Fall leaves

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I was very sad not be in the States for Thanksgiving this year, but on Sunday I had a small turkey dinner for myself and my Canadian friend Christine. Now that we are officially moving away from Autumn and into the holiday season I thought I'd share with you some last remnants of fall: Toronto's fall leaves!

By now most of the leaves have fallen off the trees. We've even seen some snow flurries here in Toronto! So it is time to say farewell to fall and get ready for the winter holidays!

New Orleans

The trip I had been anticipating all fall has finally come to an end now. I had a wonderful stay in New Orleans and a good first experience at the Association for Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies conference. I was so glad to have mom and dad come down to visit. New Orleans is one of those cities better experienced with other people.

The Natchez Riverboat 

Mom, dad, and I took a wonderful cruise

up the Mississippi on this boat! 

Jackson Square and St. Louis Church in the heart

of the French Quarter 

New Orleans is all decked out with

fleur-de-lis and Christmas decorations.

Pirates Alley in the French Quarter:

Beware! 

The colorful and beautifully adorned streets of

the French Quarter. 

The exquisite, hand-crafted masks were one of my favorite

things found in the shops of New Orleans.

In a city known for its mysticism,

palm readers, fortune tellers, and

other diviners were all vying for 

tourist business. 

Also abundant in New Orleans 

are the famous jazz musicians! 

The (in)famous Bourbon Street, which

was raucous every night Thurs-Sun during

my visit. 

At the back of St. Louis Church many local

artisans sold their works. 

St. Louis #1 Cemetery 

Visitors left small gifts as the food of 

the tomb of supposed voodoo 

priestesses in the hopes of having 

a wish granted from the grave. 

Mom and dad in the French Quarter 

To top off our visit we took a leisurely stroll through

the Oak Alley plantation outside of NOLA, followed by

a rowdy viewing of the Saints v. Raiders game at

dad's local Fox and the Hound. 

All in all it was a great trip full of tasty Cajun cooking, great music, and fascinating history as well as some very engaging discussions at the conference. I'm a bit sad to be returning to the colder climes of Toronto, but I'm looking forward to the start of the holiday season soon!