We’re in New Orleans for the first time since Jeff moved to Boston eight years ago; it’s the departure point for our cruise on the Lower Mississippi, starting Wednesday.

We got to San Jose Airport earlier than we needed, so, as usual, we walked almost the entire length of the terminal to burn off some calories. In the process, we discovered an extension at the north end (gates 30-36) that we’d never seen before this trip – I looked it up later, and it’s been open for more than four years!

Our flights were mostly boring (which I think is the best kind of flight). We had nearly two hours to kill between flights and took advantage of Priority Pass to go to “The Club at DFW” – it’s in two or three disconnected rooms and makes The Club at SJC look like a palace. When we boarded the flight to New Orleans, they said that they expected a rough flight and that there wouldn’t be any beverage service; the seatbelt sign stayed on the entire time, but the flight was mostly smooth anyway.

This was our first encounter with the new New Orleans Airport; it’s a 21st Century airport (unlike the old terminal building, which left nearly everything to be desired). It still has a little personality, but it was mostly Yet Another Airport, at least for the short time we were there.

We took a Lyft into the city; the driver apologized for the car, telling us that it was a short-term rental. He’d been carjacked two weeks ago on St. Charles Avenue near Lee Circle, and was waiting for the police to declare that his car was gone so that insurance would pay for a replacement!

Now we’re comfortably ensconced in the Intercontinental Hote just outside the French Quarter, enjoying watching the lightning and listening to the thunder. My phone just told me the area is under a flood warning, but I think we’ll be OK here on the 9th floor.

When we awoke for our final morning on Celebrity Edge, the ship was docked at the Overseas Passenger Terminal. We had breakfast, complete with a stunning view of the Opera House, and then it was time to disembark.

The process was smooth (carrying our luggage ourselves saved a lot of time). We took the five-minute walk to the Circular Quay Railroad Terminal, bought our tickets, and were at the International Terminal about twenty minutes later.

We did a little last-minute shopping before going to the lounges. United doesn’t have a lounge in Sydney, so we had our choice between Singapore or Air New Zealand – we tried both. Singapore had much faster wifi and someone making coffee drinks to order (the mocha was great); Air New Zealand was a bit more open and modern and appeared to have a better bar. Both lounges were quite busy, probably because of Taylor Swift.

Our flight home arrived at SFO 30 minutes early, which was a pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, seven other flights arrived at about the same time, and it took about an hour before we got our bag. After that, it was a quick ride home, followed by a trip to the Farmers’ Market and Lunardi’s to restock the fridge for the next week.