Tag Archives: wall art

More from Lafayette, Louisiana

December 4, 2025Louisiana, TravelCathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Lafayette, shrimp creole, wall artkarenfranza

Dec 1 – So this morning we sauntered around beautiful downtown Lafayette to see what there is to see.

We saw the beautiful Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, built by a Dutch architect out of red brick in 1916.

A stroll downtown revealed my very favorite sight – wall art! Enjoy!

For lunch, how about some shrimp creole? Bon appetit!

The Mississippi and Mardi Gras

November 27, 2025Louisiana, TravelMardi Gras World, Marie Laveau, Mississippi River, Port of Call, wall artkarenfranza

Nov 22 – Although we’ve been in New Orleans for almost a week, we have yet to see the Mississippi River. It’s only a block from the heart of town on Canal Street, so we sauntered over to have a look.

This riverboat has a mighty horn and blasted it repeatedly for all to enjoy

It is Saturday, and there is a New Orleans Saints game today. The crowds were phenomenal, and we’re not sure if all the extra people are here for the game, or just because it’s the weekend.

Today is Jim’s conference presentation, so we didn’t get to do much sightseeing. The presentation was a great success.

To celebrate, we went out to dinner with Jim’s colleagues, to the fancy French restaurant Galatoires. We started with turtle soup, which was a first for me. Very good! I had the shrimp étouffée in brown roux, and it was delicious.

Jim ordered the seafood bouillabaisse in a saffron stock, and pronounced it equally excellent. A fine day.

**Nov 23 –** We checked out Marie Laveau’s Voodoo Shop.

Marie, a midwife, healer and hairdresser, was the most famous of the voodoo practitioners of the 1800s.

No pix were permitted inside, so here is what you can see from the door. Incantations for every purpose, and tarot readings upon request.

Mother River statue in front of the Port of New Orleans

Right on the river is Mardi Gras World, a huge warehouse where figures for Mardi Gras parade floats are made and stored.

Most figures are sculpted in styrofoam, covered in papier-mâché, then painted

The figures are reconfigured and repainted as needed

Here is one of the parade floats. Our tour guide was a hoot. He told us that each float contained a porta-potty so the crewe could “oui oui” if necessary.

This is the same company that made all the cows on billboards for Chik Fila’s “Eat Mor Chiken” campaign. We didn’t see any cows today.

So much to see and so colorful! Thank you, Mary, for this recommendation!

On friend Tom’s suggestion, we stopped in at Port of Call for a hamburger and baked potato lunch. We thought we could avoid the crowds by showing up at 3pm, but still had to wait half an hour for a seat. They make a signature rum drink called The Monsoon, and we enjoyed watching people trying to walk after finishing one!

The French Quarter and Tremé

November 22, 2025Louisiana, TravelArmstrong Park, cast iron railings, Congo Square, French Quarter, New Orleans, Po Boys, Tremé, wall artkarenfranza

Nov 19 – Another sunny day with a high of 80 degrees. Fine shirtsleeve weather, breezy and not hot enough to make you sweat. We walked through the French Quarter again today, taking note of the buildings that hug the streets.

The St Louis Cathedral was open, so we popped in to see the inside. It was bright and airy with a painted ceiling.

A feature of the buildings here are the many cast iron columns and railings – more ornate and more brittle than the wrought iron used elsewhere

We overheard a tour guide say that when the US asked for people to donate their iron to make munitions for WWII, the people of New Orleans said, “we will send our sons, but not our iron.”

As we walked north, the buildings got smaller and more colorful

In the Tremé district we found Louis Armstrong Park, built on the site of Congo Square

In the early 1800s, enslaved and free Black people gathered here by the hundreds on Sundays, enjoying their afternoon off dancing and making music together

Tremé became an area known for jazz. Jon Batiste was born here!

There are statues of many jazz greats here, including Louis Armstrong…

…and Mahalia Jackson. The Mahalia Jackson Theatre is just behind.

For today’s authentic New Orleans meal, we sought out NOLA Po Boys, where all the food is spicy! If you can’t handle the spice, ask for it “Yankee” style.

The grilled shrimp po boy did not disappoint!

Off to Rüdesheim am Rhein

July 18, 2025Germany, TravelGermania, Rudescheim-am-Rhein, Siegfried’s Mechanical Museum, Siegfried’s Musikkabinett, wall artkarenfranza

July 15 – Happy birthday to our dear daughter Jae! We packed our bags once again and walk the one minute walk back to the train station. Today our journey is just one hour south to the pretty little town of Rüdesheim, which is right on the Rhine River.

Our first view, walking in from the train station.

Rüdesheim is a stop on the Rhine River tours, and the town was full of cruisers eating ice cream and shopping for souvenirs.

The Church of St. James is on the Camino de Santiago route

Inside we saw James with his pilgrim staff and shell

We decided that this was the town to give in to our bratwurst craving – these didn’t disappoint!

No trip to Rüdesheim is complete without a tour of Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet, a museum of antique music makers

This one played Entry of the Gladiators (the Circus Song) so loud we had to cover our ears

Some were from old merry-go-rounds, with beautiful workmanship

Our tour guide explained how the songs were imprinted on a metal plate

This one had an entire string orchestra and a player piano

Then it was time for – you guessed it – the cable car ride to the top of the hill!

…and the rows of grape vines. This town is known for its winery tours, but as we don’t drink wine, we didn’t investigate those

At the top of the hill was a huge statue called Germania, holding her sword down to indicate a desire for peace. It was built in the 1870s by Kaiser Wilhelm to celebrate the unification of Germany.

…with images of War on one side and Peace on the other

The multitude of soldiers with the Kaiser on his horse at the center

The statue is too huge to take in up close

Then we walked back down the hill through the vineyards

…and back to the river. Rüdesheim, we had a great time!

A Day in Valkenburg

July 12, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, TravelValkenburg, wall artkarenfranza

July 9 – Returning to Valkenburg gave us a sweet sense of deja vu – this is the town where we holed up for eleven days while recovering from COVID way back in 2023. We stayed longer in this town than just about anywhere we’ve ever been. We walked every corner of Valkenburg while regaining our strength.

Here is where we learned to love Albert Heijn supermarkets – Jim has carried his Albert Heijn discount card in his wallet for two years, and was so happy to use it again!

So we didn’t feel the need to explore this lovely town, filled with sidewalk cafes and bustling with tourists. For us it felt like coming home.

We stopped by the Marx Motel, just to make sure it was still there

I couldn’t stop myself from snapping away at the old wall ads on every street

I see they still haven’t refurbished all the wall art

…and the mosaic bench in front of the library

It was a lovely trip down Memory Lane, and yes, we did visit the Albert Heijn. We are feeling nostalgic – our Pieterpad hike ends tomorrow.

Pieterpad: Sittard to Valkenburg

July 11, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, TravelSittard, Valkenburg, wall art, wood carved animalskarenfranza

July 8 – We had an early breakfast and hit the road for our penultimate hiking day. The weather continues cool and cloudy. 15.5 miles planned.

Navigating out of the city – here’s our trail sign

We were immediately climbing a shady, quiet road that featured the stations of the cross on both sides

And then it was back out to the farm fields. Who knew Holland grew so much wheat?

Now, here’s a crop we haven’t seen – cabbages!

Oh my goodness – an animal carved out of a fallen tree trunk. What do you think it is? A boar? A badger?

And here’s another – a large chipmunk, or perhaps a small bear?

I guess you figured out that I love sunflowers

That church spire means we’re passing the town of Puth – we won’t actually go through it, but it lets us know we’ve gone 4 miles

We walked beside a busy highway for a while

A larger than Harvey sized rabbit in a field of potatoes. Thanks to whoever took the time to carve these along the roadside for our amusement!

The little mayor welcomed us back to Valkenburg

Pieterpad: Swalmen to Montfort

July 7, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, TravelB&B Botervleig, gooseberry pie, Montfort, Pieterpad, Swalmen, wall artkarenfranza

July 4 – Another clear and cool day, with temperatures again in the ideal 70s. 14.6 miles planned today.

The nice thing about our customized app is that you know your exact mileage right up to the door of your lodging, instead of a guidebook’s mileage to the town center, plus who knows how much longer til you can actually put your feet up! I’m liking the GUIBO app.

Is the corn as high as an elephant’s eye on the Fourth of July?

We had to walk along the road for a while in an industrial area

The first sunflower we’ve seen, all by itself

This man was looking for buried treasure with his metal detector and a spade. He said he was searching for ancient Roman coins, but all he was finding was old bullets.

It is the Basilica of St. Odilien, but it was not open for us to visit

Near the church is a memorial for those from this town who “died due to war violence”. Many of the names are female. Were they victims of a bombing? Killed for resisting? Sent to a camp? We’ll never know.

This farmer really loves to sculpt his shrubbery

We came to the place where a treasure trove of Roman coins were found. It is thought that a Roman soldier buried them for safekeeping, then never returned.

And now we are in Montfort. Here is the only wall art we found

…and here is a statue of a man and his dog

And now we are at the B&B Botervleig, where we will sleep for the next three nights. Our host Marijke met us with homemade lemonade and a huge slice of gooseberry pie. I think we’re going to like it here!

A Day in Gennep

July 1, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, Travelcarillon, Gennep, wall artkarenfranza

June 28 – Today is a planned zero mile rest day. The pretty little town of Gennep deserves to be seen in great detail.

The toy store sells a wooden jigsaw puzzle featuring the town, with customized puzzle pieces. If Icould fit this in my backpack, I would buy one.

Lots of bikes, as throughout the Netherlands, but this is the first tricycle-built-for-two that we’ve seen

The town hall has a carillon of 25 bells that tinkle sweetly several times an hour – selections range from Ode to Joy to the Yellow Rose of Texas, with a lullaby the last song of the evening

We learned as much of the town history as we could figure out out without English signage

This is the original water spigot that the townspeople used to draw their water, for a fee

The Protestant church was open – very plain inside. The man we spoke to said the church is of the Calvinist tradition, but not especially strict

Mosaics in the square commemorate the 22 Jews who “left” during WWII and never came home

This tower is all that remains of the Roman Catholic Church that was bombed during WWII. We climbed to the top to see the view

There are murals painted inside the tower – see the Pieterpad hiker?

The murals were done by the same artist who painted the overpass on our way into town. I recognize the badger!

The top of the tower didn’t provide a view, but a reminder of the American pilot who died here in WWII. He thought he had crossed the border into Germany and dropped his bombs too soon, then was shot down and died in the crash.

This wall contains insets of some historical buildings

The River Meuse runs along the old city wall

A lovely day in a pretty town – tomorrow, we walk!

Pieterpad: Gennep to Vierlingsbeek

June 30, 2025Hiking, The Netherlands, Travelferry, Gennep, Meuse River, Pieterpad, Vierlingsbeek, wall art, Wildflowerskarenfranza

June 27 – We heard rain early this morning, but it stopped by the time we finished breakfast. Twelve miles planned for this cool and cloudy day.

Programming my phone for today’s itinerary

Good morning, masked horses! The masks help keep the flies out of their eyes

The way markers seem clearer today, or maybe we’re getting smarter? The Pieterpad marker is the red and white in the middle.

A bit of road walking, with a decorated overpass

Take care – chicken crossing ahead! We did not see any chickens…

This was the only cafe we passed by today, but we had already eaten our lunch with a pot of Jim’s good coffee, so we didn’t stop in.

Now, here’s a sign you don’t see every day! An unusual way to alert folks that there is a ferry crossing ahead.

Sitting and waiting for the ferry – how often does it run?

It runs about every five minutes, taking pedestrians, bicyclists and cars across the Meuse River

The ferryman collected one euro from each person, and before we knew it, we were on the other side.

Some more good signage – don’t take this path!

Look in the distance – that must be Vierlingsbeek!

We walked into town and waited on the church steps for Nena from the Hotel de Kroon to come pick us up. The walk to Meerlo is too long for us old folks to complete in one go (24 miles and a bit) so our travel company split it into two 12 mile walking days with a rest day in between. This is the good life!

On to Xanten

June 27, 2025Germany, Travelflowers, wall art, Xantenkarenfranza

June 22 – This morning we took the metro back into Frankfurt, a long train to Duisburg and a short train to Xanten. We were met at the station by Jim’s dear friend Boris and his daughter Sofia. We are here for just a few days so that Jim and Boris can catch up. Then we will start our Pieterpad hike.

Boris and his wife Anke treated us to a wonderful barbecue with grilled eggplant and mushrooms, shish kebab, and all kinds of meat – steak, chicken and sausage. Their son Louis (17 and a student) speaks excellent English, as does Boris and Sofia (23 and a pediatric nurse). Little Emily (6 and just completed kindergarten) was cute as a button.