Mobile, New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Texas

We hit 4000 miles so far. 4 states in the last 4 days.



Busy, Busy, Busy!

Ok, well if you thought we'd spend most of this trip sitting around on our butts in different cities... you were only half right. Quite often, it has happened that our butts have been firmly planted only when our car is in motion, an action inevitably equated with the American road trip. Outside of our vehicle, however,our legs frequently move with such purpose that terminal velocity may very well be achieved.

Our hearts were heavy when we left Mobile with the rising sun yesterday. Monday was a sight seeing day for us. We went to Dauphin island, the road leading in and the gulf assumed lovers due to proximity, where there is a sea lab with local concerns displayed beautifully through wildlife. After driving around town oogling the beautiful architecture we visited the Mobile historic Museum. ( Did you know that Mobile was actually the first US city to celebrate Mardi Gras? Not New Orleans. Now you do.) Then Kenneth and I made dinner and the three of us talked. And though the settings changed the week went by the same. We went to see things, drank amazing beer and hung out with our lovely host. When it came time to leave would couldn't help but to be sad. He had made us feel at home, was certain that some how he and Tony were separated at birth, and was just a very kind, rare person. That is the part about couch surfing that is both emphatically amazing and dubiously depressing at the same time: One meets wonderful people, gets to know them and like them, and then one leaves and hopes that despite distance that the friendship will stick.

After four days and a heavyhearted goodbye we took off to New Orleans. I can tell you now that one day there is definitely not enough! As we spent most of our time in the french quarter and most of our time in the french quarter on bourbon street we didn't really feel as though we gave the Big Easy the respect she needed in order to really fully experience her. ( Not to mention after biegnetts at Cafe du Monde Tony didn't feel very well for an hour or two ,which slowed us down.)

This is how our day went, not necessarily exactly in order ,give or take a few people yelling out doors of clubs for us to come in and a few bachelorette partys getting started way too early:

We took a street car in to the city after parking at the college. We then walked directly to cafe du Monde where powder sugar lives happily on everyone's shoes and pigeons are on a permanent sugar high. After that we made our way to the Mississippi river, stuck our fingers and toes in the murky water, and then paid a nearly toothless jazz musician sitting close by to sing along with a tape recorder while invading my personal space. There really really was music playing on every corner. Jazz swaying sweetly on the side walk, R& B blasting out of bars that were serving PBR and MHL cheaply, just wanting people to pay their cover charge at 11am on a Thursday, bluegrass weaving its gental way through wide open doors, and one loony looking man in a lawn chair was playing Lynryd Skynryd less than two feet from the open doors of a bar. We made our way to the famous Marie Laveau's looked around and then walked to cemetery with her tomb ( because we wanted to see a cemetery there not because we that enthusiastic about voodoo) And before we walked back to the street car that sqeakily took us to our car we stopped manage to stop for a while and drink some hurricanes( one at house of blues and one at Pat o' brians)and Tony get his Etouffee.( a long awaited dish for him)

The reason I've gone into so much detail is simply because it was such a crazy day and we barely touched the surface.

That night we met our host Nick who is a glass blower by trade. He let us watch him at work the next morning and it so inspired me that I swore to myself that I'd take a class when we finally end up back at home. We liked Nick instantly too.( We cant help but to like people with giant painting of their own creation in their living rooms offsetting a giant bean bag chair!) Early in the morning we left Baton Rouge and once again hit the road for San Antonio.

San Antonio, where Tony's high school friend Jeremy lives with his wife Ashley and two cute dogs, is where we are now. It was a very cliche Texas-y type evening. We loved it. We enjoyed Tex-Mex and Margarettas for dinner. After which we went to a western wear outfitters so that Jeremy could buy a cowboy hat and Tony could contemplate one. Then we went to the grocery store to buy...( you guessed it) beer! The Texas brand, we learned, gives away land every year... like the golden ticket in Willy Wonka!

Today we are off to go horse back riding( something I've never ever done) and later to see Todd Snider open of a super famous Texan whom we cannot remember his name. Sorry Texans.... we love Todd Snyder( he's a southern hippie)