More Mardi Gras and New Orleans area

Saturday it rained all day and I thought we might just float away.  Well, we didn't float away, but we did have ponds of water between the sites.  It took several days before the water receeded, and even when we left almost a week later there was still some water standing.  Most of the parades were cancelled for the day.  The Krewe of Endymion rolled in New Orleans, even in the rain, although it quit shortly after the parade started.  New Orleans did not get the rain we did over here on the north shore.

We did go into town on Sunday afternoon to see the Krewe of Bacchus parade.  Along the streets people have brought ladders so they can get up high to see the parades (and also to better catch the beads).  The boxes on top are for small children to sit.

The floats here at Mardi Gras seem to be so much more colorful and decorative than most parades.

We wandered down to Bourbon Street and found  many people in costume.

And of course we had to stop and get a hurricane at Pat O'Briens.

You really never know what you will see on Bourbon Street during Mardi Gras...  

Even on Sunday it was quite crowded.
On our way back to the car we were on Canal Street and a parade was still ongoing.  We found ourselves in a crowd like I have never been in before.  I truly understand now how people get trampled.  People were pushing and shoving and it was all you could do to keep standing.  If someone had fallen, then would have been trampled.  It was scary.

Monday we took the day off from Mardi Gras and took a bike ride on the Tammany Trace from the park to Abita Springs.

At Abita Springs is a statue showing an Indian maiden taking the healing waters of the spring.

On Fat Tuesday we again headed to downtown New Orleans for the parades.  Nancy and I joined the festivities by getting dressed up.  Maybe not as crazy as lots of the costumes we saw, but we had fun.

My intent was to get to town for the Krewe of Rex, which have the King and Queen of Mardi Gras.  But we got there in time to see most of the Krewe of Zulu.  

I think I enjoyed the floats in the Zulu parade better than the other parades I saw.  They also threw the best beads and gifts.

I quit trying to wear all the beads I caught, they got to heavy, so I only kept a few on.  We are taking all the beads to the Bandera Dance Rally since one of the dances is a Mardi Gras night.  I'm ready...

I'm not even going to try and post all the pictures of unusual costumes, there were way too many.  I'm really glad I made it to this Mardi Gras.  It has been a lot of fun.

One of the floats from the Krewe of Rex.

Another from the Rex parade.

It was crowded again on Bourbon Street and the parades were still going on too.  And more people were in costume today than on Sunday.

We went back into town on Wednesday (after Mardi Gras) and many of the trees still were covered with the beads from the parades.  I wonder how long it will take for the city to clean up all the signs of Mardi Gras?
Well, it's over, and I'll be heading on down the road, but I am glad I came.  It was an experience like I've never had before.