Back in the Big Easy.

A little over a week ago I made the journey back across the Atlantic to New Orleans. The weather has been gorgeous, and it's so wonderful spending time with family, though I'm definitely missing this guy:

It's a transition, especially with the time change. It has been much easier than I imagined, but still by early evening I feel something like a zombie... that should clear up soon. So much is in bloom now, check out this lovely flower, it reminds me of a paper lantern.

Mardi Gras Mambo

Just a lil' Mambo for you this Mardi Gras Season. Wooo!

happy mardi gras + pancake day!

As I was talking to the family Sunday afternoon, everyone was getting ready for a full day of parades! That evening Bacchus, one of our favorites, rolled down the Avenue, followed by Endymion, which was postponed due to a rough rainstorm yesterday. It's sure to have been a fun time! There's something really special about Mardi Gras and it isn't just the booze and glitzy beads, it's also that people of all different backgrounds, and from all walks of life come together in the streets to celebrate for a good time, it's just lovely. I wish everyone back home a very, very Happy Mardi Gras.


On our end, I made a king cake for the celebrations! It was truly delicious and Ray thinks it's just about the greatest thing ever. England as a whole doesn't celebrate Mardi Gras, but they do celebrate Pancake Day (also known as Shrove Tuesday). Because pancakes have eggs, butter and fat ...all things forbidden during Lent... almost everyone eats pancakes before the start of Lent. From the research I've done...English pancakes are more of what we consider to be crepes in the States, yum!

London! part III

After eating our Thai food we found a route headed towards Charing Cross Road... a good place to find bookstores. And there were plenty, both used and new, & I found one specifically carrying rare first editions!


Here are a few street photos I took along the way...

En route to Charing Cross Road we happened upon Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. The name of the square is in remembrance of The Battle of Trafalgar (1805) which was a British Naval victory during the Napoleonic Wars. The square is used for community gatherings, political demonstrations and for the New Year's Eve celebration in London. 
At the National Gallery we were excited to see a few of Jan van Eyck's paintings including the Arnolfini portrait (1434):

seeing the painting this time around I couldn't help but notice the largeness of Giovanni's hat,
the peculiar looking shoes, and notice how long his wife's fingers look...Fascinating!

and van Eyck's Portrait of a Man (1433), which might be a self portrait. Among others we saw Paolo Uccello's The Battle of San Romano (1438-40), a few pieces by Diego Velázquez, Peter Paul Rubens, and Rembrandt. If I had time I'd go back and check out the Vermeer and the van Gogh! The portrait work done in those days is astounding, makes me really appreciate the ones that are painted today as well. 

in this little side street were many book shops and stores with old prints

believe it or not, I can't tell you what any of these taste like... only looking!

stopping for a coffee break amid our bookstore visits.

Here is Ray posing with some street art we found on the way back to the flat... Space Invaders... we had just watched Banksy's movie, Exit through the Gift Shop, which made mention of him!

The following morning we got a good start and went for breakfast at a little French bakery and coffee shop called, Paul. We headed back to the Tate, then gave ourselves time to meander our way to the train station stopping at a few shops of interest along the way before heading home.

YUM