Life After the Cruise
by Nina Sabin - Travel Blog

Five days after getting back home we were off again. Our original plan was to visit family and friends in Louisiana for Thanksgiving by means of an RV. We wanted to travel by an RV so we could bring our cats and not leave them for another five days.

Unfortunately, two days before the cruise was over, we found out that the previous renters had an accident and there was a huge hole in the RV. The owners couldn’t get it fixed and cancelled our reservation.
After 13 hours in a car with my in-laws with stops we arrived at my daughter’s home. A little long but well worth the trip to be able to see our family.

There is nothing better than Thanksgiving with family, friends, and the delicious Thanksgiving meal.

The day after Thanksgiving, we were off exploring Baton Rouge. We have visited before but never with the levy dry. There has not been enough rain and the water level was so low a shipwreck was uncovered. The ship was from the 20th Century.
It was so weird to be walking on the levy where it is usually covered with water.

As we walked down to the shipwreck our shoes were getting heavier and heavier as the mud collected to the soles of our shoes. We couldn’t get the mud off until we were back on the sidewalk.

Next to the levy is the Casino, the USS KIDD Naval Ship and the Old Capital Building. Beautiful architecture is throughout this capital city. What was even more remarkable was seeing the fall foliage throughout Baton Rouge. I was just in awe to see the gorgeous hues of red, yellow, orange and gold. Fall colors sure take my breath away.

The New Capital building has daily tours. The uniqueness of this capital building starts on the stairs with every center step having the states written in order of colonization.

The marble inside is so majestic. It is hard to believe in the 70s the building was bombed. The reconstruction is even better than before. What was really fascinating is a pencil stuck in the ceiling from that explosion.

With Christmas season upon us the capital building had lovely trees decorated where visitors could take pictures.

Walking through the capital building gave me a feeling of being official.
We finished that exploration by visiting Mike, the LSU tiger. There have been 18 Mikes.

Part of going to Louisiana is trying Creole food. A special treat we experienced was a Creole Christmas at Magnolia Mound Plantation. We explored the old plantation and walked through the garden. I don’t think I have ever seen such a big cabbage.
The rest of our visit with family involved shopping, meals, and just being together.
Tomorrow we head back home. No more plans to travel in the near future.
May each of you have a blessed Christmas and special time with your family.
Our next blog will be in the New Year…until then.