A lot of people arrived for the tour and we met up across the street from Pat O'Briens.  We were divided into several smaller groups and off we went.  The tour covered a lot of territory and the tour guide set a brisk pace.
   
The guide began his presentation by explaining that New Orleans was originally used by Indians as a sacred burial place. He also said the French Quarter was the only section of the city that wasn't below sea level.  According to Wikipeda, it has an elevation of 3 feet and "... was affected relatively lightly by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, as compared to other areas of the city and the greater region".
   
The next story I remember the tour guide telling was about the fires that destroyed the original city. The Great New Orleans Fire (1788)  destroyed almost every building in town.  This fire was followed six years later by another that destroyed 212 buildings   
       
The tour guide did a great job describing how gruesome the fires were and implied that the souls of those poor people haunted the French Quarter to this day.
  
 
at 632 Dumaine Street in the historic French Quarter is one of the finest 18th century building complexes in Louisiana. Of special interest because it escaped the great fire of 1795, which leveled much of New Orleans, the house is actually a product of the preceding fire of 1788. The structures on the site in the early 1780's were destroyed by the conflagration and Madame John's was erected on the burnt-out lot in 1789. Source:  Louisiana State Museum.
  
At another point during the tour the guide described the horrors of yellow fever and the toll it took on the city.
   
 He explained that the bodies were stacked over waist high in the street (the street that ran by the hotel were I was staying) and went on to describe encounters with the ghosts of some of the 41,000 who perished.
 
Our tour guide was a good story teller, easily keeping everyone's attention.
Once the sun set, I was all about taking pictures of the French Quarter at night.  Being part of a tour group made this a lot safer than walking around alone.
  
 

  

 

RestlessButterfly commented, "judging from the pictures the place looks a bit old-fashioned".  And she was right.  I thought I'd post a picture showing a bit of contrast between the French Quarter and  the more modern New Orleans.  This was taken looking down Royal Street. 
 
This lovely courtyard restaurant was across the street and a couple of doors down from the 905 Royal Hotel.  I didn't eat there.
  
This bridge spans the mighty Mississippi river.  I took the picture while standing atop the levy.
   
 
Christy liked these boots.  I did too. They are quite colorful and seem to be made from a waterproof material.  One pair reminded me of the Beatles' movie Yellow Submarine.
   
This is a great little city vehicle.  If I lived in a city and this thing had a roof, I think it would be a good way to get around.   There were a lot of people riding around on bicycles, scooters, skateboards, and I saw one person on a Segway.
   

    

 I took several pictures of this church so you'll see a few more like this one.
This is St Louis Cathedral, the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States.
   
Ghost tours were quite popular and this tour stopped right across the street from where I was staying.  The next day we went on a haunted tour.  More on that later.