St. Louis Cathedral, Old Ursuline Convent and Cuisine Tour 
I got to enjoy a nice long hot shower for the first time on the trip. I just stood there and let the hot water run and run. We then went down for breakfast which was delicious as it was welcomed real and warm food as opposed to the microwave train food. I got ready excitingly as we are going a little earlier to walk around before it got too busy and we would be rushed. We slowly made our way to the street car as we are almost there we notice it is pulling up and we began to run to catch up. The excitement we felt was electric. We were feeling like we all belong there. We found seats and sat confidently knowing our next stop. Toulouse station is our destination. We are meeting at the St. Louis Cathedral. We meet out front. It's a cool overcast morning with sun wanting to peak through. The smell of manure comes and goes from the train of horse drawn carriages in front of Andrew Jackson's statue. We met our tour guide John inside and immediately start learning about the breathtaking Cathedral. We learned that the Cathedral today was actually the third version. There were fossil imprints in the marble floor and we learned it was laid by a free man of color. We were shown the statues who represent faith hope and charity. We saw the Bishop's chair and a beautiful baptismal fountain. We stood over the tomb of Don Almonester who put up the money for the church. There were painted murals that have been restored, stained glass windows, Christmas decorations that come down on Jan 6th, beautiful statues, intricate chandeliers, variety of flags each with a special meaning. There was natural lighting and traditional items from Spain. We were told of a ghost story of a man singing on the side of the building which can sometime be heard which was a fun change of pace in the historical tour. We took a walk around the building seeing a beautiful gated garden with fresh lemons ready to be picked. We finished the tour and quickly used the restroom and got to have a quick seat and people watch. A man is warming up his trumpet, dogs are barking, people are on foot and on bikes, as we walk the smell of manure comes and goes again as the wind blows. Moving on to the Old Ursuline Convent which was named St. Mary's. There are beautiful blue hues in the church, wooden pews, golden accents, stained glass windows, crystal chandeliers, ceiling tongue and grooves made of cyprus and pine with the original paint with fluer de leis stamped all over in a pattern. 

While walking through the convent there was wood creaking, Cyprus beams on the ceilings and refurbished floors. We got some free time to walk around and got to go to the court yard where a wedding was being set up. I bet it's a magical place to get married. We then went to the French Market which was a lot of fun to see the different things for sale and we got to have lunch which was a cocktail, shrimp taco and fried crab. From there we navigated back to the start of the Cuisine Tour. I quickly ran to Cafe Du Monde which was was busy and buzzing with everyone trying to get their hands on the famous warm beignets. We then rushed to the cuisine tour which was tantalizing for the tastebuds and also historically interesting. We first went to Tujagues which we learned was the first "standing bar" with a lot of ownership history. In 1856 it is known for the first original cuisine that is unlike any other. There was an old man that was standing waiting for a drink and listening to the tour while we ate our pork. We then went to Famous New Orleans Pralines. We were sitting in a courtyard in chairs with no wind but it's not hot, there is a fountain running with music from Jackson Square in the background that is more pronounced when the tour guide pauses. We had dip and smelled a variety of different cooking ingredients. We then went to La Davina where we were sitting at outside seating enjoying muffaleta, gelato and a cannoli. We were surrounded by buildings with balconies, shops, no wind and I could still hear the music at Jackson street. We then went to Antoines which is the oldest restaurant. We are seated in the mystery room which is painted red from floor to almost ceiling with important pictures from celebrities and enjoyed some delicious  seafood gumbo. We then went to Arnauds which was a well light open eating area with black and white checkered floors, mirrored walls with some exposed brick, wooden beam and tin ceiling. We took an uber back to the room and I sit here blogging waiting patiently for the Frenchmen Street experience. 

The city flew by me today like a flash. I loved that no matter where we were today I could still hear some type of music. It was great to absorb all the history and learn about how New Orleans had changed hands and carried on some of each holders traditions. I learned an enormous amount of history and I want to share some of my favorite things we learned. I enjoyed each tour and how passionate each tour guide was. I learned that in the St. Louis Cathedral the Bishops were buried under the Cathedral. Slaves were baptized there and were not allowed to work on Sundays or Holy Days. We learned that the Bishop's chair was for the Bishop only and not even the Pope could sit there as he was the Bishop of Rome and not New Orleans. The Cathedral has mass open to the public. We were told the best mass to attend is Easter Sunday when woman arrive in carriages and traditional dress. I learned that the Cathedral was a very popular place to get married. I was happy to hear that there was very little damage to the French Quarter and no flooding from Hurricane Katrina. We then went to the the Old Ursuline Convent and learned that it had survived two fires in late 1700's. I found it very interesting that the convent served all types of ethnicities. Some of the history we learned was that there were 12 nuns that took off from Europe by boat which took 5 months to get there. The convent was established in 1736. A fun fact we learned was to pray to St. Lucy for eye problems. Like I mentioned above, there was no flood damage from Hurricane Katrina but there was tile and chimney damage there. I found out that it was Lake Ponchatran that flooded and water got trapped in by the flood walls. I learned that the convent is also a very popular place to get married. The convent had a lot of Cyprus inside and I learned that type of wood is a very hearty wood that was abundant in Louisiana back then. We then went to Tujagues which we were told was First standing bar until the 1860s. From there, we went to Jackson Square and learned that it was not always as pretty and originally it was a crummy place that stored ammunition. We were told that the building that Tujagues was in from bottom to top would have been a shop on the bottom then bakery, living area and possible slave living quarters on top. We were then reminded again of the kitchen being away from the house to reduce a fire risk. We then went to Famous New Orleans Pralines; Gourmet and Kitchen Shop some fun facts I learned from there was "wash day" and that was on Mondays which allowed the beans and rice to be just the right consistency and cooked how they wanted them to while they laundered their personal items. There was a well known contribution from the Spanish which was onions, celery, green bell pepper goes into the Cajun and Creole dishes called the "trinity." I had no idea of the different colors and types of rues darker rues for Cajun and wild game users and chicory was used because there was not enough coffee. We then moved on to La Davina where we enjoyed muffuletta, gelato and cannoli. From there we went to  Antoines. At Antoines and learned we have okra because of the slaves who had the seeds in their hair and planted them here. From Antoines, we went to Arnauds and learned that every floor has a flaw in the tile to make it stand out and be unique. I loved hearing how his daughter was the queen 22 times and seeing her beautiful gowns. While leaving Arnauds the tour guide told me something that blew my mind, she reminded us that the French Quarter did not have any damage but that they were without electricity for months. I found that to be unfathomable and was just reminded again about how resilient the New Orleans community is.