Heading Down South for Thanksgiving

As mentioned in my last blog thanksgiving was right ahead of us and so there was a six-day break for me that I really wanted to use to do some traveling as it is the longest break during the semester and the last one before Christmas. Me and a friend checked the map of the U.S. and Canada and we found some really interesting destinations such as Toronto and Denver that were about 1000 miles away from River Falls but one destination really fascinated us even though it was 1200 miles away from River Falls. The destination I am talking about was New Orleans. Once we found it on the map there was no way around it anymore. The main reason for choosing New Orleans over Denver and Toronto were the temperatures. Temperatures in the low 70s, the closeness to the Gulf of Mexico, and the fact that both of us have not seen any of the southern states before were convincing arguments and so we hit the road on Wednesday heading for a two-day drive.

As the maximum speed limit in the U.S. is 70 miles per hour driving is quite relaxed and not as exhausting as in Germany and so we were able to make about 650 miles the first day and 550 miles the second day. We drove through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and finally Louisiana. It was quite interesting to see how temperatures and landscapes change along the long way. Once you leave Minnesota the states become even more rural and it seems like there is absolutely nothing going on in Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas. If you are looking for a remote place those states will be perfect for you...

The only major cities along the way were St. Louis and Memphis and Memphis seemed to be the point for us where temperatures and landscapes started to change. Suddenly you can wear a shirt without freezing to death again and the trees aren’t bare anymore. It almost felt like summer! The further south we drove the better it got. Once you enter Louisiana it is quite warm and there are rivers and swamps everywhere. Finally driving into New Orleans was quite fascinating as you drive over a huge system of bridges over the swamps and Lake Pontchartrain.

Now that we made it to New Orleans we had two days for sightseeing in the city and the surroundings. We stayed at India House Hostel, a pretty sweet old school hostel which was perfectly located right at Canal Street. We spent the first night at famous Bourbon Street which is kind of the city´s main party location. There are bars with live music everywhere and it is a good place to have some fun. The next morning, we headed to the city center again to see the main sights of the city such as the national World War II museum, the French Quarter, the French Market, St. Louis Cathedral as well as the Jackson Square located right at the Mississippi. The city is full of street artists and musicians, you can experience the voodoo cult at every corner and you can really feel the different cultures influencing the spirit of the city. The mix of modern architecture and the old colonial architecture is stunning as well. Pretty cool stuff everywhere! We spent the second night at Frenchmen Street which is the less touristy place to spend the night at. Prices are cheaper, and the bars are cooler compared to Bourbon Street which almost felt like little Las Vegas.

The second day we left the city to explore the surroundings. We headed to the southernmost point of Louisiana which was cool and disappointing at the same time. We hoped to see the place where the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico, but we found a lot of power plants and industrial companies instead. Apart from those companies the place was so remote that a lot of pelicans had built their nests there which was really cool to watch. After visiting this place, we headed towards Oak Alley Plantation which is one of the most famous plantations in this area. It is a historic site and a wonderful place located right at the Mississippi as well. It is quite touristy there but visiting a plantation is kind of a must do thing when visiting the southern states, I guess. You can learn a lot about slavery and history in general when visiting this place and especially being there for sunset was very special!

Heading down south for the break was a perfect decision. It was warm and sunny, and we saw some awesome places. We had a great time in Louisiana and on the road with a lot of fascinating experiences but after two days in New Orleans it was time to head back to cold River Falls again...

To be continued!