Photography | The Travel Lady In Her Shoes

One Word Photo Challenge: Lavender

There was the most incredible buzz of bees in this lavender! Enjoying the Challenge!

The Lavender of Suzette, France

Weekly Photo Challenge: Texture

We’re making our way to Venice, Italy! Isn’t this sculpture of the Doge amazing? The marble sculpture of the Doge is in the Doge’s Palace, the seat of the Venetian government and the home of the ruling duke of Venice, or doge. He was the supreme authority in the Republic of Venice. The texture is smooth! Enjoy!

A Marble Sculpture of the Doge of Venice, Italy

Adventures in the Village; from Vienna to Melk

The Lane off Mariahilfer Strasse, Vienna, Austria

If adventures do not befall a young lady in her village she must seek them abroad.

Jane Austen

Or simply in another spot, I say! I enjoyed walking to the metro/train station on Mariahilfer Strasse, in Vienna, because I always discovered something new along the way. One day it was LUSH, a shop of freshly made cosmetics. Soaps, lotions, face creams, and more, oh my! The fragrance from that shop permeated out to the sidewalk and literally pulled me in. Once inside, lovely women tried to explain to me in German/English what all the goodies were and what they could do. I bought round shampoo cakes, for different hair types (all in the loveliest of colors and fragrances) and tins to store them in.

One of Several Lush Shampoos

I would have bought more of their products, but because they are freshly made, some had to be kept refrigerated. The cake shampoos were one of the best purchases I made on my vacation. Every time I opened my suitcase I would get that clean, fresh, fragrance wafting up from the shampoo paper sacks. Take a deep breath, can you smell them? When I returned home I placed the shampoos in the tins, for gifts, and the sacks went into my dresser drawers! Then I looked LUSH up online to see if I could buy the products in the U.S. Yep, there they were! Maybe I should always travel with one!

Mariahilfer Strasse, Vienna, Austria

Continuing on our walk to the train station I came to a small portico opening in the storefronts that looked like it was wide enough for a horse and carriage in days gone by. My curiosity got the best of me and I had to turn in and see where this little lane took me.

The Lane off Mariahilfer Strasse, Vienna, Austria

The lane went on and on. Here was a collection of small shops and restaurants that looked like they had been inter-connected houses in a different generation. I wondered if this was the way the streets looked before the addition of the modern high-rise buildings. The lane was so charming! I am glad I took the time to turn in. These un-expected finds always interest me the most!

The Shops at the Train Station, Vienna, Austria

Planning a day trip to Melk was fun too. Taking the elevator on the street to the multi-layered train station (there were local trains and metro trains all converging into one area) we found the trains conveniently stopped in a large, beautiful, shopping mall and market, they called the train station. You could just skip the train and spend a lovely day eating and shopping here! The Austrian Railway Office sold a convenient Combi-ticket, which included the train trip from Vienna to Melk, entry to the Melk Abbey, a boat cruise to Krems and the return train trip to Vienna for 47 euros. What a deal! So early one morning off we went to Melk!

The train adventure for me is the scenery and the allotments stretched along the railroad track. Miniature houses (I call them doll houses) are tucked into gardens as far as the eye can see; doll houses with tiny windows showing off small boxes filled with abundant, draping, riotous colored flowers. Leaning near the door frames were clutters of ladders and old rakes. There were neatly ordered flower beds and well tended fruit and vegetable gardens behind picture perfect picket fences. Sometimes there were happy-looking, waving folks, enjoying the sunshine, while plumped in white plastic chairs and cooling their feet in a small child’s wading pool. Others were grilling, while some were bent over their plots in peaceful, nature retreats. These areas, outside the cities, in Austria and Germany, especially along railways, are the spots for garden obsessed people to rent out a small plot and plunge into the soil. They are called Schrebergartens. There are strict rules that regulate the exact dimensions, color, and style of the doll house and how the gardens are to be maintained. The gardens were very neat, and tidy, just like Austria!

In the early 19th century, it was the idea of Dr. Daniel Gottlieb Moritz Schreber, to create athletic fields for children to escape the crowded, larger cities. Before he realized his dream, he died, and his son decided to use the plots for gardening and to teach children the basics of gardening. The idea quickly caught on. In WWI and WWII the gardens rapidly rose in importance as sources of hard-to-get fresh fruit and vegetables. After WWII a lack of housing across the country resulted in the common practice of erecting small structures on the plots so families could have shelter. The result is what we see today; miniature housing developments of nature retreats! Families can enjoy the sunshine, relax, party, and tend their gardens. A village of adventure, to be sure! And now on to Melk! Enjoy!

PS, since the train zipped along the rail over 100 mph I couldn’t take decent pictures! So please……..

Check out Allotment images HERE!

The Burials; Kaisergruft, the Imperial Crypt

Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

Kaisergruft Crypt Entrance to the Right , Vienna, Austria

Previously we visited the Augustinian Church where the Habsburgs’ were married so today we are visiting the Imperial Crypt or Kaisergruft, a burial chamber beneath the Capuchin Church located in the Neuer Markt Square near the Hofberg Palace. In 1617, Anna of Tyrol, wife of Emperor Matthias left funds for a Capuchin cloister and burial crypt. Today the bones of 145 Habsburg royalty, including 12 emperors and 18 princesses, plus urns containing hearts, rest here. Twelve friars continue their role as custodians and guardians of the crypt.

Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

The free standing tombs are variations of a flat-topped storage chest or a tub with sloping sides and a convex lid. The most common material for the sarcophagi was a bronze-like alloy of tin, but the beautiful tombs of the baroque and rococo eras are true bronze. The cover of of the double tomb of Maria Theresa and her husband alone weighs 3800 pounds. In order to stabilize the tombs they have iron bracings and wood linings to avoid cave ins and the buckling of side walls from the weight of the cover. Within the outer case lies a wooden coffin that is wrapped in silk; black with gold trim for rulers and red with silver trim for others. Various techniques of metal working were used; full casting or hollow for decorative sculpture, with ornaments and decorative figures screwed on. The coffin usually has two locks, one key kept by the Capuchin Guardian of the Crypt and the other is kept in the Schatzhammer of the Hofburg Palace.

Emperor Charles VI, Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

Franz Josef and Sisi, Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

The chamber had increased over the years from under the nave of the church to the entire length and width and then beyond the church to include the monastery garden’s, creating a hodgepodge of tombs and chambers beneath the church. This made it necessary to create additional space and dehumidify the crypt. There have been serious deteriorating conditions. Changes in heat and humidity, the peeling of horizontal surfaces, broken base plates and decorative fixtures broken off or stolen made it necessary for major restoration efforts. In 2003 remodeling of the crypt allowed visitors to see the tombs in historical order and enter from one end and leave at another. There are now ten interconnected, air conditioned, Vaults of the Imperial Crypt. In addition, security measures were put into place to prevent damage to the tombs. The oldest and most recent person entombed here (16 July 2011) is Otto von Habsburg, aged 98 years and 7 months. Twenty five percent of those entombed here were five years of age or less when they died. A very interesting place!

Vienna; the Good, the Sad, and the Beautiful

Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Good. It is Sunday and we are going to one of the many concerts in Vienna. The choir and full orchestra are presenting a program at 11am High Mass at the Augustinian Church (Augustinerkirche), located on Josefsplatz. The church was founded in 1327 by Duke Frederick, the Handsome, with a cloister of Augustinian friars. In 1634, it became the parish church of the imperial church and is now part of the vast Hofburg Palace complex. Here the Habsburg’s wedding of the Archduchess Maria Theresa in 1736 to Duke Francis of Lorraine, the wedding of Archduchess Marie Louise in 1810 to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France, and the wedding of Emperor Franz Josef in 1854 to Duchess Elisabeth (Sisi) of Bavaria, took place. The church looks unremarkable from the outside, but the Gothic interior is exquisite. We get there early to get a good seat in one of the pews up front. Soon it is standing room only. Let the music and Mass begin!

Augustinian Church, Vienna, Austria

The Best. Coming out of Mass we walk over to St Peters Church. (Peterskirche) This church site dates back to the Middle Ages and was built on the site of the Roman encampment in the Graben. In 1661 the church burned down and a new church was built when Leopold I took a vow to rebuild this church when Vienna was ravaged by the plague in 1679. This church was the first domed structure in baroque Vienna and fashioned after St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Situated in a very compact space, closed in between the modern Vienna, once inside, the interior is rich with gold stucco. Today we are there as a wedding couple are exiting the church and we observe the church decorated beautifully for the wedding!

St Peter’s Church, Vienna, Austria

The Wedding Couple, St Peter’s Church, Vienna, Austria

St Peter’s Church, Vienna, Austria

The Sad. Next, let’s see how Emperor Franz Josef and Sisi lived in the Imperial Apartments at the Hofburg Palace. Going up a large marble staircase, turning and going up another set of steps we reach the royal floor and the Sisi Museum. Now, this is my short rendition of Sisi’s life. Franz Josef at twenty three, was engaged to Sisi’s sister, Helene, in a diplomatic marriage. However, once he saw Sisi, age sixteen, all bets were off and he defied his domineering mother and married Duchess Elisabeth (Sisi). Within ten months, Sisi gave birth to their first child, Sophie. Franz Josef’s demanding mother didn’t think Sisi was old enough or smart enough to handle royal life, so she took over everything that concerned Sisi; the children, and the royal household affairs. That included naming the couple’s first born after herself, Sophie, and taking the child away from Sisi, a decision that continued for all the children to follow. Sisi, bored with her non-existent life, except that of brooder, became obsessed about her weight and followed a rigorous workout regime, putting a workout room in her private apartments. Fixated on her appearance, after her ritual cold bath in the morning, she spent three hours daily having her ankle length hair washed, combed and braided. Every evening there was an oil bath and a slab of veal was placed on her face to prevent wrinkles. At five foot eight and 100 pounds she wore a leather fitted corset to keep her waist at sixteen inches and after four children her waist never exceeded nineteen and one half inches. Her weight at times would drop to 95 pounds after fasting for days. Truly her looks must have been the only thing she felt she had control of. After ten years of marriage and four children, Sisi chose to spend very little time in Vienna, frequently visiting Hungary. After the age of thirty she refused to sit for her portrait and have any pictures taken of her. She never smiled because she hated her teeth.

Tragedy struck 1889, with the death of Sisi’s only son, Rudolf, the Crown Prince of Austria, and his mistress, in a murder-suicide pact at a hunting lodge at Mayerling. Sisi withdrew further from court duties and traveled widely, unaccompanied by her family. While traveling in 1898 she was stabbed to death by an Italian anarchist, who had missed his chance to assassinate another royal family member, Prince Phillippe, Duke of Orleans. Sisi had served as the longest princess-consort of Austria, at 44 years. Next in line of succession after Rudolf was Archduke Karl Ludwig, Franz Josef’s younger brother. However, a few days after Rudolf’s death Karl Ludwig renounced his succession rights to his oldest son, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who became heir presumptive. Franz Ferdinand’s assassination in 1914 sparked WWI. What a mess of lives all that turned out to be!

Imperial Apartments, Hofsburg Palace, Vienna, Austria

Imperial Apartments, Hofburg Palace, Vienna, Austria

The Horse and Buggies, Vienna, Austria

The Horse and Buggies, Vienna, Austria

Taking a break from all the sadness at the Hofburg Castle we pass the horse and carriage stands and decide to take a ride around the city and see what else is inside the Ringstrasse. I love the look of Volksgarten Park and make my way to the benches and find the BEAUTIFUL!

SEATS! Volksgarten, Vienna, Austria

Volksgarten, Vienna, Austria

Sisi Monument, Volksgarten, Vienna, Austria

Volksgarten, Vienna, Austria

Here the children chase the pigeons, the women talk and try to keep up with the children, and the men read their newspapers while enjoying a fine summer day. The flowers are in bloom and the fountains are overflowing. What contrast, what beauty! Enjoy!

One Word for Vienna: Spotless

Volksgarten, Vienna, Austria

The Streets of Vienna, Austria

Walking around Vienna the first thing that I don’t see is trash, graffiti, cigarette stubs (although smoking in public places and restaurants is still allowed here), newspapers blowing around, signposts covered in a bazillion stickers, dog poop, or people begging on the streets. Vienna is spotless. The city is huge, there are tourists EVERYWHERE, and the city is spotless. Vienna does have large well maintained green areas, beautiful gardens and fountains, benches everywhere to rest, working elevators at public buildings, the metro, train station, and on the main thoroughfare sidewalks there are raised patches of rippled walkway to guide the seeing impaired. What is there not to like?

Pedestrian Strips, Vienna, Austria

The Streets of Vienna, Austria

Vienna is a city of elegance. In 1900 a local chemical maker needed a publicity stunt to prove that his chemicals really got things clean. He purchased two wine cellars under Graben, a ditch or moat originally used by the Romans at their military camp, now a pedestrian-only thoroughfare of great architecture, fine cafes, and fountains. Adolf Loos (1870-1933), a modernist style architect, believed less was more. He was convinced that unnecessary ornamentation was a waste of worker’s time and energy so he designed perfectly geometrical grid buildings with matching windows. Unheard of at the time! No statues, no plastered fake columns for him. Loos was commissioned to take the two wine cellars and turn them into fancy and classy public water closets. He did, complete with chandeliers and finely crafted mahogany walls, creating a very appealing place. They are so inviting, today they are sometimes used for poetry readings! Now we know why bathrooms are sometimes referred to as loos, who knew?

Loos Loo, Vienna, Austria

In the middle of the Graben is a 60 foot Holy Trinity Plague Column, (Pestsäule) a pillar of clouds sprouting angels and cherubs with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost at the top. in 1679 Vienna suffered from an epidemic of the bubonic plague, killing one third of the city. Leopold I (one quarter up the column), in public, begged God to save the city. His prayer was heard by Lady Faith, (the statue carrying the cross below Leopold) who with the help of the cherub tosses the old naked woman (the plague) into the wind and saves the city. Leopold erected the monument as a model for other cities ravaged by the same plague.

Holy Trinity Plague Column, Vienna, Austria

Graben, Vienna, Austria

Michaelerplatz is the square dominated by the Hofburg Palace. In the fountain the four heroic giants illustrate Hercules wrestling with his great challenges.

Michaelerplatz, Vienna, Austria

This is the complex where the Hofburg emperors lived except in the summer, when they lived in the Schönbrunn Palace a few miles away. I can’t wait to see the Imperial Apartments and the museum for the Empress Sisi, but during our walk, we stopped for an ice cream at the famous Demel, (Hofzuckerbäckerei Demel) a famous pastry shop and chocolaterie on the Michaelerplatz, where it has been located since 1857. Yummy!

Demel, Vienna, Austria

Demel, Michaelerplatz, Vienna, Austria

Having had a look at the fine architecture and the beautifully designed streets we have our itineraries marked for tomorrows museum tours. We will start the day early with Mass and a concert in Augustinian Church, and end the day, enjoying the activity in the Volksgarten Park and beautiful gardens of flowers. Meet you in the park tomorrow! Enjoy!

Hi, I’m C-A-D-Y and I have I-T-I-S

Mariahilfer Strasse Neighborhood

That would be arthr I-T-I-S. ( as in swelling of the arths or joints) You who follow me regularly know I have been hobbled (well I am always hobbled, but more so recently) especially the past few months due to increased travels and increased walking, so with the trip to AIT (Austria, Italy, and Turkey) coming up I sought the advice of my physician. I am on the strongest medication, she told me. Next step corrective shoes. Corrective shoes? I already wear supportive, un-flattering, old fashioned, old lady shoes and have for some time. I was ten days out from my trip and had no time for new shoes. This trip was one of the most extensive and varied yet of our travels and included several flights, connecting flights, train trips, bus trips, boat trips, LOTS of walking, exploring, and new experiences. Shoes? I would just have to suck it up!

I came home with Pharyng I-T-I-S. A sore throat, headache to beat all headaches, earache, cough, cough, cough, and complete lethargy. And over 3,000 pictures! So today I begin the tale of what we did in between the I-T-I-S’s. It was one of the best trips abroad! And so we begin!

This week the list for the Best Airlines was released. # 5 on that list was Turkish Airlines. There was no American airline in the top 20. We have never flown on Turkish Airlines, but booked it because the price was very reasonable and got us to our destination with the fewest stops. I was immediately impressed upon boarding to be met my a chef (big hat and chef’s attire and all) and to get to my seat which had a pillow, blanket, earphones, and slippers already placed in my seat. Did I mention our seats were not changed one time in the six months prior to departure and we actually boarded on schedule? When we were all seated (and we were in regular folks seating) we received a travel kit (which I can use over and over it was so nice) with earplugs, sleeping mask, toothbrush, toothpaste, lip balm and knee high socks. Right after they served the Turkish Delight candy and the hot wash cloths they passed out the food menu and the drinks menu. Need I say more? I will. There were a bazillion channels for music, movies, news, kids shows and learning. There were plugs for all your electronic devices. And the seats were big enough for your fanny. Following a smooth ride, very tasty meals, lots of entertainment and excellent service we landed in Istanbul on time and ready to transfer to another Turkish Airlines plane to take us to Vienna. It was one of the best airline experiences to date! Please, keep them in mind when booking your flights. You won’t be disappointed.

Twenty four hours later (including time changes and connecting flight times) we landed in Vienna around 8pm. Tired and ready for bed we entered Das Tyrol, a small boutique-spa hotel located in a residential area on Mariahilfer Strasse just barely outside the old town’s RingStrasse.

Mariahilfer Strasse Neighborhood

Das Tyrol Hotel. Vienna, Austria

The fresh invigorating spa fragrance as we entered the hotel quickly helped to rejuvenate us. What a relaxed feeling! Soon we had checked in, got a lay out of the land, ( including the spa area, breakfast area and lounge), and then took the tiny two people elevator to the Donald Duck floor. What a great room we had! We collapsed into bed and were asleep within minutes!

The next morning we were up early to the large buffet breakfast and then out the door to walk to the Old Town. The hotel’s location was perfect. Situated in the middle of a hill, at the top was the train station and metro station (inside a huge mall with great shopping and eateries) and at the bottom of the hill the tram that circled historic Vienna. We decided to do a Vienna City Walk that SB had mapped out for us before we left home. This way we we could get an idea where the major museums were in the area, before we decided which ones to go in. So we walked down the hill, turned right and crossed the street to the Opera House and Gardens.

On the Way to Ringstrasse, Vienna, Austria

Ringstrasse, Vienna, Austria

Here there were many men dressed as Mozart encouraging you to buy tickets to a concert, every few feet.

Opera House, Vienna, Austria

We walked on pass them through the gates and then backtracked past the Opera Museum and the Albertinaplatz and the Monument Against War and Fascism.

Mozart’s Garden, Vienna, Austria

Historic District, Vienna, Austria

Monument Against War and Fascism, Vienna, Austria

Finally we came to corner where the red tour buses were parked and decided we would see another part of the city from the bus on another day. Here also was the Cafe Tirolerhof, a classic Viennese cafe with chandeliers, marble tables, smoke stained upholstered booths and waiters in tuxes. It’s was like stepping into an old movie and it was my first chance to taste the famous Viennese coffee.

Cafe Tirolerhof, Vienna, Austria

Refreshed and relaxed we ventured on passing the Kaisergruft, a church filled with the crypts of Austria’s emperors, empresses and other Habsburg royalty, buried in pewter coffins. Check that for a come back to.

Kaisergruft, Vienna, Austria

We make our way to Kärntner Strasse, a pedestrian only grand walkway, the same road that the Crusaders marched down as they left St Stephen’s Cathedral for the Holy Land in the 12th century. The street was bumper to bumper people, so many in fact that I could not see anything but the back of the head in front of me. What I thought would be a lovely old cobbled street was now a pedestrian mob of shoppers slowly moving along the shops of Gucci and Prada! There were people everywhere! It was Saturday I realized and the shops would be closed on Sunday so the shopping was a must!

Karntner Strasse, Vienna, Austria

I couldn’t wait to reach St Stephen’s hoping the crowd would thin out. Reaching the cathedral we have also entered the center of Vienna.

St Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna, Austria

The church, built from 1300 to 1450, has a 450-ft tower and a colorful roof and is Austria’s national church. During WWII the stained glass window behind the high altar was dismantled and packed away. The pulpit was encased in a shell of brick. When the Nazi’s were fleeing at the end of the war an order was given to destroy the church upon leaving. Gratefully, the order was ignored, but the church did catch fire during Allied bombings and the wooden roof collapsed on the stone vaults of the ceiling. After the war each region of Austria contributed to the rebuilding of St Stephen’s, replacing the bell, the entrance portal, the windows, the pews and the floor. Today there is scaffolding where they are continuing to restore. Leaving the church I want to get off the main drag and away from the crowds. We find Dorotheergasse and a small grouping of tables outside Reinthaler’s Beisl where we sit and taste our first gulasch meal and apfelstrudel for dessert. The street is quiet and it is nice to sit and watch the world go by. We’ll stop here for now, but return soon to continue our walk. Enjoy!

Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge: Circles and Curves

I have just returned from a three week adventure in Austria, Italy and Turkey! One day we explored Melk, home of the Melk Abbey. Walking down the cobbled hill from the Abbey we spotted this hotel sign. I believe it is for a Nature Hotel. I thought it was sooooo unusual! It was perfect for this challenge too! Won’t you join me in the upcoming days for more posts about the AIT Tour? Lots for show and tell! Enjoy! For more entries see Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge Here.

A Hotel Sign in Melk, Austria

A Lingering Look at Architecture: Open

It’s summertime and the bike shops are OPEN! This is Mojo Bicycle Shop, Matthews, NC. Check out other entries at “ A Lingering Look at Architecture.” Enjoy!

Mojo Bicycle Shop, Matthews, NC

Absinthe, Pirates, History and the NOLA Charm

St Louis Cathedral

There are two ways to get to the center of The French Quarter from our spot in Marigny; stroll the seven blocks on Chartres St to St Louis Cathedral or take the Loyola-UPT Streetcar that ends near us at the French Market.

The French Market Streetcar

During our stay we do both. From the French Market we get off the streetcar at Dumaine St and walk a couple of blocks to our first stop, the Cafe Du Monde, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

Cafe Du Monde

A large area of indoor/outdoor seating, the cafe is packed. The menus are imprinted on the napkin holders. The choices are coffee, soft drinks, orange juice and two sizes of beignets, either 3 or 6, smothered in powdered sugar. That’s it! I really can’t see what the hub-bub about the place is, but every time we passed by the cafe it was full. It’s been a landmark in New Orleans since 1862.

Jackson Square

Jackson Square, NOLA

Continuing on we come to Jackson Square and behind that the beautiful St Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously operating church in the US, built in 1720, rebuilt in 1789, becoming a cathedral in 1794.

St Louis Cathedral, NOLA

In front of the church on a wide band of street there are small booths of fortune tellers, ice cream vendors and musicians. Stepping inside the church we get relief from the heat and humidity which is quickly rising. Leaving the church and turning right and then right again we are on a small cobblestoned alley with St Anthony’s Garden behind the church. This alley is known to the locals as Pirates Alley. 600 feet long and 16 feet wide it is not listed on many of the maps of the French Quarter. The smell of New Orleans is more intense here, a smell of damp vegetation and a faint woodiness lingering with the latin rhythms, salsa music and blues coming from the corner. This corner was infamous for settling duels and debts of honor. Jean Lafitte, the famous pirate, who provided services to any country at war against another by attacking their ships, brought the booty to town and the goods were sold in the alley. Eventually the Spanish Colonial Prison called the Calabozo was built on this corner in 1769. Lafitte and his men were jailed here by Governor Claiborne of New Orleans. The prison was demolished in 1837, and the land was sold to make a long creole house which was the home of William Faulkner, where he wrote his first novel ”Soldiers Pay.” The creole house is now home to the Faulkner House Books. Now at the intersection of Pirates Alley and Cabildo Alley, where the prison was, is the Pirates Alley Cafe, known for caribbean drinks and absinthe.

Pirates Alley Cafe

Traditional absinthe was made of anise, fennel and wormwood (a plant) with added herbs and flowers making it green in color. The herbs and spices were soaked in alcohol and then distilled. The drink called la fée verte, (Green fairy) in French, was thought to be highly hallucinative also. Yes, drinking a couple of those today one might see fairies and pirates!

One afternoon, not far from Pirates Alley, we made our way to the Grape Vine Wine Bar and Bistro. We spent a lovely afternoon wine tasting and choosing cheeses from the cheese board. Then we were served large portions of appetizers. I had the crab cakes and they were fabulous. The ambience and service in this bistro is outstanding. With seating indoors or out this was our favorite spot in the old French Quarter.

Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro

Another highlight of New Orleans is the WWII National War Museum. Traveling by way of the Canal Streetcar, switching to the St Charles Streetcar, we got off at Lee Circle and walked the rest of the way to the museum. The large museum is separated into different buildings and exhibits. Upon entering the ticket building in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion we were greeted by veterans who are here every day and volunteer their services at all of the different venues. It was truly inspiring to see so many retired serviceman still giving of their time. Our first stop was the “Train Car Experience” where we boarded a train re-creating the tearful farewells and bittersweet returns of the men and women who went to war. Then we went upstairs to see the “America Goes to War,” “D-Day Invasion of Normandy,” “The Landing Beaches,” and the “D-Day Invasions of the Pacific.” All the exhibits were interactive and very interesting. One of the highlights of the museum was the short movie, “Beyond All Boundaries” produced and narrated by Tom Hanks. The movie is a journey of words and stories of actual WWII participants. The Solomon Victory Theater, where the movie is shown, has a screen 120 feet wide, with 9 digital cinema DPL Projectors. (a regular theater has only one) There are 27 surround sound custom speakers and 250 special effects theater seats that shake when the tanks are rolling by! Many of the props used to make the movie come alive are authentic pieces of equipment. There are 305 archival photographs and 517 film clips of actual footage shot during the war. You will not want to miss this special attraction.

Going outside the exhibits we looked at a WWII Victory Garden complete with posters!

The National WWII Museum

The Marine Corps Band, NOLA

Victory Garden Poster

Victory Garden

Victory Garden Poster

WWII Museum, NOLA

The other feature that I enjoyed was the “USS Tang” experience. Upon entering the submarine we are given actual sailors’ ID cards. Using the ID of the sailor, we were assigned to his station and duty in the sub.

Submarine Sailor ID’s

We had an interactive encounter recreating the last war patrol of America’s most decorated submarine in WWII! What a great time we had visiting the museum! There is the Stage Door Canteen and the American Sector Restaurant to eat in and then to wrap up our day we were entertained by the Marine Corps Band of New Orleans, part of the Memorial Day Concert Series. New Orleans has so much to offer; great food and drink, stunning architecture, history and perseverance. I think you will enjoy including NOLA to your list of “Not to Miss.” Enjoy!

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Travel, Gardens, Food, Photography, Books, Shoes

Posts tagged ‘Photography’

One Word Photo Challenge: Lavender

Weekly Photo Challenge: Texture

Adventures in the Village; from Vienna to Melk

The Burials; Kaisergruft, the Imperial Crypt

Vienna; the Good, the Sad, and the Beautiful

One Word for Vienna: Spotless

Hi, I’m C-A-D-Y and I have I-T-I-S

Cee’s Fun Photo Challenge: Circles and Curves

Absinthe, Pirates, History and the NOLA Charm

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