It is almost Mardi Gras, so let’s check if you know your Mardi Gras trivia.

Your friend from New Orleans gives you a gift of a new jogging outfit.  It is purple, gold, and green.  Do you take this as some sort of fashion insult?

No, it is very fashionable, if you are in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.  Purple, gold, and green are the official Mardi Gras colors.  Purple represents justice, gold represents power, and green represents faith.  These were the original colors selected in 1872 by the Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff.  You may be wondering why a Russian Grand Duke would be selecting New Orleans’ Mardi Gras colors.  Ah, that is a bit a trivia for another day.  Stay tuned!

Technorati tags:  New Orleans, Mardi Gras, purple gold green, Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff

It is coming to be that time of the year again when Mardi Gras is coming to New Orleans.  If you do head down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, don’t forget to take along Geogad’s Mobile Tour of New Orleans French Quarter to help you see the sights.

While everyone focuses on New Orleans, many tourists completely miss out on the small Mardi Gras celebrations that occur in the small towns from All around New Orleans.  It is really a pity.  The parades in New Orleans are great, and they do have the best floats and throws.  But the Mardi Gras parades in the small towns have a fun atmosphere all their own.  They are a chance for the small town citizens to come together and celebrate and show pride in their home.  It is one thing to see a famous star leading a parade.  It is quite another to see your next-door neighbor dressed in costume of a king and leading the parade.  The parades mean more because they include the people that you know.  They become personal and special.

Technorati tags: Mardi Gras, New Orleans, parades, small town, travel

While California is in its perpetual winter, my mind is already jumping ahead to good stuff coming down the road.  Specifically, my thoughts are after the rush of the winter holidays are turning to that next wild set of celebrations, Mardi Gras or Carnival, depending on where you live.  Since I am from the East Coast originally, I always think about New Orleans’ celebration first.  They have really been through some tough times, but they will make it out.  Their residents will stay just so that they will have great seats for the Mardi Gras parades.  And right after Mardi Gras is Jazz Fest, which is a celebration of all that makes New Orleans what it is.  It is the best combination of music, food, and fellow music and food lovers that is somehow unique to that area of the world. 

New Orleans and the area around it worships the good life.  But it is not the good life that you get from money.  It is the good life that comes when you follow your passions. 

Speaking of good New Orleans music, I will be spending part of next week looking for music tracks for updating the Geogad Mobile Tour of New Orleans French Quarter.  I will have to search for and listen to excellent jazz and zydeco music.  Tough job if you can get it. 

Technorati tags:  New Orleans, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, jazz, zydeco, French Quarter