When the Saints Go Marching In

I had the pleasure of being able to spend last weekend in New Orleans. What a city. This was my third trip there; and every time I go, I do not want to leave.

There are places we go in which one visit is enough. When we return there, we think to ourselves, "Same old place, nothing new here." To some degree, the same could be said of New Orleans. But even among the same old buildings and the same old streets, there is a life found there that is unmatched elsewhere.

I found that to be particularly true while marching through the streets of the French Quarter on Saturday. Yes, that's right, marching through the streets.

Well, if you know me, you know I don't do much marching (unless you count my days in high school marching band). And I do not do much dancing. So for me, it was more like walking. But still, it was pretty darn cool:

My wife and I attended a wedding of some friends. At the end of the reception, the party literally (and planned, I should say) spilled out onto the streets. Led by a small marching jazz band, we were escorted by police through some blocked-off streets of the French Quarter. In the picture above, we are heading down Royal Street toward Canal Street, up to the famous Hotel Monteleone. We took a right turn, then headed the other direction for many blocks up Bourbon Street, before ending at our hotel on Orleans Street, with a powerful rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In.

It was quite an experience. The wedding party danced (or walked, with heads bobbing, in my case) through the streets, cheered on by people lining the streets and balconies. They cheered and cheered and cheered. Simply put, they had no idea what they were cheering for. All they saw was an incredible band marching down the road, with a newlywed couple in front of them and a crowd behind them. But they felt energized by what they were witnessing and they welcomed us to pass by. For a moment, we were all there together, cheering, dancing (or head-bobbing), and enjoying life . . . well, just for the sake of life.

I rarely feel energy like that. New Orleans always gives it to me . . . though never quite like I experienced this past weekend.

That's what travel can do, if we are open to it. It can take us out of our normal surroundings, give us incredible, life-filling experiences, and then place us back into our normal, day-to-day lives changed, refreshed, renewed, perhaps even transformed.

To borrow a phrase from the Red Stripe commercials . . . "Hooray, Travel!"