Days 54 & 55 - Oct. 27th & 28th I took a two day rest and decided on a little sightseeing. Barb and I went down to New Orleans and took the Greyline walking tour of the French Quarter. Liz our guide was great....and here is a quick summary: New Orleans and Louisiana were taken over by the French in 1718, controlled by the Spanish from 1718 to 1801, then taken back by the French in 1801. Then French then sold to the U.S. in 1803. In the War of 1812 (intro music) the British attached New Orleans and were defeated by Andrew Jackson. We are all familiar with New Orleans and the Katrina Hurricane in 2005 and in our limited visit we did not see much damage. Much of the city is below sea level but the French Quarter is at a slightly higher elevation and was protected by the levee's. I recommend the walking tour to anyone coming down this way as it was very informative. We finished off with a snack at Cafe du Monde complete
with live jazz and beignets.
It was interesting that a number of people in New Orleans asked about what we were doing and were VERY complimentary of Habitat for Humanity and our Cycle Of Hope project. One person told us that Habitat has built appox. 70 homes in New Orleans since Katrina. Everyone was also very critical of the Federal Govt. concerning lack of results and how money has been spent rebuilding. Unfortunately we were unable to make a connection with the New Orleans Habitat affiliate, but we wish them the best of luck on rebuilding this great city!
Quiz:
1. The Mississippi River passes through how many states?
2. New Orleans is how many miles up the Mississippi river from the Gulf of Mexico?
1. The Mississippi River passes through how many states?
2. New Orleans is how many miles up the Mississippi river from the Gulf of Mexico?
3. The Peak population of New Orleans was 628,000 in 1960. In 2005, before Katrina, it as 450,000. What is it today?
Answers to come in a later blog.
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