We did a tour of the cemetery and our guide told us a lot about the different tomb styles and their significance. You might ask yourself what could possibly make you spend two hours on a cemetery but I can tell you that it was very interesting and entertaining. (Did you know that for 185 years New Orleans depended on a canal system much more extensive than that of Venice, Italy? It was 174 km long and did not become obsolete until 1914 when the first pumping and drainage system was installed.) Afterwards, the tour continued with a visit at a Voodoo “Temple” where we met Priestess Miriam. Meeting this lady was definitely a unique experience. I don’t know how you would imagine a Voodoo Priestess; as far as I am concerned, I guess I never thought about it before. And yet she was somehow different from what I would have expected: a black lady in her early 60s, dressed in a colourful Caribbean-style skirt and blouse, who smiled and talked a lot but somehow without saying much. First of all, it was difficult to understand her because of her scratchy erratic voice and local accent. Besides, she was continuously interrupting herself because she was giggling or laughing out loud. At first, I got quite irritated but when I looked around and saw the faces of the other people in the audience, I was relieved to notice that nobody seemed to understand what was funny. As she said herself, some people think she is on drugs and I couldn’t help but wonder if those people were so very wrong. She definitely seemed like not really ‘grounded’.

The Priestess spoke to us for about half an hour but if you ask me what she was talking about – I would have trouble to get it together because it was just so weird and random that it didn’t make much sense to me. Her speech went into all directions, seemed incoherent but could possibly be described as some general advice on life and destiny. We had to sit on the floor in a room of the “temple” which pretty much looked like the museum we visited yesterday. Miriam was standing in front of us and kept talking. After a while it was hard to concentrate and my butt started to hurt. In other words, I wasn’t too sad when she finally finished and our tour was over. In the end, I wouldn’t go as far as calling the whole visit complete nonsense but I must say that I was quite disappointed in my first meeting with a Voodoo Priestess. Somehow I would have wished for a little more contents and spiritual attitude. Call me ignorant but I found this priestess nothing but strange.

(P.S.: Searching the internet I found an article that states Priestess Miriam had been invited to the wedding of Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley that took place in Hawaii in August 2002. The groom had actually asked her to cast a voodoo love spell on his bride in a bid to make sure her third attempt at married life would be her last. Priestess Miriam is cited: “I was surprised and honoured when I found I would actually be performing the blessing for Nic and Lisa Marie. Right after their minister married them, I burned incense and sprinkled perfumes in a circle around them. The words in my blessing were meant to protect and enhance the emotional value of their lives.” – Too bad that it didn’t seem to have worked: Nicolas Cage filed for divorce less than four months after their wedding...)

After this rather irritating experience, we had a quick lunch before we set off for our final activity in New Orleans: Last but not least, I wanted to go on a paddle-steamer cruise on the Mississippi. At 2:30 pm, we boarded the historic steamboat “Natchez”, one of only six remaining authentic steamboats left on river. Before the ship left its landing spot, someone played a steam calliope concert on its roof. A calliope is basically like an organ but works with steam provided by the boat’s engine. The tunes the instrument produces are quite unique: dull but shrill and most notably loud. Once onboard we occupied two chairs on the open-air deck and listened to the Captain’s narration. He told us about the highlights of one of the world’s busiest ports and interesting facts about the sights we saw during the trip, like for example the biggest sugar refinery in the world. He also pointed out where it was clearly visible that parts of New Orleans are built up to 10 m below sea level (we could only see the houses’ roofs behind the dike banks) and passing the impressive Greater New Orleans Bridge (built in 1958 and spanning over 480 m), he said that only 1/3 of the steel mass used to construct the bridge’s gigantic pillars was actually visible above the water – the remaining 2/3 are entirely below the surface... Since yesterday afternoon the weather had improved tremendously and it was hot and sunny now. We spent the first hour sitting on deck (which would give both of us a sunburn tomorrow) and then went for a snack in the boat’s restaurant where a live band performed a jazz concert. Afterwards we toured the engine room where signboards explained how steam powers the engines to turn the enormous paddlewheel and to provide energy for the tunes of the calliope. As it turned out, this two-hour cruise was a very relaxing and worthy closure of our weekend.

When we got off the boat, we still had a little over an hour before our ticket for the car parking expired, so we took the time for a last stroll in the French Quarter, trying to follow Lonely Planet’s suggested walking tour. Basically, we passed what we already saw in the last 48 hours but that didn’t mean any of the buildings or monuments were less impressive than the first time I saw them. On Jackson Square we ran into a small crowd of people watching one of the street artists. It was a man, almost dressed like a clown, but actually performing magic tricks. The guy was really good and I loved watching him. At some point he asked people from the audience to examine a rope to make sure it wasn’t fake. Then he took a pair of scissors and cut the rope into pieces. I have no idea how he did it but next thing you know, he tied some knots and suddenly, the pieces came all back together and the rope was intact again! At 6 pm we finally returned to the car and drove back to Pensacola.

To come up with some sort of a final conclusion, I can only say that New Orleans is a stunning city. It is beautiful, sensual, exciting, and definitely one of the most atmospheric cities I have ever visited. Its vibrant culture is alive all over the place and the blend of European, African and Caribbean heritage results in a unique ambience and a very special flair. Overall, New Orleans is an unforgettable experience.

P.S.: For more information on New Orleans, please visit www.neworleansonline.com.