It’s funny; I didn’t drink at all in New Orleans because I wanted to get up early so I could do ALL OF THE THINGS. I began the next day bright and early at St. Roch’s Cemetery.
This cemetery was really cool, but I messed up. I read that St. Roch is the patron saint of invalids and people invoke him to fight against plagues. (As I type this, I'm thinking I should buy myself a St. Roch charm given the current situation.) People supposedly bring prosthetic limbs, eyeballs, all kinds of body parts to this cemetery. I was very disappointed not to see any of these items and found out later that they are in the building. I didn't even check to see if it was unlocked. So mad at myself!
I walked around this park (and grumbled about this statue glorifying Andrew Jackson since we all know he was a racist asshole) and then spent a few minutes in St. Louis Cathedral.
Why don't Lutherans or Mennonites build churches like this?
I was fascinated by this Bible and wished I could have seen more pages. It is a copy of a Bible that belonged to St. Louis IX of France, made between 1226 and 1234 in Paris. Even though it's just a replica, I found the artwork so interesting.
Then it was time for my psychic appointment. I went to the best reviewed place in the French Quarter, but I am skeptical about the things she said. Instead of tarot cards, she had bones from a bear paw that were given to her by a medicine man from Maine. She had you reach into the bag and then toss the bones on a mat. She would interpret where they landed. A lot of the reading was pretty generic; she just said a lot of nice things. One specific thing she did say is that she saw twins. I said, "Oh, maybe you're just seeing my friend Paula's twins; I'm going to visit her in a few weeks." And she just laughed and said that wasn't what she was seeing, but I could tell myself that to feel better. She asked if there was any possibility of me coming into a large sum of money sometime soon, and I laughed in her face. It just seemed like she was saying things that a customer would want to hear. The one part that felt authentic was when she paused and said, "I'm sorry, I just have to acknowledge an older woman you have with you; she's giving you the thumbs up and she's just so proud of you." And then she went on to describe my grandma.
It was still pretty early in the day after my reading. I wandered around the French Quarter and did some shopping, had lunch at a cute overpriced outdoor cafe, and visited the voodoo museum. It wasn't very big, but there was just so much to look at!
I didn't realize that voodoo incorporates so many Christian symbols!
I purchased voodoo dolls for me and my mom. I thought it would make a nice Christmas ornament, and when I texted my mom a pic she said she thought it would be fun to include in the nativity scene. But it actually ended up being way too creepy for the Christmas tree!
Finally, I visited the park site that I had come to New Orleans to see. This is the only park site that I know of that's entirely devoted to music. There's not much to actually see... it's all about watching live music. It was so fun to see a park ranger in the band!
After the concert, I purchased some beignets, shopped some more, and had a really great dinner just off Bourbon Street. By then, the drunks were coming out, so I knew it was time to get out of there. Is there anything more obnoxious than a large group of drunk people? It's a shame that for many people, New Orleans is just a place where you can drink in the streets. This city has such a rich history and culture. And yet, when I asked friends of mine if they had been to the cemeteries or a jazz concert or whatever, most of them said they had never done those things. They are missing out!
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