Exploring the Gulf Coast

We arrived in New Orleans just in time to catch in front of the first really big storm of the summer, a great opportunity to stay put and explore the delights of the city. And what amazing luck - we arrived in New Orleans just in time for the first weekend of Jazz Fest. We decided to skip the outdoor festival events because of the bad weather but we did catch some great live Jazz in the French Quarter.

We did brave the weather for a trip to the Bayous, and it was possible one of the most adrenalin filled days of the road trip so far. We flew in a four seater sea plane from Belle Chasse just ourside New Orleans for a guided tour of the city, the on to Kraemer in the heart of the Louisiana swampland for a much closer view of the crocodiles in the swamp, guided by a local Cajun tour guide. The thunderstorms moving through on the tour really added to the southern atmosphere in the swamp.

The food in New Orleans was amazing - I had the best cheese on toast with pear butter at Green Goddess and some really authentic white beans at the Gumbo shop. Topped it all off with coffee and beignets at Cafe Du Monde.

Leaving Louisiana, the call of Florida’s Emerald coast beckoned, and we decided to whisk through Mississippi & Alabama and make a bee-line for St. George’s Island, on Florida’s forgotten coast. We really fell in love with the sandy, white beaches and crystal clear green-blue sea on this tranquil island.