Fun on the Street

One performance we enjoyed so much we went back to see again the next day. A group of four young men doing acrobats/break dancing/tumbling and they were incredible. They were also very comical, talking to passersby and entertaining the crowd. They had a huge gathering on Saturday and a smaller crowd on Sunday although it was rather large too. Two of these fellows were on the TV show America's Got Talent last season and you can catch that performance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qAx3657h5g

this guy went out in the street and stopped traffic and proceeded to stand on his head then bounce on his head on the pavement.... OUCH!

the guy on top is spinning around on the other guys head

a great balancing act... no hands

check out the guy flying thru the air... (next to the red vehicle) these are photos Jamie took and she captured a special moment here

I was waiting on the second day for this guy to do this with his eyes and snapped a photo... he looked downright scary when he did this

Joan of Arc

I kept seeing references to Joan of Arc all over New Orleans and couldn't figure out why. What did she have to do with New Orleans??? After several days it finally dawned on me... Joan was the "Maid of Orleans" in France. I had one of those ah-ha moments where the light bulb suddenly flashes on and you feel so stupid for not realizing it before. Anyway now I know. On the carriage ride I found out from our tour guide that the gold statue below was originally silver and a gift from France. When Harrah's Casino first opened up in the city they took one nights house winnings and had Joan covered in 24K gold. WOW! The second photo is of a statue of Joan inside the St. Louis Cathedral.

Cemeteries

The cemeteries in New Orleans are very interesting for several reasons. All are buried above ground because most of New Orleans is 15 feet below sea level and if you buried the dead underground they would wash away. There are a couple of really interesting cemeteries running along both sides of I-10 that I have seen in the past and always wanted to go check out. It wasn't meant to be on this trip however. There are acres and acres and acres of tombs here. Jamie and I tried to visit the Lafayette Cemetery #1 however it was on Sunday and the cemeteries are closed on Sunday's. Not sure why. We did walk the entire square perimeter and looked thru the gates on each side and took a few photos.

that's me peeping thru the gates

Jackson Square

Jackson Square is located within the French Quarter and has a lot going on, especially during the weekend. During the week it was pretty quiet and not very many people around. There is a big statue of Andrew Jackson on a horse in the center of the square. Lots of artists display their work for sale all around the square, lots of street performers and astrologers too. The cathedral is located there as well. Below are a few photos taken from the square.

Andrew Jackson statue

St. Louis cathedral

inside the cathedral

a sign outside the cathedral

the Louisiana Purchase was signed here

the astrologers were lined up wanted to tell you your future


artists selling their works