I’ve always enjoyed learning languages–having studied French and Spanish extensively. Now I’m learning about a whole other side of language learning, the field of markup languages. We’ve looked at HTML and a bit of CSS, each with its own grammar and vocabulary.
All this talk of languages, combined with the celebration of Mardi Gras, or as it is called here in Ireland, Pancake Tuesday, has put me in a very nostalgic mood for my recent trip to New Orleans. Last year, I visited NOLA for the first time, spending spring break away from the relentless winter snow storms that hit the East Coast of the United States, instead enjoying the sunshine in the land of jazz on street corners, hot sauce laced cajun cuisine, and so so so many beads. Anyone looking for a great place to visit in the United States absolutely must consider New Orleans. Where else can you find a hot sauce sampling bar, ride on the oldest street car line still in operation, enjoy gumbo along the Mississippi, and dance the night away?
And as far as literature is concerned, this city has plenty of bragging rights. Just on Pirate Alley (and how can you NOT want to walk down a street with a name like that??), you can find Faulkner House Books–a bookstore in the author’s former home. And let’s not forget those pillowy, sugar-dusted pastries–beignets, best served hot with a cup of chicory coffee. So pick up a classic–book and beignet; you may never want to leave.
The Flying CoddFish 