Last Day in Jazz City

Cemeteries are often sites of interest particularly in a historic town or where the cemetery is unusual. New Orleans is an old town so there is historical significance to their cemeteries but also the city itself is very low lying and susceptible to flooding so no ground burials are possible. La Fayette is an historical cemetery seen often in movies where all coffins are interned in burial crypts. The cemetery has rows and rows of them. Some are old, crumbling and neglected, others equally as old have been well maintained over the years and hold many generations of the families.
Although a bit of a hike to The Garden District and the cemetery, we decided to walk. That way we could enjoy the different architecture in this district. This was the British side of the city. The houses are built on larger parcels of land and many of them quite substantial and beautiful. The area has been home to Anne Rice and Nicholas Cage, to name just two notables.
Cemeteries are for burying the dead and La Fayette is still in use so I guess it should not have come as a surprise that when we got there it was closed for a funeral. We had passed a coffee shop back on the corner. Time for lunch. We had also passed a hairdresser so once lunch was taken care of Neil inquired as to whether or not he could have a haircut. Yes come back in an hour.
We thought we could go back to the cemetery, have a walk around and return for the appointment. Cemetery still closed for another two funerals. We passed the time chatting to a lovely young Canadian couple until haircut time.
Haircut done we returned for a last attempt. Others were leaving, cemetery closed for the day. I thought that at least I would get some photos through the gates. As we arrived a caretaker was in the process of locking the gates but was allowing people in if they would exit on the far side and no later than 3.30pm or be locked in for the night. We were the last two in. Yes we would be out by 3.30. No way would I be spending a night in a cemetery, particularly this one. A hound was balefully crying in the distance and I kept expecting the Voo-Doo man to spring out from behind a crypt “Live and Let Die’ style. Perhaps I have seen too many movies.
On the way back we caught one of the cities beautiful old trolleys. They are originals, at least a hundred years old and kept in mint condition.Read more