Month: August 2019

Tuesday, August 20

We took Interstate 10 West from El Paso to get to Tucson.  On the West side of town the road bends South and gets very near the border.  From the car we would easily see the Rio Grande River and the border fence.

We quickly passed through New Mexico and when we were about 30 miles into Arizona a very strange thing happened.  The road narrowed and we were forced to go through a Border Control Point manned by Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE).  Had we made a proverbial wrong turn at Albuquerque?  We came to a complete stop and rolled down our window while a drug sniffing dog checked out our car.  The agent in the booth said, “You can go”. I asked, “Are we about to cross a border?”.  He laughed and said, “No sir” and we continued on our way.

The roadblock was a permanent structure and was at least 30 miles North of the border.  Anyone with nefarious intentions would know it was there and could easily avoid it.  It’s not clear how effective this type of policing could be.

With less than an hour until we reached Tucson we started seeing signs to Tombstone, AZ.  The billboards indicated that there were things to see and do so we decided to check it out for ourselves.

We traveled about 40 minutes on local roads before we reached Tombstone.  Just outside of the city we found another checkpoint run by ICE.  It was stopping all cars coming out of Tombstone.

We parked and entered Cochise County Courthouse, an old courthouse that was now run by the State as a museum.  Cost of entry was $7.00 per person.  Credit cards are accepted.

The courthouse had many interesting artifacts from the old west period including an extensive analysis of the famous fight at the OK corral and its participants.   A block away was the the main street; it looked exactly what you’d expect an old western town to appear.

All of the stores had been converted into convenience stores, restaurants or places selling tourist trinkets.  A booth was selling tickets to a tour of the town on a horse drawn stage coach.  Another was selling tickets to a reenactment of the famous gunfight.  We bought tickets for that.  It was rather amusing and we learned that the gunfight actually took place next to the OK corral – not in it.  We had a snack at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon (Big Nose Kate was Doc Holiday’s long time paramour).

(Gunfight Actors)

Before leaving town we stopped at Boot Hill – the historical town’s cemetery.  Cost of entry was $3.00 per person; cash only.  Upon entry you receive a pamphlet providing information about and location of the people who are buried there.  Many of the tombstone had interesting epitaphs such as, “Two Chinamen” and “Rook Shot by a Chinaman”.  The McClaurys and Billy Clanton are buried there too.

(Boot Hill)

Back near Tucson we headed directly for Saguaro National Park East.  The park is actually divided into two parts – one on each side of Tucson.  We stopped at the visitor center and a very helpful volunteer gave us a map and some very interesting information about the park.  We paid $20.00 for the car and proceeded to the nine mile loop that would bring us back to the visitor center.

The park is filled with various kinds of wildlife and many kinds of cactus.  Of course it features the Saguaro Cactus.  There are many thousands of them everywhere.  They are only found in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona.  Of course they are immediately recognizable as the ones you often see in old Road Runner cartoons.  At 106 degrees it was way too hot to walk any of the trails but we got out of the car in many spots to see the plants up close and to take photographs.  It was very interesting and quite different from other parks we’d seen.  On the way back to our hotel we saw a real-life road runner crossing the street in the middle of town.

(A Saguaro Cactus)

Wednesday, August 21

This morning we had an early breakfast at the hotel and headed to Saguaro National Park West.  This park has a six mile loop on a gravel road.  The National Park Service says that even non-SUVs can traverse this road.  It was a little rocky and sandy in places but our car made it without any problems.

We stopped in Kingman, AZ for a quick lunch and were back in Las Vegas just after 3:00 pm.  After eight hours in the car it had been a long day.

When we got home I found a box containing my newly refurbished camera.  I am looking forward to ditching my iPhone camera and taking some decent pictures.

Monday, August 19

Drive time from San Antonio to El Paso was just under eight hours.  Yeah, everything really is bigger in Texas.  Upon entering town we headed straight for our hotel.

Deborah did her usual room check before unpacking.  Typically she makes sure everything is in order and inspects the mattresses for bedbugs.  The bedspread had a really ugly stain and that stain had gone through the sheets and into the mattress.  It was vile and disgusting.  She also found hairballs in the bathroom (trust me, you’ll thank us for not giving complete details).

I walked back to the lobby and told all of this to the clerk.  She offered to have the room cleaned.  I insisted on a new room.

When we got to the second room we swiped the card and the light turned green but the door was still locked.  We couldn’t get it.  I went back to the front desk.  They said that they would have maintenance come right over and fix whatever problems we had.  By the time I had gotten back one of the house maids had opened the door for Deborah.  It seems the handle turned UP instead of the usual DOWN.  Seriously?!

The second room was almost as disgusting as the first one.  It was time to find a new hotel.  We went back to the lobby and told the clerk.  Once again she offered to have the room cleaned.  We said we were leaving and wanted a refund.  Our request was denied.  I asked to speak to the manager.  We were told that the manager had just gone out.  We told the clerk to call the manager on her cell phone but she said that she couldn’t do that.

We went back to our car and found another hotel.  Once there I put in a call to booking.com.  Generally these types of aggregating services (booking.com, hotels.com, AirBNB, etc.) are great unless something goes wrong and you need help.  It’s very difficult to get someone on the line and impossible to get them to take any sort of action.

Like previous times we’re called booking.com we waited about 20 minutes before we got to speak to someone.  He listened to our story and said that we should hold while he tried to contact the hotel.  After an additional 30 minutes of waiting the call dropped.  It’s not clear which end dropped the call but we weren’t surprised; we’ve gotten cut off before any sort of resolution every time we’ve contacted booking.com in the past.  Since it was all a fait accompli we logged into our account and filed a complaint.  They’re supposed to get back to us without 48 hours.  Experience has shown that it will be closer to seven days and their response will be, “you should have called us right away, now there’s nothing we can do”.

We spent a couple of hours in our new hotel room resting and hoping not to get PTSD from what we’d seen. By 6:00 pm we decided to head out to a local restaurant called the West Texas Chophouse.  Their claim to fame is that they dry age all of their beef on site for 30 days.

(Meat and Taters)

We ordered two steaks which came with baked potatoes.  The quality of the meat was very good but they were not well prepared.  They came off of the grill quite charred and without any seasoning whatsoever.  The steaks lacked any real flavor.  For dessert we tried their tres leches and it too was simply ok.  Total cost: $61.27.

(Tres Leches)

 

Sunday, August 18

We had a free breakfast in the hotel lobby this morning.  They had eggs, bacon, potatoes, make your own fresh waffles and so much more.  Everything was great.  Fully fortified we set out to conquer the Missions of San Antonio.

In 1493 Pope Alexander VI gave the Americas to Spain on the condition that they turn the native peoples into Catholics.  During that period the Spanish created Franciscan Missions all along the southern region of the United States in order to indoctrinate the Native American populations.  Six missions were setup in San Antonio, one failed and five still exist.  The most famous mission is arguably The Alamo (at that time it was called the San Antonio Valero Mission).  The Alamo was actually a church.

The five missions together have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are US National Historical Parks.  We visited the Alamo first.  It was a very interesting visit.  Aside from the historical nature we learned a lot about Spanish history, the history of Mexico and the events that led up to Texas becoming part of the United States.  We love that, and the best part is that the cost of admission to all the missions is free!  Here’s a little history lesson…

When Spain assumed control of Mexico it was named New Spain.  Following the example of the American Revolution Mexico fought for and gained independence from Spain on September 16, 1810.  The country was founded as a Republic.  In 1833 General Santa Anna was elected president of Mexico.  In 1835 Santa Anna destroyed the Republic in favor of a new government where the power was consolidated in the capital.  That same year government forces were sent to San Antonio to retrieve a cannon.  The Texans dared them to, “Come and Get It”.  Some Texans favored a restoration of the Republic and some favored complete independence.  The first shots were fired from the Alamo on October 2, 1835 marking the start of the Texas Revolution.

On March 6, 1836 Santa Anna’s forces overcame the Alamo’s defenses.  In April 1836, forces lead by Sam Houston battled Santa Anna at San Jacinto.  Santa Anna was defeated and Texas gained her independence.  On December 29, 1845 The Republic of Texas was admitted to the Union as its 28th State.

Today The Alamo and its grounds are preserved as a museum.  Most of the buildings are undergoing restoration efforts.  You can visit the church and a building that contains a very nice museum.  Some of the outbuildings are still visible but cannot be visited.

(Mission San Antonio Valero / The Alamo)

The other four missions, Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan and Espada, are still operated by Franciscan Monks and still hold services.  The layouts of the missions are all different and are all distinctly beautiful.  There is a 16 mile walking/bicycle loop that will take you along the Riverwalk where you can stop at every mission.  We walked to The Alamo and drove to the other four.  We had a great time.

(Mission San Jose)

Our intention was to have a light lunch, go back to the hotel and rest for a while, before heading out to fully explore the touristy parts of Riverwalk.  To that end we stopped at another place that we’d never been to before: The Golden Chick.

As you may suspect they specialize in chicken.  We ordered four chicken strips (two regular and two spicy) and a drink.  It came with a side (we chose potato salad) and a roll.  We’re not sure if they made a mistake or not but we got six chicken strips.  The food was ok but nothing special at all.  There was a very interesting surprise however – wait for it – they have a soft service ice cream machine near the soda fountain that said, “free ice cream”.  I don’t know if all their locations do that but we were delighted.  They even supply cones.  The ice cream was not particularly good and had the consistency of ice milk.  Still, on a hot day after walking five different missions, it was very refreshing.  Total cost: $7.78.

A small aside: We have SPRINT as our wireless carrier.  We’ve had very good service in Las Vegas but since we’ve been traveling the service has been spotty.  We noticed that the service in Florida was really poor and it has continued to be poor all along Route 10.  Even in the larger cities like New Orleans and San Antonio the service has been wanting.  If you plan to live or travel in this part of the country we suggest you investigate other carriers.  Why do we have SPRINT?  Because we got one year of service for the both of us for free!  This in an unadvertised special that is available intermittently during the year.  Check it out: SPRINT Free For One Year.  Caveat Emptor!

This evening we walked most of the commercialized portion of the Riverwalk.  Last night the restaurants were bustling with activity.  This evening, Sunday, many of the malls closed at 6:00 pm but the stores and restaurants along the waterfront were open for business.  We had a pizza for dinner and then splurged at Ghirardelli’s for a dessert consisting of ice cream sundaes.  We’ll be sorry to leave San Antonio.

(Riverwalk)

Saturday, August 17

We were sad to leave New Orleans this morning but were happy to have checked out of our hotel.  We won’t bore you with the VERY long list of issues we had while we were there but we will say this: Don’t ever stay at the Blake Hotel in New Orleans.  Well, if you’re really interested…

1. The Internet/WIFI was up and down for three days.  When it was actually working it was very slow.
2. There are no unused outlets to plug in your devices or charge your phones.  We unplugged a couple of lamps so we could use their sockets.
3. In three days we only saw someone at the front desk once.  If you stand there long enough someone will eventually interrupt their personal time to speak with you (one women made us wait while she finished eating her cookies).  It really doesn’t matter because they have no intention of being helpful anyway.
4. The air conditioner cooled the room but did not remove any of the humidity.  Imagine sleeping in damp sheets every night.
5. They do not offer self parking.  Their vallet parking is $45.00 per night plus taxes.

There’s more but I think we’ve made our point.  It’s a nice building and has the potential to be a nice hotel except for the really poor management.

The drive to San Antonio took 7.5 hours.  Along the way we stopped outside of Houston for lunch at another hamburger joint that we’d never been to before: Whataburger.  We ordered two cheeseburgers, fries and a sweet tea.  When we went to pay for our meal the clerk asked us if we had their app.  We said, “No, we’ve never been to a Whataburger before”.

While we were eating our food the clerk and the manager came over and performed a little ritual that they do for first timers.  They gave us paper hats, a souvenir plastic cup and a keychain – and a tote bag to carry all of our booty in. They took a picture of the two of us to hang on their wall too.  It was very amusing and we all had a big laugh.

We’re sorry to say that the food was nothing to brag about.  Their standard burger is a lot bigger than most other fast food places but other than that there was nothing special about it.  Their fries were the typical pre-cut, frozen potatoes you can find just about anywhere.  At $9.50 the price was very reasonable but it’s unlikely that we’ll go out or our way to stop in at one of these again.  Their menu does include shakes and malteds but we didn’t try them.

(Newbies at Whataburger)

When we got to our new hotel it wasn’t obvious where the parking was.  Deborah went in to ask about it and the clerk came out to the sidewalk and personally directed us where we should go.  Now that’s service.  He also had some helpful suggestions about things in the neighborhood including a nearby museum that had information about the Alamo that was no longer onsite at the mission.  We already had a somewhat full day planned for tomorrow so we rushed over there so we could see it before it closed at 5:00 pm.

The Briscoe Western Art Museum has three levels and an annex in a nearby building.  We had 1.5 hours to see the entire thing.  We immediately headed to the third floor to see the artifacts from the Alamo.  There really wasn’t much there but we did enjoy seeing Roy Rogers and Poncho Villa’s saddles.  They also had one of Santa Anna’s sword.

Most of the rest of the museum were paintings about the old West.  There was a rare folio of colored plates on display depicting scenes of Indian life by Catlin North.  It was a treat to see the beautiful renderings and a rare opportunity to see all 30 of them in a single room.  They also had full sized reproductions of a stage coach and a chuck wagon as well a several Remington drawings and one of his bronzes.

(Plate by Catlin North, 1844)

It was a very nice museum and we managed to get through all of it and the gift shop, before closing.  Admission costs $10.00 per person.  Credit cards are accepted.

By now we were ready for dinner.  This was the third city we’d been to in Texas on this trip and we still had yet to have a steak.  Now seemed like a good time.  We scoured the listings for interesting spots that were not too costly and came up with a couple of candidates that were a short drive from town.  We definitely didn’t want to eat in any chain restaurant.  The clerk at the hotel had recommended a place in town called Little Rhein.  The menu looked nice it wouldn’t break the bank so we walked over there.

The menu included a summer special: a four once fillet mignon paired with a six once Maine lobster tail.  That came with a choice of baked potato, potato au gratin or french fries.  We both opted for the special and both ordered the baked potato.  We also ordered steamed asparagus, bearnaise sauce and horseradish sauces for the steaks.

(Surf and Turf at Little Rhein)

The steaks were tender, delicious and perfectly cooked.  Grilled lobster tail can often be dry but these weren’t.  They were even better when dipped in the provided clarified butter.  The huge baked potatoes had been baked and then perfectly finished on the grill.  They were dressed at the table with buffer, chives, sour cream, cheese and homemade bacon bits.  It was a great meal.  At just over $114.00 it was a bit pricey but it was worth every penny.

(Riverwalk Boat Ride)

Our last activity of the day was to take a boat ride along Riverwalk.  Started in 1929 and taking ten years to build Riverwalk is a 15 mile long circular canal that was intended to foster development and prevent flooding of the downtown area.  It was funded by the WPA during the New Deal.  It was revitalized in the 1950s and is now a popular tourist destination with many upscale shops, hotels and restaurants.  There are several companies that provided narrated tours of the canal.  The boats hold about 40 people and are powered by quiet, clean electric motors.  It’s a lovely and romantic way to experience the town.  The boats are not covered so we recommend that you go after sunset.

(Riverwalk)

Fun Fact: Riverwalk has been featured in more than 70 films including Miss Congeniality, Ace Ventura Pet Detective and, of course, The Alamo.

Thursday, August 15

For breakfast we headed over to a place that Google said had good reviews and reasonable prices called the Commerce Restaurant.  It’s a small place where locals tend to eat on their way to work.  The menu is rather small.  We ordered eggs.  They came with grits and toast / biscuits.  The food was simple and tasty, the service was good and the prices were reasonable.  Even the coffee was good.  Total cost: $13.25.  Credit cards are accepted.

Our first destination for the day was the so-called Degas House.  We learned that Edward Degas, the famous French Impressionist, lived in New Orleans from October 1872 until March 1873.  Degas had not yet achieved fame as an artist and accepted an invitation from his uncle in order to get some new perspectives.  During his time in New Orleans he created 18 paintings.  Most were family portraits or scenes about the offices of his family’s cotton business.

The tour starts with a showing of a 30 minute piece that was produced by PBS on the subject.  Afterwards a guide takes you on a tour of the neighboring house.  Today there are two houses next to one another but in those days it was a single house.  In the late 1800s a real estate developer split the house in half and moved on half to the adjacent lot.  The museum now owns both houses.  The tour concludes in the first house with a look at the room that Edward stayed in and used as a studio when he visited.  The houses are in the process of being restored.  None of the artifacts or artwork is original.  The houses are also used as a bed and breakfast and breakfast is available to the general public.  The tour focused on the Degas family, their life and their business enterprises. It was not a lecture on art per se.  Still, it was very interesting and worthwhile.

(Half of the Degas House)

Visiting the museum costs $29.00 (we got a Groupon for $25.00) and the museum and breakfast together costs $50.00 per person.  Reservations are required.

For lunch we walked to a restaurant called Dooky Chase’s.  Leah Chase, the chef and owner who was known as the Queen of Creole, is a notable figure.  She was an icon in the civil rights movements.  The restaurant was one of the few that allowed race mixing, which was illegal at that time.  Leah Chase remained an active participant in the restaurant until her death on June 1, 2019 at the age of 96.

There is a buffet that has fried chicken, baked chicken, spicy sausage, a small salad bar and some side dishes.  If you want any of the seafood dishes you have to order off the menu so we ordered one buffet and one shrimp creole.  Each dish was about $20.00.  It’s probably sacrilege to say it but the food just wasn’t very tasty.  We even tried the peach cobbler and the praline bread pudding for dessert.  Neither were worth the calories.  The one item that was actually quite good was the carrot soufflé from the buffet.  Total cost: $46.72.  Credit cards are accepted.

By the end of lunch we had had enough of walking in the heat so we took an Uber over to the Museum of Art.  It’s a three story building that’s about three miles Northwest of the French Quarter; it abuts City Park.

The first two floors contain mainly paintings.  They start at the Renaissance and move through to the mid 19th Century.  There are some very nice works on display.  The third floor contains works from the modern era as well as a wide array of items from different parts of the world.  The section on African masks and ritual items was particularly interesting.  Cost of entry was $15.00 per person.  Credit cards are accepted.

Fun Fact: The museum acquired one of the paintings that Degas completed during his stay in New Orleans.  It is on permanent exhibit at the museum.

(Portrait of Estelle Musson Degas by Degas, 1872)

The park outside the museum contains an enormous sculpture garden that is laid out across manicured paths and running water.  Because it was so hot and we were getting tired we saw only a small part of the park, but the part we saw, was really interesting.  We will definitely have to come back someday and see the entire thing.  Cost of entry: Free!

When we got back to our hotel room we found that there was nowhere to plug in our phones or computer.  The base of the lamps had a plug in the morning but it was no longer there.  Had they changed the lamps in our room while we were out?  I called down to the front desk…

Me: Is it possible you changed the lamps while we were out today?

Clerk: Yes, we’re upgrading the furnishing in all of our rooms.

Me: Now there aren’t any places to plug in our phones?

Clerk: (silence)

Me: Can you bring us an extension cord?

Clerk: We don’t have any extension cords.

Me: What are we supposed to do?

Clerk: (silence)

Me: (Hanging up the phone as loudly as possible)

In the end we unplugged some of the lamps in order to use those sockets.  Unbelievable!

Friday, August 16

Google helped us find yet another interesting place for breakfast.  This place, P&G Restaurant, was very similar to the place we tried yesterday.  We ordered the same thing.  Total cost: $15.58.

We killed a little time by walking around the French Quarter until the clock struck 9:15 am.  Then we met a free walking tour that would take us on a tour of the most famous cemetery in New Orleans: Saint Louis #1.

The cemetery was established in 1789 by a Spanish Land Grant.  Originally the space was outside of the city limits and was at least twice the size it is today.  Over the years, as the city expanded and the land became more valuable, the size was cut down and many of the bodies were relocated.  Today there are walls around the perimeter and it’s administered by the Catholic Dioceses.  It’s still an active cemetery and, for the right price, existing burials can be relocated so you can be buried alongside some very famous people…

• Marie Laveau.  Welll known voodoo queen from the 19th Century.
• Paul Morphy.  Recognized as the first world chess champion.
• Nicholas Cage.  He purchased a space there and built a large monument in the shape of a pyramid.  He intends to be buried there some day.
• Homer Plessy.  The plaintiff in the famous supreme court case Plessy vs. Ferguson from 1896.
• The Musician’s Tomb where many of the founders of the blues and jazz are interred.
• And so many others

Our guide had some interesting ideas about where to have lunch.  We had intended to eat at Emeril’s NOLA but opted instead for a place we’d never been to before: a very famous French restaurant named Antoine’s.  Normally Antoine’s would be a lot more than we’d be willing to spend but she said that they had a lunch special so we went to investigate.

The menu in front of the place said that you could have a three course lunch for $20.19 and that the cocktail of the day was just $0.25.  Sold!  We were shown to a very nice table, were served warm bread and butter and ordered.  Deborah had the charred oysters, fried chicken and praline bread budding.  I had the charred oysters, shrimp creole and key lime tart.  The cocktail of the day was a lemon drop martini.  The menu said we could order a maximum of three and, over the course of the meal, we did exactly that.

Fun Fact: Antoine’s is the restaurant that invented Oysters Rockefeller.

The oysters were large and plump.  We’re not fond of raw/undercooked seafood but these were done to perfection.  Served on the half shell they had been charred in a salamander along with butter, garlic, parsley and parmigiana cheese.  We each got three and savored them.  We even used the bread to mop up anything left over in the shells.  They were absolutely delicious.

(Charred Oysters)

Next up were the main courses.  The fried chicken had been deboned and came with macaroni and cheese and collard greens.  The chicken was very good and the greens were terrific.  The shrimp were nice and tender and the creole sauce was just what a creole sauce should be.  It was served with popcorn rice, which is something local to the area.

The key lime torte was very good but the praline bread pudding was the perfect end to an excellent meal.  According to the waiter they run this lunch special, with different menus, all year long except during Mardi Gras.  Total cost: $46.26 including six drinks!

We spent the rest of the day walking around the French Quarter.  The hotter we got the more time we spent in the shops.  On the way back to the hotel we picked up a grilled shrimp po’boy from Mother’s, a well known shop.  That was dinner – and it was very good too.

(The New Orleans Mindset)

Wednesday, August 14

It was just a short five hour drive from Panama City, Florida to New Orleans, Louisiana.  The price for gas was rather high in Panama City and since we still had 3/4 of a tank we opted to get gas along the way.  The price of gas in Sarasota was pretty reasonable.  We had our choice of no-name stations at $2.21 per gallon.  Other stations were about five to ten cents higher and prices were even higher down south near Naples.  Once we crossed into Alabama we were able to get gas generally at $2.21 and found it was even lower in Mississippi.

We arrived around 12:30 pm and drove straight to a restaurant we’d seen in Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.  The restaurant, called Bourrée at Boucherie, is located in an older house in a charming older neighborhood about five miles from downtown.  There’s really no parking on site but we managed to squeeze in somehow.  Trying to find a space on the street could have taken quite a while.

We ordered a shrimp po boy, fries cooked in beef fat (an option for $1.00 extra) and a sweet tea.  The shrimp was cooked in butter and spices before being stuffed into a fresh roll with spicy sauce.  The shrimp were delicious, and we preferred this preparation to the usual fried variety, but the sauce and the bread were unbelievably good.  The fries, made from fresh cut potatoes, were covered with a spicy rub.  They were simply the best fries we’ve ever eaten.  Even the sweet tea was excellent.  The total was $20.89.  We’d definitely go there again.

(Shrimp Po Boy)

When we arrived at our hotel we were informed that they had no self parking.  The only option was vallet – and it cost $45.00 per night.  The closest public garage was blocks away and cost almost as much so we grudgingly opted for the vallet service.  Ouch!

After settling in we walked down to the Riverwalk.  The last time the two of us were in New Orleans was in 1996 – before hurricane Katrina caused all of that damage.  We were anxious to see how things had been rebuilt.  We remembered Riverwalk as a fun place with eclectic shops and huge panes of glass overlooking the river.  That no longer exists.  What stands in its place is an outlet center with low end shops and almost no view.  It was very disappointing.

Next we walked over to Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter.  The cafe has been in existence since 1862 and is well known for its beignets and chicory coffee.  The powdered sugar from the beignets gets everywhere and makes the tables and chairs quite sticky.  The waiters do their best to keep things tidy but it’s an uphill fight.  Deborah hunted around until she found an acceptable table and before we sat down the waiter was asking for our order.  Beignets come three to an order so we ordered just one.  We also got a large iced coffee and two glasses of plain water.  It was really hot and we needed the water (why do we always seem to come to New Orleans in August?!!!).

(Beignet at Cafe Du Monde)

The little french donuts never disappoint and the coffee was quite good.  Some people don’t like the chicory but I thought it added an exotic flavor.  Interestingly, chicory was first added to the coffee during the civil war when coffee beans were scarce.  It was a way of adding flavor to beans that were not first quality.  It became a tradition at Cafe Du Monde and they’ve been doing it ever since.

The cafe is just across the street from Jackson Square.  The middle of the square boasts a large statue of Andrew Jackson sitting on a horse.  Jackson is popular there because he won the Battle of New Orleans during the Revolutionary War.  He was president during the time of the Louisiana Purchase and the agreement was actually signed in that very square.

Fun Fact: We just visited Andrew Jackson’s house, The Hermitage, on our way through Nashville.

(Jackson Square)

Finally, we turned down the very famous Bourbon Street.  New York City boasts nothing as crazy as Bourbon Street in New Orleans.  It’s fun just to walk the area.  Hot and tired we finally got back to our hotel for a much needed rest and shower.  It’s going to be hot and humid for the next few days.

Monday, August 12

Yes, we already blogged about this day but a couple of interesting things happened afterwards.  When we returned to the hotel after dinner we found that there was no water.  When we enquired at 6:00 pm we were told that it would be back by 6:30 pm.  At 7:00 pm, when there was no water, we were told that it would be back in five minutes.  It wasn’t.  Thirty minutes later  someone knocked on our door and said it was now back.  It wasn’t.  At 8:00 pm someone came to our door with a new room key.  It seems that the water was back on in some rooms but ours was not one of them.  Since we’re always in traveling mode it took us just a couple of minutes pack up and move.  Our new room was a suite, complete with a full kitchen.  It’s a shame they didn’t have water problems the day we arrived.

We intended to stay a few more days in Sarasota but since we’d accomplished everything we wanted to we decided to leave tomorrow.  This meant rearranging a few of our hotel reservations.  We found an even cheaper place in Panama City so we cancelled the original reservation and booked another place.  We also extended our reservation in New Orleans from one to three days.  The rest of the trip could stay as planned.

By this time it was rather late so Deborah didn’t get a chance to wash her hair.  We should have time tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 13

This morning, as Deborah was getting ready, I intended to do some route planning.  I found the email with the new hotel’s address and clicked on it expecting the map to come up with the hotel highlighted.  The map came up but there was no hotel, “Address Unknown”.  I hunted and pecked for a few minutes before I realized that we’d reserved a hotel in Panama City, Panama instead of Panama City, Florida.  Oops!  What was worse is that it was past time when we could cancel without paying for the room.  I sent the hotel a message telling them of my mistake and they graciously cancelled the room at no charge.  I’ll bet that’s not the first time that’s happened.

Along the way from Sarasota we stopped at a Steak and Shake.  We’d never been to one before and were anxious to complete our survey of hamburger joints purporting to have the best shakes.  Our survey includes Five Guys, Freddie’s, Culver’s and Steak and Shake.

I ordered a garlic burger and Deborah ordered a Cajun burger.  Both were made from fresh beef and had been smashed and cooked on a flat top.   Each cost $3.99 and came with a large portion of skinny fries.  The burgers were excellent and the fries were very tasty.  Our main complaint would be that both were incredibly salty.  We also shared a chocolate malted.  It was overwhelmingly sweet.  For our money Five Guys and Culvers have, by far, the best shakes / ice cream products.

(Steak and Shake Burger and Fries)

After checking into our hotel we drove across the bridge into the town of Panama City Beach.  It’s a long, narrow piece of land that parallels the mainland for many miles.  It’s a typical tourist area with large condos right on the beach and many seafood and fishing themed stores and restaurants.  The beach itself, is rather wide and clean and composed of fine white sand.  We went into one of the larger condo complexes and took a flyer showing units for sale.  A 1,000 square foot 2 bedroom / 2 bath unit (that’s pretty small) was selling for about $300,000 – and that didn’t include a garage.  There was no mention of taxes or HOA either.  Ouch!  It’s clear that most of these apartments are rented out in the season.  Still, if you ever wanted to live on the beach, this would be a place to consider.

We drove along the water and went from town to town.  Eventually, we decided to find something for dinner.  Happily we were just blocks from a place called Buddy’s Seafood Market.  It’s fish market with raw and freshly prepared local seafood.  We picked some large gulf shrimp.  They were steamed before our eyes and finished with hot sauce, shrimp boil (think Old Bay) and lemon.  They were also served with scallions and red onion.  The shrimp were fresh and delicious.  We might go back again for breakfast 😜.  We also got a couple of pieces of homemade key lime pie for dessert.  The pie was just average.  Total cost: $30.13.

(Boiled Shrimp from Buddy’s)

Monday, August 12

On our last day in Sarasota we took a break from house hunting and decided to do something completely different.  We went to the Ringling Museum.  The Ringling Brothers, whose famous circus was known the world over, were based out of Sarasota.  John Ringling and his wife, Mable, had 60 acres near the water with a large Venetian style  mansion set on parklike grounds and beautiful gardens with trails lined with statuary.  Also on the grounds was a large Palazzo style building that was filled with art that they collected in the 1930s.  Upon their death the entire compound was willed to the people of Florida.  Today it is a popular tourist destination.

(Venetian Style Mansion)

The grounds are open to the public but if you want to see the museum that will cost you $25.00 per person.  Want to see the mansion too?  The first floor will cost you an additional $10.00 and the second floor another $10.00.  For some unknown reason the museum was free today so we opted to see the museum, which includes a separate display on glass art.

The grounds are a wonderful place to stroll.  Many of the exotic trees are labeled.  We particularly enjoyed seeing the huge, sprawling Banyon Trees.  Many of the statues on the grounds seemed familiar so we assumed that they were copies of famous sculptures.

The museum started with a special exhibition on Indian textiles.  The displays ranged from ancient cloth making and included examples of how modern designers are trying to keep the ancient craft alive in today’s mechanized world.  There were many videos on how patterns and decorations were laboriously produced by hand.  It was all very interesting.

The permanent collection starts with early Renaissance works.  Each room showcases later and later periods until the middle 1800s.  At the end was another special exhibition.  This time they were showcasing modern works by a Canadian artist.

The most interesting display was a great hall filled with huge paintings by Peter Paul Rubens.  He was said to have done 12 paintings in support of the Eucharist during the time of the Reformation.  Only seven of those paintings are still known to exist and five were on display in the museum.  They were magnificent works.

(The Four Evangelists by Rubens, 1628)

Sunday, August 4

We arrived in Cornelius, NC (just outside of Charlotte) and were welcomed in to the home of Deborah’s Aunt and Uncle.  Also on hand were her first cousin and her daughter.  We’d seen her Aunt and Uncle before we left for Europe but hadn’t seen the others in many years.  It was a nice reunion.

(L to R: Deborah, Her Aunt, Uncle, Cousin and Cousin)

We had a wonderful home-cooked dinner and talked about what everyone had been up to.  It was fun to get caught up and hear all of the stories we’d missed  while traveling.

Monday, August 5

We were treated to a whirlwind tour of Cornelius and the surrounding areas – and there was a lot to see.  We saw some high end neighborhoods built all along Lake Norman, walked in a beautiful park along a shady path alongside Lake Norman before heading into an outdoor shopping district in Birkdale.  We had lunch at one of the many restaurants and stopped in quite a few stores.  Kilwins Chocolate Shop seemed to be the most interesting based on how much money we spent there.

We left Birkdale and toured Davidson College and the area around the house before returning home.  It was a full day but we were glad to be back because we were a little tired and have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow.

For us this was a real treat and welcome break from long days of driving and fast food on the road.  Thanks for the hospitality!

Tuesday, August 6

It was a long and mostly boring drive from Charlotte to Sarasota.  In all we were on the road for 9.5 hours.  We stopped for lunch near Savanna and ate at a place that we’d never heard of before called Culvers.  Their claim to fame is that they sell Butter Burgers.  Butter Burgers are normally cooked in butter and often finished with butter but these just had buns that were buttered and grilled.  Still they were quite good.  The chain also makes custard and we each tried one.  Deborah’s was a vanilla custard with peanut swirled in and mine was a chocolate with marshmallow creme.  Both were excellent.

Saturday, August 3

Our big problem this morning was trying to figure out where to eat breakfast.  There’s a Waffle House right next door and a Cracker Barrel just across the street.  Such problems!

After breakfast at Waffle House we headed to The Hermitage, the home of President Andrew Jackson.  We got tickets for the General’s Tour, which included everything but the horse drawn carriage based tour of the grounds (we walked).  Tickets were $22.00 per person.  This includes an audio guide.

The tour starts in a modern building where you can sit through a 20 minute introductory film.  That leads to a museum that has displays about his entire life including his participation in the Revolutionary War at the age of 13, his military career, his purchase and transformation of the property, his life in State and National politics as well as his controversial marriage to his wife Rachel (when they married Rachel was not yet legally divorced from her first husband – a controversy that his political opponents brought to the fore whenever possible).

The house is about a quarter of a mile away.  All along the way there are places to stop and listen to a description of how the plantation would have appeared when he was in residence.  Guides take you through the house, explain the functions of the various rooms and answer all of your questions.  Virtually the entire house can be seen.  Apparently there are more original artifacts in this house than in Mount Vernon and Monticello combined.

Outside you can see the outbuildings with the assistance of the audio guides.  The audio guide will also take you along a paved walkway to some of the other buildings of interest including the original, wooden house, the pump house and slaves quarters.

(Andrew and Rachel’s Tombs in the Garden)

We watched two demonstrations.  One was a description of how Jackson raced horses and one was about how duels were fought.  Both were interesting and intended to illustrate how things were done in the 19th Century.

As usual we took our time, read every sign, toured every building and saw everything there was to see.  We spent a little over four hours in the process and had a great time.  My one regret is that the house is positioned in such a way that it’s impossible to get a decent photograph of the beautiful, Greek Revival exterior.

Our next stop was at the Parthenon!?  Yes, there is a full sized replica of the Parthenon here in Nashville, TN.  It was originally built in 1897 in celebration of Nashville’s centenary (Nashville at that time considered itself to be a very cultural place and was nicknamed the Athens of the South) and is the centerpiece of Centennial Park.  The building has sustained damage over the years and has been heavily reconstructed several times.  Today the building serves as an art museum.  Entry costs $6.00 per person.  Having been in Athens recently we were really excited to see this building.

(The Nashville Parthenon)

In order to save money the exterior was made from a brown-ish cement rather than white marble.  It was said that the brown color matches the color of aged marble, but that’s going a little too far.  The pediments and friezes have all been reconstructed to look as the building would have when it was new (no one knows exactly what it looked like but there are many written accounts of its appearance).

You enter into the basement level through the East portico.  There is a display about the centennial celebration and how the building was used.  As you go further into the building there is an art collection.  Most of the artists were Americans and the works date from the early 1900s until the present.  Only a few of the works were interesting so we went through this part of the building rather quickly.  The works were lit directly with harsh lights that made photography very difficult.

Next we followed the staircase upstairs to the ground level, entered a large chamber and came face-to-face with a full sized reproduction of Phidias’ Athena Parthenos.  The original has been lost to time but there was an almost contemporary model in the Archeological Museum in Athens.  We compared our photo to the version on display; it was a very high quality copy.  As in the original Parthenon there was a room behind the statue.  In antiquity only the priests would have been allowed inside.  The museum had a large display of both the East and West Pediments and copies of the actual pieces known to exist.

(Athena Parthenos)

The rest of the park contains a pond frequented by ducks, a nice commemorative display about how Tennessee cast the deciding vote for Women’s Suffrage and some other statues.  It’s a nice place to spend some time walking around on a sunny day.

A few interesting things to note…

1. The motel where we are currently staying made up our room this afternoon.
2. The Check Engine Light in our car went off.