We visited New Orleans once before, four or five years ago, and we wanted to visit one of the old cemeteries on that trip. The guide books all recommended staying clear of them except in an organised tour as they are in less than reputable areas and it was unsafe for tourists, so we decided to skip it.

This time we decided to ignore the warnings and visit Lafayette Cemetery No. 2, the most famous of the New Orleans cemeteries where Anne Rice got her inspiration for her vampire novels.

The guide books were wrong. We parked on a nice, but very old, tree-lined neighbourhood street in the garden district, right outside the gate to the cemetery, and roamed around in perfect safety. Maybe the neighbourhood has changed in recent years. It is quite a beautiful place in a macabre sort of way.

As a father and grandfather, this one did choke me up a little...