A Journey round the Southern USA and two Caribbean Islands Feb-March 2019 First we visited our last two Caribbean countries, Cayman Islands and Jamaica, so we have been to every country and colony in the Caribbean (but not every single island!) Then we drove up the U.S. east coast through Georgia to Charleston in South Carolina, west through the Smoky Mountains to Memphis Tennessee and down the Mississippi to New Orleans. Sun 24 Feb. Our flight to Miami all went very smoothly and we arrived early, although that meant we had to queue up for an arrival gate. The flight was half-empty so we were able to spread out across several seats; ironically, after Sheila was so concerned that we should get seats together, she immediately moved to a row of four empty seats and sat over at the other side so she could stretch out. In the airport a cleaner very kindly rang Monty at the Airbnb for us (because we don't have an American SIM in the phone) and Monty very kindly came to pick us up and took us to his comfortable BnB not far from the airport. Cayman Islands Mon 25th. After storing our luggage for us Monty very kindly gave us a lift back to the airport and we spent the next several days with just one carry-on, fold-away bag each. We had a pleasant short flight to Grand Cayman where we found ourselves well and truly back in the sunny, laid-back Caribbean. We got a taxi to Sirjana and Shiva's house where we stayed in their roomy, bright, comfortable Airbnb room and chatted about Kathmandu where they were originally from. About 4pm we strolled into the centre of Georgetown to have a look round and saw the last of the day's cruise ships departing, which meant that the shops were closing and the town was shutting down! It seemed very similar to Nassau, Bahamas, which does the same thing, even to the extent of having a branch of Sharkeez bar, but this one was in the process of closing when we got there. There were some restaurants and bars staying open though and we had a nice couple of drinks and a tasty sandwich at Margueritaland, upstairs looking out over the waterfront as the sun set, before that one closed too at 7pm. Tues 26th. There seem to be a flock of chickens and cockerels roaming the streets - we even saw one crossing the road in the town yesterday (there must be a joke in that) - and they all chose to start crowing underneath our window from about 3am onwards this morning. Apparently they had gained their freedom when a hurricane destroyed their cages and now roam at will all over the island. At about 9am, a more civilised hour, we walked into town and had eggs Benedict for breakfast at Sharkeez, but the muffins were rather stale. We had a look in Elmslie church, with a timber roof shaped like an upturned schooner hull, brightly coloured stained glass windows and sleek mahogany pews. Then we went to Hell and back: we went on the front seat with the driver in a local bus from the bus station up to West Bay for $2.50 each, where there is a little village called Hell with a post office where you can send a postcard from Hell. We intended to stop on the way back at Seven Mile Beach and walk along the beach looking at the shops and restaurants, but we learned on the outward journey that much of the beach is private and there is not much there other than big hotels, so we came straight back. After a quick bit of tax-free shopping (after the Cayman islanders rescued a royal passenger from a shipwreck in 1783 King George III decreed that the Caymans would never pay any tax) where Sheila bought yet another Longchamps bag to keep her happy (expensive but bright pink!) we went for a nice lunch of smoked Wahoo (fish) pate and a couple of draft Island Shore Bock beers at Bar Crudo. In the afternoon I went for a lengthy walk down South Church Road and had a cup of coffee. In the evening we went back to Bar Crudo for another drink, before we crossed the road to the Paradise restaurant to sit right beside the sea and have a fabulous meal of ceviche, lobster Thermidor and lobster and prawn penne pasta. Weds 27th. We were up and about early (for us) and got a bus at 9am, sitting with the driver for a more or less private tour, towards the other end of the island, through Bodden Town and Old Man Bay to Rum Point and Water Cay, the end of the road. Whereas our bus ride yesterday through Seven Mile Beach had been past a succession of hotels, today we went past a lot of very nice villas, which were all apparently owned by locals and rented out to foreigners. Rum Point was a nice little tourist spot and Water Cay was a beach with lovely warm sea scattered with starfish. We sat in the front with the bus driver who was Jamaican, and on the journey back he told us all the best things to do in Jamaica, particularly drink Red Stripe beer and eat jerk pork. This conversation made us hungry so when we arrived back in Georgetown just before 12:00 we went back to Bar Crudo for tasty fish and chips and fish sandwich, with coffee and Island Shore Bock beer. In the evening we repeated our routine of beers at Bar Crudo and wonderful lobster Thermidor at the Paradise as we watched the cruise ships sail into the sunset. Thurs 28th. We walked into town to have breakfast on the balcony at Lucky Slice pizza, watching the huge cruise ships come in until there were six of them lined up. Unfortunately the first thing that arriving passengers see is the only 'mountain' on the very flat Cayman islands - a huge rubbish dump that the locals have named 'Mount Trashmore'. Sheila had smoked salmon pancake which was delicious, I had eggs benedict on pancakes but the jury is still out on those. Jamaica We said goodbye to Sirjana and set off for a long day's travelling, flying back to Miami and on to Montego Bay where we arrived about 8pm. Immigration was very efficient and we only had hand luggage so we were second out of the airport, to meet Tyrone who was waiting for us to take us to Home Sweet Home, his Airbnb, and Deacon the driver who drove us there. Home Sweet Home was very nice but there were no shops or restaurants nearby so we had a cup of tea and called it a day. Fri 1st March. After boiled eggs for breakfast in our BnB we set off with Deacon for a tour of Montego Bay. We started in Sam Sharpe Square, the centre of town, where the 'cage' was used to hold drunks or errant slaves, then went to St James parish church, with nice stained glass and mahogany woodwork, and on to the Catholic church on a small hill just north of the town. We drove through the market but couldn't find anywhere to park. We went a couple of miles to the south of town to Bellefield Great House and gardens which was once the centre of a sugar plantation that covered most of the land which is now Montego Bay. A nice lady took us on a tour of the fascinating and historic house ($20 each) and pointed out all the interesting details. On the way back we went to Freeport which used to be a tax-free shopping centre but now seemed to be closed. We went for lunch at the Jerk Pit on Gloucester Avenue where jerk pork and chicken were barbecuing under a sheet of corrugated iron and had rather overcooked but tasty jerk pork with local Red Stripe beer and Dragon stout (Jamaica$5,000 = £30). After a drive back via the exclusive Westgate Hills district full of totally over-the-top houses we arrived back at the BnB for a rest. In the evening Deacon took us to the Chill Out Hut, a beach bar half way to Falmouth along the north coast, where a really good band was playing and we had a very pleasant couple of drinks and a meal listening to the excellent singers. Sat 2nd. After left-over jerk pork and boiled eggs (an interesting but surprisingly tasty breakfast) we went for another tour with Deacon. We drove to Falmouth and walked through the restored historic old town, avoiding the cruise ship crowds as much as possible, but found nothing to buy except fudge and a fridge magnet. We then drove inland and took a wrong turn, which took us for a pleasant drive alongside the Martha Brae river where people were drifting downstream on bamboo rafts through the jungle scenery. We retraced our steps and found the right road to the Good Hope estate, where there was not only another picturesque old wooden great house with wonderful views across the forested hills ... ... but also an adventure park with zip-wires and water chutes, and an aviary where you could be mobbed by canaries and parrots if you held out handfuls of seeds, but it was all very expensive (£49 even if you only wanted a tour of the house). While we were waiting the guide called out the people who had booked a quad-bike tour and they all seemed to have strange and exotic names like Shaneequa, Shambala, Tehanna, Twanissha, Kianna and Anavia. On the way back we stopped at Rose Hall, the biggest of the great houses, and had a look at the bar and a little museum behind it, but didn't go on the tour of the rest of the house. Johnny Cash had performed a concert here and owned a house nearby. In the evening we had a picnic in the room with a bottle of pink fizz we had bought in the supermarket at Falmouth. USA Florida - Miami and St. Augustine Sun 3rd. We were up early and had breakfast in the MoBay lounge at the airport (including Mimosa/Bucks Fizz for Sheila, the first of many), then flew to Miami. We picked up the hire car we had booked in the UK and set off to drive downtown. After getting lost several times we got the hang of it and drove through the downtown area and along MacArthur Causeway past rows of huge cruise ships to Miami Beach. We drove though the Art Deco area along Ocean Drive which was alive with weekend crowds enjoying the weekend sun and packing the bars and restaurants. There was nowhere to park unless you wanted to spend a fortune, so we drove up and down a bit more then navigated our way along Flagler Street back through the downtown area and through the suburbs back to Monty's Airbnb. After the briefest of unpacks we walked down the road to the Palomilla Grill, a Cuban restaurant that Monty recommended, and had delicious steak salad and a potent (for Sheila anyway) draft dark beer and nice red wine. Mon 4th. After breakfast in the kitchen at Monty's we drove down 8th street to the entrance to the I95 highway and headed north. Almost 300 miles later we arrived at St Augustine in north Florida about 3:30 and drove through the historic town and found the Kenwood Inn BnB, an historic wooden house built in the 1880s, where we stayed in a lovely room with a four-poster bed for $220 a night including all the various taxes (bed and breakfast is a lot more upmarket in the USA than in the UK). The sun had come out so we went for a stroll along pedestrianised St George street, full of historic old cafes and shops. We got back to the Kenwood Inn before 6pm in time for complimentary glasses of wine, then set out to have dinner at the extremely popular and crowded Harry's restaurant. Unfortunately it was now surrounded by fire engines and police cars with lights flashing and completely deserted due to a kitchen fire, so we rapidly changed plans and had a nice Greek meal at the Athena restaurant on Constitution Square. Tues 5th. We had a wonderful gourmet breakfast at the Kenwood Inn sitting round the elaborate dining table with the other guests. Florida advertises itself as the sunshine state but an unseasonable cold front had come in and it was bitterly cold and rainy. Nevertheless we set out for a sightseeing tour of the town. We went on the 10am tour of the former Ponce de Leon Hotel, now a college, which was extremely elaborate and expensive. Built in 1888 by Henry Flagler the railway magnate, the hotel used to be occupied by the rich and famous who paid the equivalent of $100,000 for four months' winter residence accompanied by their staff and butlers (whether they stayed for the four months or only a few days). After the tour we went to the Catholic cathedral, centre of the first parish in America, then had another look at the old shops and houses along the pedestrian street. Back at our hotel we had mid-afternoon sherry and freshly made peanut butter cookies. Luckily the sun had come out so we had a walk around the old residential part of town, saw the Oldest House and walked back along the sea front in time for the 5 to 7pm wine social at the hotel. Eventually we set out for dinner at Harry's seafood bar and grille and had delicious Cajun jambalaya and crawfish pie, listening to a good guitar and violin two-piece band playing the blues. Weds 6th. We had a wonderful breakfast of smoothies with rum followed by eggs Benedict at the Kenwood Inn, chatting with the other guests, and when we admired the wonderful fancy goldfish in the pond, Pat the owner told us how she used to have koi worth $20,000 but they all disappeared in a flood caused by a hurricane. We went for a quick look round the Lightner museum in the former spa built by Henry Flagler for his guests at the Ponce de Leon hotel, where the whole ground floor used to be the swimming pool. We had an even quicker look round the Father Miguel O'Reilly museum in a nice old wooden house in the old part of town. Then we set off along the A1A scenic byway coast road past interesting beachfront houses that seemed able to survive the storms, up to the border with Georgia where we rejoined the I95 highway and drove to Savannah (180 miles). Georgia - Savannah We stopped at the very helpful visitor information centre in the former railway station on the edge of the historic old town of Savannah and they suggested we stay at the Bed and Breakfast Inn on Chatham square where for $119 a night plus three different taxes we got a really nice 'cottage' with a kitchen and living room and a comfy upstairs bedroom and bathroom with a bath tub. We walked down Bull Street and found the Six Pence Pub where we had very tasty chicken pot pie and fish with scallops and prawns, with really nice locally-brewed brown beer and Cape Heights cab sauv red wine from South Africa. Back at the BnB we had coffee with hazelnut and choc chip cookies and went to bed. Thurs 7th. Breakfast at the Savannah BnB was very good, with fried eggs, bacon and sausage served up as we sat around the table with other residents. We went on the free Dot bus for a ride one and a half times round the town centre, then got off and started walking through the many pretty squares with oak trees hung with Spanish moss ... ... and visiting the historic houses that had survived the civil war because General Sherman was so impressed by Savannah's beauty. We started at the Andrew Low house which was really interesting and although it was quite a grand mansion, felt welcoming and homely - it was our favourite out of all the houses we visited on the holiday. From there we went to the Owens-Thomas house which was also interesting but we didn't take to it quite as much. We walked on to the Pink House which is now a restaurant, except that it has been closed since December because of a Christmas-tree fire. We went down past City Hall to River Road and watched the boats on the Savannah River, then had the day's special lunch of delicious pulled pork sandwich at a nearby tavern on Bay Street. We went back through the shopping district and past the Sorrell-Weed house to the Cathedral of St John the Baptist. Finally we walked past the Mercer-Williams House back to the BnB. In the evening we went to the Crystal bar a couple of blocks away and after waiting a while for a table because it was packed, we had a nice meal of Greek salad with shrimps and BLT with pepper-jack cheese. South Carolina - Beaufort, Charleston and Greenville Fri 8th. We drove out of Savannah, across the river into South Carolina and into Beaufort (pronounced locally Boo'ft). Beaufort has more picturesque old antebellum houses than Savannah or Charleston and for a couple of hours we strolled about in the sun admiring the picturesque wooden clapboard buildings and the pleasant waterfront. We drove on to Charleston (140 miles from Savannah) and it became quite stressful as we approached the big city and the traffic built up. All the hotels in the city centre were full or outrageously expensive (due to damn Brexit's effect on the exchange rate) so we eventually found the Best Western out by the airport (still nearly £100) and checked in. We got an Uber taxi to Market Street in the town centre and walked about down to the end of the peninsula, admiring the colourful and impressive houses until dark fell. Walking up Meeting Street, the main thoroughfare through the historic city, we found Days Inn in a superb central position, rather more expensive at $188 a night plus $17 for parking and the usual taxes (total about £177), but nevertheless we booked it for tomorrow night. There was a 'surge' on Uber which meant the prices were doubled so we went into the adjacent Toast restaurant and had their loss-leader jug of mimosa for $14 (a full bottle of champagne plus orange juice) with bar snacks of fried green tomatoes and special Charleston crab dip, which was delicious. By the time we'd finished the Uber prices had returned to normal and we went back to the Best Western. Sat 9th. For our £100 a night we had plastic knives and forks and plates and a very greasy breakfast. After breakfast we left the Best Western and drove downtown to the Days Inn. We were too early to check in so we went for a walk up King Street, the main shopping street and found that the food festival in Marion Square had long queues so we didn't go in, then past Marigault and Aitken-Rhett houses to the visitor information centre. We got one of the free shuttle buses from the adjacent bus stop but we got the wrong one, so we got off and walked back to Toast restaurant for lunch, having the same as last night, then checked into our room at Days Inn. We had very pleasant complimentary wine and nibbles in the hotel guest lounge but despite being full and tiddly we set off down Market Street to Sticky Fingers bbq grill and had very nice beef brisket and pulled pork with a local dark beer. Sun 10th. We went for the South Carolina plantation experience at McLeod Plantation near Charleston and had a tour of the house, gardens and slave quarters. Afterwards we set off and drove to Greenville (216 miles) on the way to the mountains, and went to the downtown area but couldn't find any hotels. Eventually we stayed in a nice converted garage Airbnb in the suburbs, and walked to a nearby mall to a Red Bowl Asian restaurant for a large and delicious meal with several glasses of wine for $67 including taxes. Mon 11th. We drove to downtown Greenville and parked in a parking garage, then walked down Main Street which had interesting old shops and buildings. At the bottom of the street was a bridge over the Reedy River which tumbled through a picturesque series of waterfalls and a nicely kept park. We had brunch at a café on Main Street then set off to drive along the pleasant Cherokee Foothills scenic highway until we picked up a freeway to Asheville (152 miles). North Carolina - Asheville and the Smoky Mountains After consulting the helpful staff at the visitor centre who had some special deals for hotels, we went and checked into the AC Marriott hotel in the middle of the downtown area for $159 a night plus more taxes (total about £140, we are starting to become desensitised to the prices here and forgetting how cheap it was in India), then went walking around looking for a restaurant to eat in. Eventually we found Mayfel's on Pritchard Park, a small square right in the centre of town, where the special Monday deal was half-price bottles of wine. We had delicious surf (lobster) and turf (steak) and alligator jambalaya, with bottles of prosecco and California red wine which we wisely didn't finish and struggled back to the hotel with. Tues 12th. After a bit of negotiation we stayed at the AC for another night at the same special rate, and spent the morning lounging around in the comfy hotel room on the 8th floor with a view of the town. We had a walk round following the Asheville Food brochure to check out restaurants for tonight. Back in the hotel Sheila had leftover kung pau chicken from the Red Bowl and I had a club sandwich from the 'underground' cafe across the square for lunch, with our leftover half-botttles of wine from last night's meal. Later I went for a pleasant walk round Asheville following the 'Urban Trail' and 'Architecture Trail' brochures. In the evening we went to the so-called 'Yacht Club', an interesting bar, for a pre-dinner drink of Green Man porters, then to the nearby locally-run Lobster Trap restaurant for absolutely delicious lobster carbonarra and salmon steak with mustard sauce. Weds 13th. We set off from Asheville and filled up with petrol for less than $30 - at last, something that seems really cheap to us, although the locals still complain about the price! After having a look round a huge supermarket we joined the Blue Ridge Parkway scenic route and had a pleasant drive through the Smoky Mountains, part of the Adirondack mountain chain. At the end of the parkway we drove through Cherokee, a run-down town with a huge casino at the center of the Cherokee reservation, and entered the Great Smoky Mountains national park and crossed the mountains into Tennessee. Tennessee - Gatlinburg and Chattanooga We came out of the mountains into Gatlinburg (130 miles), a tacky Blackpool-style holiday town with amusements, motels and mostly down-market restaurants which is perfect for big kids like Sheila. After driving up and down the strip we checked into a nice room at the Quality Inn Creekside, with a balcony almost overlooking the creek, then went for a walk along the strip. The first restaurant we fancied was closed and the second in the process of closing their balcony overlooking the street, but eventually we settled on Calhoun's restaurant and had a superb meal with a sausage and cheese platter for starter and ribs with smokey beans and coleslaw for main, with a huge glass of locally-brewed red beer (Sheila needed two hands to lift it!) and very nice glasses of Californian cab sauv. Thurs 14th. We drove out of Gatlinburg and through Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, two more tacky tourist strips with, unfortunately for them, a four-lane highway through the middle, and on via a couple of Interstates to Chattanooga (152 miles). Signs led us straight to the Choo-Choo, a hotel in the historic former railway station where we couldn't afford to stay when we passed through here 17 years ago. We stayed in one of the Pullman train cars in a spacious comfortable room that occupied a half of the train carriage, all that was missing was the clickety clack of the rails if the train had been able to move. It's still expensive, $220 inc tax and no breakfast, but we had to do it! We went for a ride downtown on the free shuttle bus and part of the way back until we got off at the Pickle Barrel, a bar-restaurant in an old flatiron-shaped building, where we had a late lunch of baked potato with a cup of chilli and a Po'Boy prawn and salad sandwich, washed down by pints of very nice locally-brewed stouts. By evening it was pouring with rain and because we'd had a late lunch we didn't go far for dinner, just a wander round the station and then a quick meal at the Frothy Monkey in the former ticket office. Fri 15th. It rained hard on the roof of our railway carriage overnight but it was sunny by the time we got up in the morning. We drove west out of Chattanooga on Interstate 24 which looped into Georgia (the second of four states today) and back, then we turned off onto route 72 into Alabama. Alabama We drove west past Henderson space research centre and stopped at a truck stop near Florence to fill up with petrol and had a tasty lunch of sausages and black-eyed peas. It was a well-equipped place where lorry drivers could chat with each other and even do their laundry. We continued until we suddenly saw the entrance to the Natchez Trace Parkway. Mississippi - Natchez Trace We followed the Natchez Trace Parkway into Mississippi for a pleasant drive through open countryside for an hour or so and turned off at French Camp 'pioneer settlement' where there was a bed and breakfast place in log cabins but they looked closed and there was no bar/restaurant. We drove across country through farming communities to I55 and followed it to Grenada where there was a cluster of motels and restaurants and chose to stay at the pleasant Econo Lodge for $85 inc tax, which was rather nice. We walked across the six-lane highway to the Kennel Club steak house where we had a delicious sausage and cheese platter starter and po'boy blackened ribeye steak sandwich, with nice Modelo dark beer and cab sauv wine, although it was rather expensive considering that it was more or less in the middle of nowhere ($9 plus lots of tax and service for a smallish glass of wine). Sat 16th. We had a look around a huge Walmart across the road from the motel, then drove north towards Memphis (477 miles from Chattanooga). Tennessee again - Memphis The satnav took us nicely to the Airbnb we had booked and we used the code we'd been given to open the gate and drive in. However, the second code which was supposed to open the door to the Pool House didn't work and with a phone call by the helpful next-door neighbour we eventually tracked down the nice lady who was looking after the house and she let us in and we settled into the nice, spacious two-storey detached apartment. The owners kindly left welcome wine for arriving guests so we had that with a box of salami and cheese slices we bought several days ago for lunch. After a walk (me) and some TV (Sheila) we set out in the evening and walked to a cluster of restaurants about a mile away and eventually chose the Soul Fish where we sat at the bar because all the tables were full (like most of the other restaurants) and had very nice blackened catfish salad and a bowl of spicy gumbo. Sun 17th. We drove south down Elvis Presley Boulevard to Graceland and took photos of the house over Elvis's garden wall. We went into downtown Memphis and were wondering where to park when we stopped in an empty parking meter slot and discovered that parking is free on Sundays which was handy. The historic Peabody Hotel was just round the corner so we went there and walked in just as the ducks were arriving in the lift! The Peabody has a family of tame ducks who live on the roof and every day they come down in the lift to swim in the fountain in the lobby until 5pm when they go back again. This has become a big tourist attraction and the place was packed. As we walked by the restaurant we saw that a huge buffet was set out for Sunday lunch and when they told us this included unlimited Mimosas (champagne and orange juice) for $49 each we were hooked. We spent the next three hours eating and drinking our way through the wonderful buffet. We thought we'd better have a bit of a walk after that so we walked over to Riverside Drive in the warm sunshine and looked at the Mississippi river and the paddle steamers, although none of them seemed to be going anywhere. We walked along a block and up Beale Street where three blocks were cordoned off as a pedestrian area full of restaurants and blues bars, and we stopped to watch the live blues bands at a couple of the places. Eventually we drove back to the Airbnb for a rest and a cup of tea. Arkansas Mon 18th. We drove round Memphis city and across the Mississippi and its flood plain on a long bridge. We drove through dead flat farmland and filled up with petrol near Helena. Then we crossed the Mississippi again by another big long bridge into Mississippi state. Mississippi again - The Blues Highway; Clarksdale, Vicksburg and Natchez We drove down the Blues Highway, Route 61, to Clarkesdale (133 miles) and stopped for a nice lunch at Yazoo bistro/diner, about the only place to eat in town. We had a walk round and saw Ground Zero, the most famous blues bar, then back to route 61 at the Devil's Crossroads where guitarist Robert Johnson is reputed to have sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for musical talent. We drove on down the Blues Highway through the unendingly flat and extensively flooded Mississippi delta to Vicksburg (153 miles) where we stayed at Duff Green mansion, a lovely antebellum house with big historic rooms and wrought iron balconies, and found it was time for complimentary wine and cheese in the lavishly furnished dining room, which we took out to the rocking chairs on the balcony. After a couple of glasses we strolled down the hill to Washington Avenue to see the sunset over the Mississippi river then had a nice pizza at Cottonwood public house, which seemed to be the only place open on a Monday night. Tues 19th. Before we left Duff Green mansion, Harley the owner gave us a tour of the house and its history including how it survived the Civil War siege by serving as a hospital. Vicksburg was the site of a decisive battle in the Civil War so after breakfast we went for a drive round the extensive and well-documented battlefield. We set off down route 61 again for the two-hour drive to Natchez (92 miles), another town on an escarpment overlooking the huge and badly flooded Mississippi river. The helpful visitors' centre gave us a map and we drove around the downtown area then stopped at the Pig Out Inn for a cheap and cheerful pulled brisket sandwich and spicy sausage sandwich, with bbq beans and curly fries. We went and checked into our Airbnb at the Joseph Newman Stone house, built c.1850, where Joe the friendly current owner and descendant of the Stone family gave us a quick tour and showed us our elaborately-furnished Victorian room. Sheila had a post-lunch snooze while I walked round the town looking at all the nicely-kept antebellum houses and looking for dining possibilities for tonight. When we set off about 6:30 we walked down Washington and Pearl streets past an endless succession of the finest historic old houses. Then we finished up at Biscuits and Blues bar/restaurant on Main Street where blues music was gently playing in the background and we had a very nice meal of starters: crab stuffed jalapeno fritters, corn and shrimp fritters with ranch dressing and tartare sauce, and seafood chowder, washed down with very nice Yuenling beer and Redwood Creek Californian cab sauv. Weds 20th. After a lovely breakfast at Stone House we drove to Lansdowne House set in lovely gardens to the north of town but it seemed to be closed. So we drove round to Longwood House to the south and went on the tour of the octagonal house which had been deliberately left unfinished, and it was fascinating. We got back to Stone House in time for the recital, where Joe entertained a group of people from a riverboat cruise to a piano recital, a tour of the house and a glass of champagne. After a short rest we had a quick drive to a liquor store and Walmart for Sheila to complete her shopping requirements (mainly gardening tools and headache pills for hangovers!), then we left the car and walked into town for a pub crawl. We had a look at the Corner Bar where it was steak night and marked it as a possible, then walked along Broadway to Smoots Grocery Blues lounge, a bar we liked very much and had a beer, but there was no live music until the weekend. We went down Silver Street to Under-the-Hill Saloon, the oldest bar on the Mississippi river, and had a beer there chatting to the other customers, then as we were struggling back up the very steep hill a nice man offered us a lift to the top in his pickup truck which was a great relief. We went to Cotton Alley Café on the main street for delicious jambalaya carbonara with another beer. Thurs 21st. We had another very nice breakfast and a chat with Joe (and Precious his dog) at Stone House, then set off driving north then east then south towards New Orleans (209 miles). Louisiana - New Orleans After crossing into Louisiana state we didn't go directly to New Orleans but diverted to pay the $5 toll to cross the longest bridge in the world, 24 miles across Lake Pontchartrain. That brought us into New Orleans city and with a bit of hindrance from the satnav we found Jeb and Scott's attractive and well-equipped Airbnb on Ursulines Street on the edge of the French Quarter. After getting sorted out we walked down to the famous, noisy, bustling, seedy Bourbon Street and had a drink in a bar listening to a jazz band playing and watching the street entertainers and exotic passers-by. We walked about a bit more then stopped for a typical Louisiana meal at Café Pontalba on the corner of Jackson Square - jambalaya, crawfish pie and gumbo, but it wasn't the best. Fri 22nd. We walked down Ursulines Street and had a look at the Royal Pharmacy (an old-style pharmacy and soda fountain with shelves of old bottles and 1950s-style materials) and the Beauregard-Keyes House along the way. We went along Royal Street (next to, but much more genteel than Bourbon Street) where we looked at the historic Cornstalk Hotel. We went down Pirate's Alley past St Anthony's garden and had a look in St Louis cathedral. We crossed Jackson Square intending to go into the famous Café du Monde but there was an enormous queue, so we went towards the French Market and stopped for brunch at the Market Café with a gentle jazz band playing and had a large tasty muffuletta sandwich packed with ham, salami, cheese and olive salad. We walked along Frenchman Street, another place full of music bars and restaurants but not as over-the-top as Bourbon Street, then walked back through the squares to Bienville Street to look at the various famous Arnaud's restaurants but they were all closed. Back at the BnB we picked up the car and took it to the airport to return it (about 2,400 miles in total), then came back to town with a taxi driver who knew all the shortcuts and took half the time. He dropped us in Canal Street where we got the St Charles streetcar (tram) through the downtown business district and out to the garden district, a leafy suburb full of expensive houses, to the end of the line and back. By now it was dark and Bourbon Street was well and truly over the top, with all sorts of street performers and fascinating passers-by to entertain us, so we walked around a while then returned to our BnB to have dinner of leftover meals from three different restaurants on our travels, with the bottle of champagne we bought at the liquor store in Natchez. Sat 23rd. We had another big walking tour round New Orleans. First we got a streetcar from the stop nearest our BnB to one end of the line and back to the other end at Union railway station and back again to Canal Street. We went to look at the well-known Bon Ton café but it was closed and the popular Ruby Slipper had a huge queue outside, so we queued at the nearby famous Mother's restaurant to have their signature Ferdi Po'Boy sandwich (ham, roast beef 'debris' and gravy) which was delicious and very good value. We went to the riverside, past the old Natchez paddle steamer packed with people going on a riverboat tour, and got yet another streetcar on the riverside line to French Market and went shopping. On the way back we sat on the steps opposite Jackson Square and watched some excellent and amusing breakdancers perform their show. As we crossed the park a wedding party came out of the cathedral and even they had their own band and procession as they danced down the street. We walked around checking out restaurants such as Muriel's and the Acme Oyster house (founded 1910), then followed another procession with a brass band and dancers in elaborate costumes along Royal Street. We had a short rest, did a bit of packing and set out again to watch another carnival parade from a window seat in a jazz bar on Bourbon Street. As we were searching for a dinner venue that didn't have a long queue outside we met the parade again and followed it down Royal Street to Café Beignet and had a club sandwich with bottles of red and white wine, listening to the very good guitarist playing as the carnival went by outside. Sun 24th. We did some more walking around and more streetcar rides, watched another breakdance team who weren't as good as the last ones and went back to Mother's restaurant for exactly the same lunch as yesterday. We felt we'd seen New Orleans pretty comprehensively, but we hope not for the last time, so we flew home. On our stopover in Atlanta to change planes we were enjoying the lounge so much we ended up with a highly embarrassing run to the gate as they repeatedly called us by name! If you would like to see more of our travels just click the map.