New Orleans Art Inner Journey

There was so much art to be seen in this historic city. The art forms range from street art, landscapes, culture, buildings, native people, and events. I got to see and visit many different art galleries. The art used was so different in every gallery. There was textured paintings, watercolors, sculptures, paper mache, and photography. The one art gallery that stuck out the most too me was Michalopoulos art gallery. This was a gallery that me and my friends had just walked upon in our free time as we were exploring the streets of New Orleans. This one stuck out the most to me because this artist was one that I had done some research on prior to leaving for trip and that I was personally interested in. I think it was fate for us to just walk right into it when we weren't looking for it. Michalopoulos paintings are very abstract and show a lot of depth in them. He incorporates the swaying look in his paintings and giving that abstract feel. I get lost viewing his paintings and my imagination kicks in to where I put myself in the photo. He does a lot of paintings of buildings and architecture in New Orleans. His paintings use very vibrant colors and feature exaggerated viewpoints and perspectives. A lot of his paintings are looking up at a building or show a whole street from the closest building the the farthest. He really depicts the depth and makes it feel very real. I find his work very intriguing and art that I would love to put up in remembrance of New orleans in my own house if I had the budget to afford it.

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New Orleans Art Outer Journey

Walking down the gorgeous street of Bienville, a bright red sign catches my eye. The sun hitting the bright red almost hurts your eyes to look at. The red sign says Michalopoulos. A famous New Orleans artist who I was very intrigued to see. The bright sun is gleaming into the clear wide windows, showcasing the artsy inside of the small gallery. Walking through the rustic wood doorway, my eyes get swooped away by vibrant colors standing out off the white wooden walls. The walls are filled with such distinct paintings that give the feel that you are swaying sideways with the paintings. People are drawn into the creativity of all the art standing out in the small room. Strangers faces light up with amusement and happiness while being captivated by the beauty in such art. The large square windows are wide open, letting the sun beams and warmth into the gallery. I become lost in this specific scene of an old historic house in the cool night. The captivating moon above the house gives off the beauty and mystery of the night sky. The curved sidewalk around the house gives the painting such depth. The brush strokes and color usage in the painting creates a confused feeling that makes it more real and authentic. I get lost in this painting, pretending that I am sitting on the long white balcony, looking out at the sunset and the strangers walking the streets of New Orleans. 

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The Golden Lantern Outer Journey

One music and art performance that I got to experience was a drag show. Upon entering the Golden Lantern in the evening, it was cavernous and dark. The room was lined with colorful characters. Immediately to the left there has a small, square stage with brightly colored lights. I was standing on the cold hard floor, in the small crowded bar with my friends jamming out to the opener of the show and dancing, awaiting this new experience. I look around at all the different types of people in there ranging from young, old, men, women, dressed up, casual, straight and gay. There are smiles on everyone’s face and I hear laughter. The rumbling of the bass was vibrating the floor and my feet. The opener was strumming his guitar, singing songs that everyone could sing along to. In between songs he would keep the crowd entertained with funny jokes and antidotes. Everyone was laughing away with their friends, patiently waiting for the queens to come out. The opener finished his set and announced the queens will be on shortly and everyone waited in anticipation for the beautiful dressed men to entertain them. Suddenly the lights dimmed and a song comes on, the bright spotlight shines on the vibrantly dressed queen while she struts onto the stage. The first words out of her mouth aren’t really words. She is lip singing and shaking her hips. The crowd sings and screams and starts throwing fists full of dollars. The show has begun and I can hardly contain my excitement.

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Jazz music Inner Journey

New Orleans is known for their Jazz music. I have heard a lot of different music being played in the city. From jazz musicians playing out on the streets to jazz bands. I have seen children tap dancing with tambourines or bells on their feet. I have heard a lot of different singers as well. Some have been on the street, playing for money and some I have heard in clubs. One band that I thoroughly enjoyed was at a small bar on Bourbon street that we came upon one night. The band was two piano players that both sang, and one drummer. I thought they were wonderful musicians and there sound was beautiful. They played all sorts of different music, from oldies rock and blues to newer pop artists. They did not sing their own original music, but played others. Another one of my favorites was this one band of women, men, and children that were on the street. They had the clarinet, trumpet and drums going and sang naturally. They played real authentic jazz music. I was thoroughly impressed. So many people had stopped to listen to their music and give them money. I admired their passion and musical abilities. They were selling their original cd’s as well. I loved getting the opportunity to hear them and appreciate their art form. I find it amazing that there are so many different musicians willing to spend their time doing what they love performing for people to enjoy and have fun listening to. I love watching performers do what they love but you can tell how passionate they are about it and how much they really enjoy expressing their art form.

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Goodbye New Orleans Outer Journey

The smell of the fresh soft, crisped Beignets made Cafe du Monde one of my favorite places to go in New Orleans.  The beautiful scenery from sitting outside under the green tent of the building, made the experience very pleasant. Being able to enjoy my tasty, bold warm coffee and feel the cool breeze hit my face was very comforting. The warm sunshine warming your body in the cool morning is perfect. Looking over across the street is the beautiful historic Jackson Square, which houses the Andrew Jackson statue, the Cathedral, Cabildo, and the Presbyter. The dark green, fresh bushes and trees surrounding the square and the sun glistening off of the statue is jaw droppingly gorgeous. Right in front of you, on the edge of the street is local jazz musicians playing music all day. You can hear the trumpets buzzing, the clarinets high pitched squeal, and the voices of people singing chanting songs. A whole jazz musical performance happens right in front of you while you enjoy a delicious beignet. The warm crisp beignets melt in your mouth with each bite, and the powdered sugar sticks to the roof of your mouth and melts away down your throat. Sipping on a hot coffee made with chicory. It adds this bolder flavor to the coffee. Eating there delicious beignets with a wonderful coffee, in a beautiful scenery makes it a perfect relaxing place to go and must visit Café in New Orleans.

Photo by Stephanie Jones

Goodbye New Orleans Inner Journey

My favorite part of the class was getting to experience with blogging my experiences. I really enjoy being able to express my daily adventures, thoughts and feelings. I liked getting the practice in writing better and using more descriptive words. I enjoyed being able to share my blog with my friends and family and them getting to follow along with that I was doing and viewing my perspectives on everything. Blogging was my favorite because I got to express my thoughts and It is a great remembrance I can keep of my experience of the city. My favorite part of the trip was getting to try new cultural foods and expanding my taste buds. I was thoroughly surprised at how delicious the foods were. I was kind of concerned about trying some of the foods such as oysters, alligator, and turtle soup. I ended up liking the flavors of most of the foods. I realize it is more of a mind thing for me not eating these foods before, rather than the actual flavors of the food. I learned that I very much enjoy real people’s art and getting to explore a new area. I loved learning about the history of Pharmaceuticals in the 19th century. I learned that the people of New Orleans are very open, loud, and expressive. There is so much personal expression and music everywhere. There is also a lot of homeless people on the streets, which I am not personally used to seeing very much because I grew up and live in a small town. I learned that I am horrible with directions, especially in a new place. It took me until about the last day to really learn the roads and which way was back to the hotel. I learned that I am not good at traveling far. I definitely have a hard time getting adjusted to a new scenery and the whole traveling on a train as well. 

Michalopoulos Outer Journey

Viewing all the artistically different art galleries was  my favorite. Each had beauty and style of their own. Walking down the street, this bright red sign glistening from the sun and vibrant abstract paintings in the large square windows of this one particular art gallery jumped out at me. The red sign hanging high at the top of the rustic old, white wood door said Michalopoulos. A huge smile appeared on my face as I realized that this is the gallery of one of the famous painters I researched about. Walking into the gallery, through the big white doors, so many vibrant colors popping out from the solid white walls. People are lost in their imagination while staring into the paintings. Strangers faces are being taken into the beauty of art. I am drawn in to this one specific painting at first. The vibrant yellow paint catches me eyes. I examine the painting with its rough paint strokes adding in texture to it. I am blown away with how beautiful this painting is to me. The yellow painting of an old building in New Orleans on the street corner, drew my eyes into it. The abstract brush strokes of the extended street create such depth that made me feel like I am standing on the street corner. The yellow paint surrounding the light post brings real light into the painting. The different coloring used in the street and sidewalks brings abstract into the painting and gives you the feel of a bumpy sidewalk. I absolutely adored this painting. 

 
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Pharmacy Museum Inner Journey

Today the spoke to me through 19th century pharmaceuticals. I visited the first ever licensed pharmacy in the United States. New Orleans was the first city in the U.S. to ever have any licensed medical practice. Louis J. Dufilho Jr. was America's first licensed Pharmacist. He opened up this pharmacy in 1816. It was a little surprising to hear that New Orleans held the first Pharmacy ever. I had the opportunity to really get a lot of background in the Pharmacy tour and to see the medicine and healing practices in this pharmacy blew my mind. This was my favorite part of the day. 

 

I cannot believe and imagine living in this time frame, worrying about dying from sickness all the time, and using these "medicines" to help me. They used many types of pain management such as alcohol, opium, mescal, and needle injections with heroin and morphine. In the 19th century there was no knowledge of how diseases were spread, and contraceptives were not allowed in the City of New Orleans, the Roman Catholics. The city was filled with sickness, especially during the summer times. Some of the diseases that were prevalent were Syphilis, diphtheria, cholera, malaria, and yellow fever being the largest deadly killer. The pharmacy was more used as a pain management and to purchase items that would distract you from whatever disease you had contracted. The death rates were outrageous. There were no cures or any idea how to even stop or prevent any of these diseases from happening. It was just known that most people in New orleans at this time died, unless they left during the major disease epidemics. I think this is very upsetting to hear about. Listening to the tour guide talk about all the different things they used to help people was jaw clenching and terrifying. I would not have wanted to live here at all during the 19th century. I also absolutely loved this tour and hearing about how pharmaceuticals were back then in the first ever pharmacy in the U.S. Since I am a nursing major, this really struck my interest. It is amazing to see how far pharmaceutical practice and medicines have evolved since the very beginning. Pharmaceutical industry really is a live and learn type of practice. Who knows if we would have become this advanced in practice without all the previous mistakes and problems we have experienced. This really fascinates me to learn about and I would love to do more research myself on the history.

 

 

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Mardi Gras Parade

The kick off to carnival started with the Joan of Arc parade, the cobble stone streets where filled with vibrant masks, elaborate costumes and variety of people. Hearing the historic story of Joan of Arc and why she is celebrated brought chills up my spine. She was a 19 year old girl who did wonderful things for the city and the French and then was shamed and put on a stake with flames burning her flesh and cripsing her body to there was nothing but ashes left of her remains because they thought of her as a Heretic. They soon realized they made a huge mistake and now she is a huge part of New Orleans and is now remembered as a hero and is celebrated. All of the bright, vibrant colors of strangers clothing and masks, to all the drums banging, trumpets buzzing, metal clashing of the tambourines playing in the bands made the experience very intimate for me. While standing on the edge of the black, cold, iron fence watching the parade go by and peoples smiling faces, I felt happy. Looking over people who are standing on the sidewalk in the dark moonlight I catch the lights gleaming out of the St Louis Cathedral and the Cabildo windows. I suddenly feel this realization that I am actually here, standing in front of very famous, historic and beautiful architecture that carries so much meaning. I see faces of strangers smiling, dancing, and hands in the air cheering on the parade. I hear laughter and wonderful music being played from the bands. The intimate experience of getting to be apart of people's culture puts a smile on my face. 

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Free Day Inner Journey

Getting to explore the busy city of New Orleans on my own terms was wonderful. I enjoyed being able to stop at places that I wanted to stop at and not have to hurry and be scheduled the whole day. This has been a lot of walking during trip so it was nice to take it a little slower. Exploring the city on my own has taught me that I really am horrible at directions and remembering where to go. I am glad that I am with friends who are better than I am, to be the guide. The city spoke to me today through art. I absolutely loved being able to check out all the street art for sale. I find the art that people do absolutely beautiful and impressive. I got to talk with one of the artists in person. His name was Alan Zakem, he travels around the world and photographs scenery and nature as his career. I found all of his pieces completely stunning, that I bought one. I also experienced art of the city by watching the parade start off  Mardi Gras, or as it is called in New Orleans, The Carnival. They did a whole set celebrating Joan of Arc's 100th year of being a Saint. She is known as a national heroin of France by the age of 18, but the English claimed her a heretic and burned her at the stake a year later. They realized that they made a mistake because she helped free France from the English in the Hundred Years War, and now she is a celebrated every year and remembered for all the great she had done. The parade was full of people all dressed up in masks, costumes, knights and saints. The sidewalks are filled with people celebrating, playing music, drinking, and being themselves. It was so awesome to be apart of. My friends and I dressed up as well in mardi gras colors and bought masks to wear while watching the parade to feel more apart of it. It was so much fun to watch and see how much the City puts into their celebration and how much fun everyone has. I love how much culture there is and how people can just be more open and different here and it is not as noticed or frowned upon. It made me happy to get to see the different culture and all the happy faces. 

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Hurricane Katrina Outer Journey

Entering the enormous wooden white doors to the historic Presbyter, I was greeted with an exhibit dedicated to the events of Hurricane Katrina. This natural disaster stuck out the most to me. This maze like exhibit was dark and a wave of emotion came over me. Voices of first responders, victims and news broadcasts filled my ears. They talked about all the damage and destruction that this horrific event had caused. The tone of their voices sounded sad, scared and desperate for help. Chills ran up my spine walking through the dark halls and an instant feeling of worry and sadness washed over me. There was a room with cracks and booms of thunder, flashes of lighting where it feel like you were in the middle of the storm. Footage of the destruction from the Hurricane showed people struggling to survive, cope, and understand what was happening. Powerful winds blew around me, putting goosebumps on my skin. The strength of the winds through the trees and water plunging into wood buildings while crashing them down filled my ear drums. I felt like I was really there experiencing this terror. Goosebumps roughened my skin the entire walk through. There were smaller screens displaying even more in depth interviews of peoples innermost feelings and concerns who lived through the disaster. I was holding back my flooding eyes as I was listening to this woman calling in for help. Worry and trembles in her aching voice, calling for FEMA. Her loud, scared voice expressing her concerns to responders, as she was in the attic of her flooded house broke my heart. Saddened emotions overcame me. 

 
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Portrait of Humanity Inner Journey

The City spoke to me today through History. I learned that there is a lot of history with this City and also destruction. Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2005. It destroyed so much of the City and peoples lived. I remember hearing about it when it happened and thinking it was terrible for them, but today I got tot really learn about how badly it was for them, and learn how unprepared they were and FEMA for the hurricane, and how they managed to get the city back in order. Today we visited two famous buildings. The Cabildo and the Presbytere, which are placed each side of the St. Louis Cathedral. The Cabildo was built to be the Town Hall for New Orleans Louisiana. The Presbytere was built to be the residence for the Priest. It ended up being the building for the Louisiana Supreme Court. Now the Cabildo and the Presbytere are a Museum for Louisiana history. Both of these building house so much history and absolutely beautiful to be in and look at. My favorite exhibit is in the Cabildo, on one of their side rooms. This room is called the Portrait of Humanity.

This exhibit is newer, but it really spoke to me and I thought the meaning behind it is amazing. Portrait of humanity is a global collaborative exhibition, done by many different photographers around the world. It is meant to show everyone that there is more similarity between all of us, than differences that separate us all. The photographs in this room made me feel so real las a human and makes you feel relatable to the rest of the world. We all live different types of lives. We all live in different regions, towns, have different jobs, skin colors, interests, families and ways of life. This exhibit shows that no matter where we come from we all are bound by likeness as well. We all laugh, cry, have hardships, express love, experience death, work for a living, struggle, excel at something, and experience moments of reflection. I absolutely loved viewing these photographs and reading about them. It is wonderful to see that people really feel this way and are not hateful or being judgemental. It just shows the realities of human life from people all around the world. This room is to show us that we are all human that have feelings and families and no one should feel seperated. 

 

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The Cuisine Tour Inner Journey

The City spoke to me through food today. I had the opportunity to go to some of the most famous restaurants in New Orleans. I got to learn some of the Creole cooking ways and all the different spices and cooking materials they use. The Cuisine Tour was something I was very excited to get to do and was looking forward to, mainly because I love food, but who doesn't. I was very interested in trying new things and being able to say that I have tried that. Before the Cuisine Tour, I had went to a restaurant called Pierre Maspero. There I got the opportunity to try alligator. My friend ordered blackened alligator and that was something I was told I had to try because it was very good. I was surprised at how good it was. When we didn't get the fried alligator I got really worried because then I was really trying alligator meat. It turned out to be an amazing dish and I enjoyed it. That was the beginning of my food journey. The first stop on the Cuisine tour I got to try the famous Brisket at the Tujague's. I thought their Brisket was absolutely amazing. I loved the horseradish sauce mix they had on it. I got to try seafood gumbo for the first time. It had oysters in it and shrimp. I had never tried oysters before so I was very freaked out about trying this dish. I thought it was pretty good. The texture of the oyster was very soft and it didn't taste fishy at all to me. I was very happy to get to visit and learn about the different restaurants and their history, and to get to sample some of their dishes. I love the spicy flavors of Creole food. I loved learning the difference between Creole and Cajun food. There are a lot of differences apparently between the two that I was not aware of. Creole food used a lot of horseradish and tomato based foods. Cajun dishes use a lot more spices and make their food spicier because they cook and eat all the gamey meat. Creole dishes use lighter rouse, and Cajun dishes use the darkest rouse. I very much enjoyed learning about all the different foods and getting to try them.

 
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The Cuisine Tour Outer Journey

Today I got to try many of New Orleans best cuisines. There was so many different restaurants and flavors that I had the opportunity to try. The first place that we went to was Tujague's. It is the second oldest restaurant in New Orleans. There I tried their famous Brisket. It was so tender, juicy, and flavorful on a soft, french baguette. They top the Brisket with their famous horseradish sauce, lettuce and tomato. The horseradish sauce made that sandwich what it is. The second place I went was Creole Delicacies. This was a small gourmet and Kitchen shop, that sells Creole seasonings, spices, and Creole foods. We ate it in the beautiful courtyard, outside of the building. There was a light breeze blowing through my hair and blowing all the bold spices and food under your nose. It was the perfect temperature of about 60 degree fahrenheit, the sunny was shining bright and you could feel the warmth on your skin. There was a real Creole woman who made us Creole red beans and rice and mardi gras dip. There was a large pot on a burner where steam was coming off the top of it. She had all the Creole seasonings sitting out in front of her on this tall small black table. When I took my first bite of the dish, my taste buds lit up with excitement. I have always been a rice fan and just recently getting into different kinds of beans. The beans in this dish melted in your mouth and the rice was so tender and flavorful. I added the Creole hot sauce to it and it made it gave it a bit of a kick in your mouth. The red beans and rice were a delicious dish. The mardi gras dip was also very tasty. The dip was thick, creamy and wonderful. It tasted like a bolder, spicier, thicker french onion dip with horseradish sauce in it. Dipping the fresh potato chips in the dip was the perfect flavor for your taste buds. The next place that I had some very different food that I have not had to the opportunity to try before was Ramloude. There I had turtle soup and Remoulade. Ramloude is boiled shrimp covered in Remoulade sauce which is horseradish, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, and other Creole spices, served cold. I was taken by surprise when I bit into the shrimp because I was expecting it to be hot and not cold. The shrimp had a very bold flavor and was very spicy. It had a spicy lingering flavor in the mouth. The turtle soup was a dark rouse. It was a thicker rouse, with little bits of turtle chopped in it. I could taste the stringy consistency of turtle in the soup, with the crunchy bites of the holy trinity with it. The rouse was very flavorful and covered the gamey taste of turtle pretty well. I am very glad that I got to try so many new foods. 

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The Arrival Inner Journey

While stepping off the train I feel very excited and relieved to get off of the train. I am glad that it is raining because it feels refreshing and wakes me up a little bit. My body feels achy from sitting on the train so long. Everyone is in a hurry to grab their belongings and move on to their destinations. There is no orderly line to grab luggage, everyone just runs into each other and picks out their luggage. I feel rushed to get an Uber to come pick us up so we can all shower and look somewhat appropriate to go out to eat a nice dinner. I am very interested in going onto this Haunted History Tour in the City, to get a feel and better view of what the New Orleans beholds and to learn some information about the City. Walking to our hotel room, is a long walk from the elevator. I just wanted to get in the room to relax for a minute, and it felt like a long walk with all my luggage weighing me down. I feel so happy and content as we unlock the room door and throw our belongings down. We now have an hour for all three of us to shower and get ready. I feel like everything has been very rushed upon Arrival, which makes sense because we have a lot of we need to see and do. As I am finally clean and getting ready, a wave of excitement comes over me. I feel more energetic now and excited for the night and the rest of the week. I now don't feel so rushed, just happy to finally be here in this beautiful City That Speaks!

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The Arrival Outer Journey

Stepping off the train, my olfactory senses are flooded with the mouth watering smells of the delicious foods of New Orleans. I get whiffs of spicy, bold flavors. The smell gets me excited. Everyone is hurrying off the train trying to get their luggage and get on their way. There is long strides in everyone's step. People are running into other people, in a hurry. There is an impatience in every stranger. Grabbing luggage was hectic while the train baggage attendant gathered all of the luggage. People briskly stepped to grab their belongings, people shoving in front of each other. Rain trickles down on the metal tent covering. Water flings up at my legs with every step. People crowd the wet pavement in front of the loud, busy train station waiting for their Uber's and taxi's. Police sirens are going off every so often. Water falling from the sky creates puddles on the pavement were standing on. Water splashes with every step. Splatters of the rain hitting the vehicles pulling up to the curb fill my ear. Standing at the edge of the sidewalk, with the weight of all my extra, unnecessary bags weighing we down. I am waiting in anticipation to hop in the next vehicle that pulls up because of the rush and hurry we are all in. I notice a man with a rushed and worried look in his face stopped in the left drive up lane for awhile. A metal hanger clanks his window in his blue, mini Jeep as he tries to unlock his vehicle. A blue, large minivan pulls up as me and my friends weighted down with luggage walk towards the unfamiliar vehicle. A Women dressed in a multicolor dress wearing a hijab steps out of the vehicle ready to help us fill the big space in her mini van. The large, cold water droplets splash on my head feels refreshing. Vehicles are passing each other, the blocks are very short, streets are congested. Red and Blue lights flash as a cop car passes by us. I arrive to this tall beige building that says Springhill Suites by Marriott. 

Train Ride Inner Journey

I have only been on a train one other time before this. I have not been on a plane yet, I have only traveled by car. So you could say that I'm a little "inexperienced" in the traveling ways. Riding on a train for the second time in my life, for a lot longer than I had the first time, I have learned a few things for sure. For one, I realized I need to pack better for comfort. Instead of tennis shoes, I should have brought comfy slippers or moccasins to wear so I don't sleep in uncomfortable shoes. I now know to bring a sleeping eye mask to cover my eyes from the lights, so the lights don't keep me awake at night. I didn't pack my toothbrush in one of my carry on bags, I packed it in my check in bags. That was a mistake. Especially after having coffee this morning when I really wanted to brush my teeth. I know to dress better now for sleeping on a train. I will make sure to wear a shirt underneath my sweatshirt, since I got super hot last night and realized I can't take my sweatshirt off. The most important thing I learned, is to appreciate the stillness and peacefulness of sleeping on a train with faces I don't know. I had a calm moment of realization that every single person on this train is on their own personal journey in life. We are all put on this same train to make it to one of our destinations in life. I am sure I'm not the only one on this train running out patience from sitting so long on a bumpy train, or forgot their toothbrush. We all have different paths to walk in life, but experience a lot of the same things in different ways. I find individual journeys of life to be amazing.

The Train Ride Outer Journey

Traveling seventeen hours by train, mostly with faces I do not know, I am distant. I have my close friends that are experiencing this new city with me, but also a lot of new faces that I have to get to know still. I awaken from my sound sleep to the train shaking on the tracks. I feel sweaty and hot from the sweatshirt on my back and a very soft comfy blanket laid upon me. The cloth memory foam neck pillow constricting my neck. I'm sitting in this hard, leaned back train seat trying to readjust and get comfortable so I can fall back asleep with my neck clenched, body sunken in the seat with a little sharp achy pain in my lower back. I hear the train horn going off every minute or so. It sounds like a very loud whistle and a tea pot going off at the same. I'm sitting by the window I can feel the cold night stir on my arm as it is leaning against the window. The lights at the top of the ceiling are blue and white and dimmed, but still bright enough to be noticed by the closed human eye. The train sways back and forth and rocks rougher every so often. It is a bumpy ride to New Orleans. With my uncomfortable seat, loud train noises and shaking of the train driving on the tracks, I feel at peace. I don't hear a peep coming out of anyone right now. All my fellow students are laid down in their seats, leaned all the way back, looking cozy covered in their soft warm blankets and pillows. All of us on the train are just trying to get comfortable enough to get some sleep. Trains are not as comfortable as my bed, but they will do the job for me to make it to The City That Speaks.

 
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