November 13-17: To Fairhope, Alabama: After months on the Inland River System, we have entered Mobile Bay and are down to sea level once again. Mobile is one of the largest and busiest sea ports on the Gulf Coast and is primarily a commercial harbor. Pleasure boaters must head for the western or eastern shores. Mobile Bay is a large body of water but is extremely shallow so it is imperative to stay in the shipping channel.
As we need to have our autopilot checked, we headed to Fairhope, AL on the eastern shore where the marine electronics company is located. Fairhope is an upscale town with many trendy stores and restaurants. We planned to stay here for about a week as we will rent a car and drive to New Orleans which is about a three hour drive. The Port of New Orleans is even busier than Mobile and no place for a small boat like ours. There were several fellow Loopers at the Marina so we enjoyed their company and swapped stories over dinner.
Downtown Fairhope, AL
Fairhope City Hall
November 18: Mobile: We took a day trip into Mobile to visit the Mobile Museum that houses the artifacts from the Confederate States Ship (CSS) Alabama. Courtesy of our friend, Stan Lambrick, we learnt the history of the CSS Alabama. It is a fascinating story. Captained by Raphael Semmes, the Alabama was the most successful Confederate raider during the Civil War. At sea for only 22 months, the ship burned 65 Union vessels of various types, most of them merchant ships. During all of the Alabama's raiding ventures, captured ships' crews and passengers were never harmed, only detained until they could be placed aboard a neutral ship or placed ashore in a friendly or neutral port: source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSS_Alabama.
The following photographs are for Stan.
The Admiral in front of Captain Raphael Semmes' Statue
The Alabama was sunk by the Union Steamer the Kearsarge off Cherbourg, France. The following are some of the artifacts that have been salvaged from the wreck.
Ship's cannon
Ship's bell
The CSS Alabama
November 18-20: New Orleans: We checked into a small hotel in the French Quarter and took a walkabout to explore the unique architecture in the city. Originally founded by the Spanish, the buildings have a typical Spanish layout with a central courtyard and interesting wrought iron decorations.
Plenty of color as well.
Pedestrian walk.
New Orleans is, of course, famous for its music. We encountered street musicians everywhere. Some of the street were closed off to allow groups to perform. These photographs are for my cousin, Michael.
Cathedral in Jackson Square.
General Andrew (Stonewall) Jackson
New Orleans is, of course, famous for its music. We encountered street musicians everywhere. Some of the street were closed off to allow groups to perform. These photographs are for my cousin, Michael.
Cathedral in Jackson Square.
Stern Wheeler on the Mississippi
No visit to New Orleans would be complete without a sampling of the local fare. We enjoyed croissants and cafe au lait at the "Golden Croissant".
The Croissant D'Or had an interesting notice on the sidewalk.
A place to tie your horse.
We also took a walking tour of the Garden District which included the Lafayette Cemetery. Our guide was definitely a local. Her family have lived in the area for multiple generations. She was very knowledgeable and gave us a detailed explanation regarding the reasons for above ground graves. It is not because of the water table. It is all about land conservation. The deceased's coffins are placed inside the tomb which is then sealed for at least a year and a day. The intense heat which reaches over 200 degrees F inside the tomb decomposes the bodies rapidly. After the subscribed time period, the tomb is opened and the bones are crushed with a heavy tamper. The "remains" are placed in a sack and consigned to a space around the edge of the tomb. The tomb now has space for the next relative. Gives new meaning to "from dust to dust".
Multiple generations are "buried" in these tombs.
From the cemetery, we walked through the beautiful Garden District. Besides viewing the beautifully maintained homes, our guide gave us some history about various owners which made the tour much more interesting. Nicholas Cage, Sandra Bullock and the Manning family (Eli and Payton's family) have homes in this area. Quite a pricey neighborhood!
Not all were large.
Just most of them. This area was not badly affected by Hurricane Katrina. Most of these homes survived with little damage.
The majority of these homes cannot be subdivided and the owners must adhere to strict historic preservation codes.
Plaque outside one of the homes where Jefferson Davis stayed during the Civil War.
No visit to New Orleans would be complete without a sampling of the local fare. We enjoyed croissants and cafe au lait at the "Golden Croissant".
Detail on a door.
We also took a walking tour of the Garden District which included the Lafayette Cemetery. Our guide was definitely a local. Her family have lived in the area for multiple generations. She was very knowledgeable and gave us a detailed explanation regarding the reasons for above ground graves. It is not because of the water table. It is all about land conservation. The deceased's coffins are placed inside the tomb which is then sealed for at least a year and a day. The intense heat which reaches over 200 degrees F inside the tomb decomposes the bodies rapidly. After the subscribed time period, the tomb is opened and the bones are crushed with a heavy tamper. The "remains" are placed in a sack and consigned to a space around the edge of the tomb. The tomb now has space for the next relative. Gives new meaning to "from dust to dust".
From the cemetery, we walked through the beautiful Garden District. Besides viewing the beautifully maintained homes, our guide gave us some history about various owners which made the tour much more interesting. Nicholas Cage, Sandra Bullock and the Manning family (Eli and Payton's family) have homes in this area. Quite a pricey neighborhood!
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