Spent a night in Mobile, AL, at a city RV park that has a sister park in Edmundston, NB! Then on to Biloxi, MS, where we had lots of time to walk on the endless white beach, then go to one of the many casinos, where we had fun and ahem... we won't talk about the rest.
So, Mardi Gras. We learnt a lot about the history of this fun, community, family celebration, by searching online and talking to people. There are many "Krewe's", (private, social clubs, that sponsor parades & balls), each group has their own parade, different time, route and theme. Sat. when we arrived at Pontchartrain Landing RV, where we stayed 3 years ago, it was raining and it got worse with downpours and high winds. The RV park has a shuttle to the French Quarter, but many parades were canceled, so we hunkered down and stayed in to keep an eye on our RV, and enjoy the entertainment at the bar in the park. We also watched the parade and ball highlights on TV. The balls are very formal and are often to present the societies' members' daughters as debutantes to their community. really! I had no idea this still happened!
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| the first float of the day, see the people reaching and yelling for beads... |
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| close-up of float, everyone throwing beads |
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Gerry with his booty
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| one of the characters... |
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the gang from St. Louis
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Today, Sunday, we caught the first shuttle at 10:00 and watched 5 parades on Canal St. It's a lot of fun, with everyone visiting with their neighbors and yelling at each float, to throw their necklaces and other goodies out to the crowd. People bring bags to collect the beads in, and some have ladders to sit on. We met some great folk from NO and a group from St. Louis. It was a great experience, highly recommended! We did not stick around to see all the drunks and partying on Bourbon St., we saw a variety of characters in the daylight...
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