Countdown to Mardi Gras

In New Orleans and along this part of the Gulf Coast Mardi Gras season (yes, it's a season here, not a day) is well underway.  As they say, laissez les bons temps roulez!

The French Quarter has the best over-the-top decorations.

But the whole area is decking itself out.

More restrained Mardi Gras decoration in New Orleans' Garden District 

Stands set up for children to watch the Mardi Gras parades (about 40 in all!)

A tree festooned with beads on St. Charles Avenue

This last pic was taken from the St. Charles streetcar, which takes you from the edge of the French Quarter several miles uptown.  The cars are ancient and in wonderful condition.  We were (momentarily) homesick for Toronto.

Back to Mardi Gras -- a traditional seasonal delicacy in this part of the world are king cakes, which apparently you eat anytime after Epiphany (the Twelfth Day of Christmas, in early January) but especially in the run-up to Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras.  They are like big gussied-up doughnuts with a pecan praline, cream cheese, or chocolate filling.  Very yummy.  Ours had a little plastic baby (Jesus?) inside it and the rule is the person who gets the piece with the baby has to buy the king cake the following year.  I got the baby!