Opening Day: Sightseeing and a Scavenger Hunt of the French Quarter

On Sunday morning, we attended an African American Baptist church.  The service began at 10:00 a.m. and ended at 1:10 p.m.  Dave Saul, as our elder in residence, was asked to join their church elders on the stage, and there he remained for the duration.  There was a great deal of singing, and then some praying that turned into singing, and more singing.  The visiting minister finally began the message about 12:30.  James Hopf declared it the best church service he had ever been to, so Craig and Paul—take your cue from there!  Okay, not really. 
 

Becky made reservations on Saturday for a swamp tour Sunday afternoon that was scheduled to begin at 1:30, so needless to say we were running very late.  There were eight people who elected not to go on the swamp tour and wanted to stay behind to explore the downtown area.  The vans pulled over on the side of the road to drop off those eight, and the rest continued on their way, changing clothes in the van as they sped along.

 

The large group made it to Honey Island Swamp Tour about two o’clock where their guide was already waiting for them.  They sat on benches that ran down the sides of the boat and four seats facing the back where the guide explained to them the difference between the private land and public land, and they checked out the swamp houses along the way.  The main attraction, of course, was feeding the alligators.  The guide slapped the water with a stick to attract their attention, and the group fed the alligators hot dogs and marshmallows.

The smaller group walked down Canal Street to Bourbon Street, the very heart of New Orleans.  There were definitely some sights to see!  From there, they made their way to Jackson Square and the Café du Monde where they tried the world famous beignets, delicious warm pastries with loads of powdered sugar.  They also took the ferry boat across the river to Algiers and back, and they shopped along the many stores of the Riverwalk.

The two groups reunited and arrived at the Kaleo Mission about five-thirty Sunday evening.  After a quick dinner of po-boys (sandwiches) and a worship session led by two ladies from a neighborhood church, we unloaded the vans and geared up for the opening activity: a scavenger hunt through the French Quarter.  We were supposed to find and take pictures of items and landmarks, talk to people on the streets, and bring bag a few random items.  We had one hour.  Team 1 (Lisa, Sasha, Narissa, Keylie, Leo, Ruby, and Madyson) returned victorious with 26 points!