The British Invasion!!

The Brits are back! Jean and Gordon arrived in Orlando and they had enough time to get settled in the motorhome with us, down a few margaritas and we were off for our Mardi Gras Adventure. On Thursday, we got into Mobile and managed to find the Baptist Church Parking lot where Charlie and his group of American Coach friends were parked for the Mobile Mardi Gras. Leave it to Charlie to find a spot directly on the parade route. We were the “SOB’s” of the group (“Some other brand”) –the only non-American Coach in the party. But, we were welcomed nonetheless and invited to a feast in the parking lot before the parade.

This was Jean and Gordon’s first Mardi Gras experience and we were doing it all. Mobile actually claims to be the first city in America to celebrate Mardi Gras and has a full 2 ½ weeks of parades and festivities. We managed to collect a huge trash bag full of beads, stuffed animals and moon pies (those southern treats of chocolate covered marshmallow graham crackers).

The next day we were off, slowly making our way through the tight downtown streets of Mobile and on to Rayne, Louisiana for the Cruisin Cajun Mardi Gras Rally.

On Friday, the Brits finally met the Cajuns and it was a match made in heaven. The accents (on either side) didn’t seem to inhibit the conversations and before long, we had both Jean and Gordon out on the dance floor. Since Jean was turning 60 this summer, we decided to do a little pre-birthday party for her at the Friday night dance. She was the center of attention at the Cajun Birthday tradition – first, the birthday girl is seated on a chair in the center of the dance floor while all the men dance around her singing Happy Birthday. Then, she has to dance with each and every one of them.

On Saturday, the Cajuns have their own Mardi Gras Parade, complete with floats and beads. We took our trash bag of treasures from Mobile and donated to the cause. That night, we were all decked out for the Mardi Gras ball. Even the guys wore their “Mardi Gras” ties.

With their first rally under their belts, we headed to John and Brenda’s to experience life on the bayou. The parties continued. On Monday, John and Brenda gathered the group to explore the area. We saw the cemetery where Brenda’s parents are buried, then stopped at Lake Verrett to get a little local color. The little bar by the boat launch was filled with characters. Brenda introduced us to “Blob” (everyone in Cajun country has nicknames). He entertained us with stories, had us howling with his story about bringing an alligator into the bar and sitting down with his new “friend” to have a few drinks.

After seeing Mobile’s version of Mardi Gras, we had to experience John and Brenda’s New Orleans version. We headed out early, bedecked in beads, for the French Quarter. After finding a parking spot, we followed Brenda (always in the lead!) for a stroll through the Quarter. An obligatory stop at Pat O’s (Pat O’Briens) courtyard for a early morning drink. The Brits tried their first “Hurricane”, while we opted for Bloody Mary’s. After years of Mardi Gras celebrations, John and Brenda have had their fill of the traditional Mardi Gras parades. So, our next stop was to get our place at the “Bourbon Street Awards”- the gay costume contest – and the best place to be on Fat Tuesday. The costumes were absolutely amazing! We particularly loved the “Mermaids”. On our way back to the car, we met up with one of them and he invited us to their Mardi Gras ball next year! The Mardi Gras experience was something to behold. The costumes (and, in some cases, the lack of costumes – people who simply “painted” their costumes on) were fantastic. But, as the parades ended, the streets started to swell with drunken revelers and it was time for us to head back home.