounded by water and swamp land that was flooded. This is a sight I have never seen before. The trees were covered in moss and the plants and vegetation were much different than we have back home. I started to see some palm tree looking plants and a lot of beautiful trees. Once we arrived at the train station, I immediately noticed the colorful paintings the walls. There was excitement in people waiting to claim their bags and get to their destinations. Once we walked out of the train station I was greeted by some beautiful palm trees and some more rain. Me and my friends took an Uber to our hotel. The driver was a woman who has lived in New Orleans for her who life. She was so nice and offered us help to load and unload the car as well as give us travel tips. Once we arrived at the hotel and checked in, we were ready to shower and change so we could get to dinner and out ghost tour on time. We had gotten pretty soaked as well as our bags from standing in the rain so it was nice to get into dry cloths. At 5 pm we met up with the rest of our class and began our walk to the French Quarter. The sights were beautiful, and I was excited to see all of the shops and architecture that was around me. I was expecting it to be louder than it was however, it was raining so I do not think as many people were out. We did get to experience one parade that came through while we were on our ghost tour, but we did not see to many street performers yet. I did however see a lot of homeless people and their pets which breaks my heart. We also had several people try and come up to our group asking for money or selling stuff.


Taking the first views of New Orleans in was exciting and overwhelming a bit. I have been very excited to see the French Quarter and it was just how I pictured it. Really it was even more beautiful in person. We got a chance to see so much including Jackson square, the St. Louis cathedral, the Cabildo, many shops and restaurants. There were many people in the square and I saw many tours taking place throughout the night. We ended our night eating a wonderful dinner at Original Pierre Maspero’s and I had Blackened red fish with pasta which was very good. It was a smaller restaurant and had a very cozy feeling to it. The food was extremely good, and I figured it would be as you could smell it down the block. Lastly, we ended our night with a really fun walking ghost tour and history tour. Our tour guide was so fun and lively, and she explained to us how haunted New Orleans really is and why. I think this was a really interesting way to not only take in some fascinating history but also to view the city differently than I normally would have if I came alone.









This is the first sight that greeted me when I got out of the train station loved the street car in the background as well








Blackened redfish that I had for dinner.

Inner

I have had such great opportunities so far and taken in so much. I have learned a lot about New Orleans by just looking around today and also through the ghost tour we went on. I had so many nerves coming into this trip and I feel like I was able to finally relax once we made it to the train station and got to check into our hotel. It was so nice to freshen up and take a shower before heading to get dinner and orient ourselves with the city. I think by the time dinner rolled around everyone was getting hangry and just needed to eat some good food. I learned that I should have brought more food to eat on the train as I did not really eat anything for the entire 16-hour train ride beside some granola bars. Something I have found unique to this city so far is how nice everyone has been. I really have enjoyed all of the helpful advice and tips I have received from kind people along the way. As well as tips from our teachers like not to engage when people when they come to you asking for money. I think that I took away a lot of good restaurant ideas just from talking with the few locals I have met. Our uber driver told us several places to try and why the locals choose them. As our night came to an end and the ghost tour was over me and four other students decided to go to cafe du monde before returning back to the hotel and it was amazing. The beignets were as good as I had hoped for and I was so excited to check it off the list of things I really wanted to do while here. Overall, I think that I had a very successful first day in NOLA.







St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square







Hot Bennetts from cafe du monde, Yumm!

Day 1 and Departure

Inner journey

Wow where do I start? All of the planning, worrying, and preparation was going to be coming together today. With class starting at 8am on the 2nd and heading to the train station that night. I knew I would need to go to bed at a decent time. However, that did not happen, and I was up until almost 6 am and running on about an hour and a half of sleep for class. I had spent so much time packing and repacking my bags that once I finally finished it was pretty much time to head to class. I struggled though the day on hardly any sleep and was not feeling the best, procrastination had gotten the best of me. We got out of class a bit sooner than planned which allowed me to have some extra time to take a fast 30-minute nap, and shower. Before I knew it my two friends Kayleigh and Hope were on their way to pick me up. I was feeling more and more nervous anticipating their arrival. Once they got to my house and we got everything into the car and got on our way I started to feel a lot better. Having my two really good friends on this trip helped me a lot to get more and more excited. On the way to the station we talked and planned some more of our trip out. By the time we got to the train station in Champaign Il, I was super excited, and my nerves began to fade.

Kayleigh, Hope, and I getting ready to check all our bags in.

Outer journey

We arrived at the train station around 8:20 pm and started to unload the car. Once inside I weighed my bags and grabbed a seat while waiting to board the train. We had about two hours to kill and in this time, it was nice to catch up with some of my fellow classmates and just relax. When looking around I saw all the other students and a few families as well as some people traveling alone. It was bright and loud in the station and you could feel the excitement and anticipation in the air. The attendant called overhead and said the train would be to the station in about 10 minutes and called our group to line up. It was finally time as we lined up on the train platform, I was anxiously awaiting to see the train pull in. We were outside so It was chilly and much darker than it was inside. The luggage cart holding all of the classes checked bags was next to our line and I made a comment to the attendant asking him if he thought we packed enough. He laughed and said that he was expecting more like 40 bags from us and we had 22. The next thing I remember was the train pulling in and it being much bigger than I had anticipated. It was a double decker and we will be sitting in the top car. We boarded in a single file line and two at a time. Once on the train we had to head up the smallest stairway I think I have ever seen. It winded around and I was not sure if I was going to fit with my bags. I did and when I got to the top, I saw how much room we actually had. The seats are in rows of two and a lot roomier than I had imagined. I unpacked my pillow and blanket and keep my backpack at my feet and put my carry on in the luggage rack above my head. It was cozy, warm, and clean, and I had not issues falling asleep. I did toss and turn all night as the train bounces around and sways a lot. I noticed that most of my classmates were having the same struggles. I gave up around 6am and woke myself up and enjoyed watching the scenery out the window. It has been raining on and off for the most part since we left Memphis, TN. I have also noticed how the landscape started to change. There are a lot of tall pine trees, some type of tropical looking plants and lots of flooded fields around us as well as houses and businesses every so often. So far I have really enjoyed taking in the experience of riding the Amtrak and besides trying to use the tiny bathrooms I think overall it was a good experience.

All of the bags our group took waiting to get loaded.  

Me and Kayleigh trying to get comfy in our seats
and so were the girls behind us! 

Preparations and Expectations:

Outer Journey

Hi again, its Sunday, December 29. I wanted to tell you a little bit about what I have been doing to prepare for my trip to New Orleans. With Christmas just coming to an end and the New Year’s right around the corner, I have been so busy. This has been a good and bad thing for me. Thinking about our big trip happening next week is bringing me some anxiety and fear, as well as a lot of excitement. I have had so much happening that now there is not much time left to prepare. I tend to procrastinate and now I am stressing haha. I like to think I work well under pressure. I have made a list and packed in my head and have been thinking about what I want to take on my trip. However, I have not physical started to pack yet. I plan to have everything bought, packed, and ready by the first. This is the procrastinator in me and why I will end up over packing. I did get some stuff for Christmas for my trip which was great and have bought several things I will need as well. I pulled out my computer tonight for the first time in a few weeks and made sure that it was working properly and ready to start blogging. For this class we will be keeping a blog and I will be posting everyday so watch for new pictures and information about what I am up too.

As far as what will be going on at my house while I am gone, I think my family will be extra busy watching over all our fur babies. I have four cats, a wiener dog, a green cheek conure (bird) and two beta fish. They are going to have their hands full to say the least. It will be fun to get away, but I am sad to be leaving them for a week. Overall, I am so excited for this trip and all of the new experiences I am about to have. I cannot wait to learn about New Orleans and experience the history and culture.  

This is what our Amtrak seats will look like, not to sure how sleeping will go yet. 

Preparations and Expectations:

Inner Journey

Somethings I think I will enjoy most on this trip are learning and exploring a new city with my friends and classmates as well as just enjoying being somewhere I have never been before. I have been fortunate to travel to many places throughout my life, but I have never been on a trip like this. I am excited to travel in a different way than I normally would. I think it is great to go out of your comfort zone and try new things. Another new experience for me will be taking the train to NOLA as I have only taken a train for a short trip before. I think that I am in for an adventure and cannot wait to experience it with all of you. I am looking forward to all of the tours we will be going on as I have never really done anything like this when we traveled in the past. I think it will be so neat to see a city in a different way and to learn about all of its history. I think that this trip will not only be exciting, but I think I am going to learn so much more than I would if I were going with friends. I know that New Orleans holds so much history and I am excited to step back and take it all in. I think it will be so interesting to have such a knowledgeable professor with us that knows the ropes and will immerses us right into the culture, history, and city. I hope to not only gain experience but knowledge and life lessons from this trip. I think that I am really going to enjoy myself and look forward to this travel course. I am ready to listen to some good music, eat some even better food, and grow my knowledge. This travel course is something that I normally would not do but I wanted to gain new experiences and go outside of my comfort zone. I also want to learn how to travel and take a city in differently than I normally would. 

Excited for all the new foods I will try and the beignets, oh I can't wait!! 

Welcome To My Blog!

Hi Everyone,
My name is Hailey Holmes and I am so excited to be sharing my journey to New Orleans with you. This is my personal blog where I will explain and share my adventures while i'm in NOLA. I will be posting daily and will also post pictures throughout my trip I hope you enjoy.