If you do one thing while visiting New Orleans, I would definitely recommend this. The small group is worth it. We were six people in our airboat, plus our guide, and spent two hours out in the bayous of Louisiana.
The bayou is really interesting. On the one hand, there is brackish water and tall reeds, with water plants thrown in for good measure. It's easy to spot the old hunting lodges - they are typically on stilts and visible above the reeds. Travelling at high speeds in some places, I felt like I was in the opening scenes of CSI Miami, except this wasn't the everglades.
And then there are the cyprus swamps. Some are old logging canals, when cyprus trees were being logged. Those ones tended to be long and straight. Others were naturally formed, and twisted and turned as we travelled in the boat. Lush cyprus trees, with over hanging branches covered in spanish moss, turtles sunning themselves on patches of land or driftwood, algae floating delicately on the water in places, birds calling in the distsnce. Paints a beautiful picture, doesn't it? And it is definitely beautiful, and dangerous. There are snakes and alligators. Okay, we didn't see any snakes, but our guide, Steve, told us they are often in the tree branches overhanging the water. Just as well that we didn't see any, because I don't like snakes. But there ARE alligators, lots of alligators, and we did see them. Sometimes they were in the water in the distance. Often, they looked like logs covered in algae, until we got up close and realized that the 'log' had eyes and only the head was visible above the water. Sometimes, they were curious and came up close to the boat.
Bayou crack- ever heard of it? We know it as marshmallows. Throw a white marshmallow in the bayou and watch what happens. Alligators eat them. Seems they are attracted to things that are white. For me with my white hair, that means don't lean over the edge of the boat. Where one eats, others come to investigate, and soon we had three or four at the side of the boat. When Steve took out hot dogs, things got even more interesting. He put a piece of hot dog on the end of a stick about four feet long, and held it out over the water, and lo and behold, the alligators jumped in the air for it. One even got his head on the edge if the boat. Steve told us that alligators can jump about half their body length, so feeding them by hand is a big no no. Put the food on the end of a stick, and stand well back!
On the way back to the dock, Steve stopped the boat, and had a surprise for us in his cooler- a baby alligator. Only about 11 months old, and a foot long, its teeth were like needles and could inflict some painful damage if we were not careful. He showed us how to hold the baby gator. We all took turns, what a treat that was. A great way to end our excursion.
As a bonus, on the way back to the dock, we saw a bald eagle. Got a few good pictures of it, too.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Oak Alley Plantation
Ealier this week, we visited Oak Alley plantation. If you've ever seen Interview with the Vampire, or Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte, you'll recognize the place. If you only visit one of the plantations on the river road, bordering the mighty Mississippi, I would recommend this one. It's definitely like taking a walk back in time.
The plantation dates back to the early 1700s, when an unknown settler planted the row of live oak trees, from which it derives its name. In the 1830s, it was bought by a Creole sugar cane planter, Jacques Roman. Apparently, his young wife was not thrilled with the place, which was then called Beau Sejour, and wanted to spend her time in New Orleans. She considered the plantation out in the boonies.
The plantation house has been restored to its 1830s and 1840s splendour, and you get a good idea of what life would have been like for a Creole planter. The dining room has a table that would easily seat 20. Creoles, to show their wealth, had their silverware in place settings so that the back of the cutlery showed. That way they could display their wealth, because the silver hallmarks on cutlery were always on the backs of the knives, forks, and spoons.
Another interesting custom from the Creoles - only married men, their wives, women and children could live in the big house, or plantation house. Boys, once they reached the age of 15, moved out of the house into a garconiere, where they lived until they got married. Unfortunately, the original garconiere at Oak Alley was demolished in the early 20th century.
The plantation is still a working sugar cane plantation today, and on the grounds, you can still the big sugar kettles. Some are used as planters, or very large flower pots. It's good to see that they are still in use, even if it's not for ithe original purpose.
The best part about the whole tour for me was the alley of live oaks. From the second storey gallery, the view is incredible. A quarter mile of live oaks on either side of a walkway, leading down to the levee at the Mississippi River. In antebellum Louisianna, travel would have been by river. Looking out over the view, I can just imagine a boat pulling up to the plantation dock, disgorging its passengers, who would be met by slaves to take them in a carriage to the big house, where refreshments would await.
Creole ladies were not supposed to drink spirits in front of gentlemen. If they did so, they were not considered ladies. So ladies oftem refreshed themselves with fresh fruit, while the men enjoyed their wine or spirits. Now here's the interesting bit. That fresh fruit..... it was typically soaked in rum
The plantation dates back to the early 1700s, when an unknown settler planted the row of live oak trees, from which it derives its name. In the 1830s, it was bought by a Creole sugar cane planter, Jacques Roman. Apparently, his young wife was not thrilled with the place, which was then called Beau Sejour, and wanted to spend her time in New Orleans. She considered the plantation out in the boonies.
The plantation house has been restored to its 1830s and 1840s splendour, and you get a good idea of what life would have been like for a Creole planter. The dining room has a table that would easily seat 20. Creoles, to show their wealth, had their silverware in place settings so that the back of the cutlery showed. That way they could display their wealth, because the silver hallmarks on cutlery were always on the backs of the knives, forks, and spoons.
Another interesting custom from the Creoles - only married men, their wives, women and children could live in the big house, or plantation house. Boys, once they reached the age of 15, moved out of the house into a garconiere, where they lived until they got married. Unfortunately, the original garconiere at Oak Alley was demolished in the early 20th century.
The plantation is still a working sugar cane plantation today, and on the grounds, you can still the big sugar kettles. Some are used as planters, or very large flower pots. It's good to see that they are still in use, even if it's not for ithe original purpose.
The best part about the whole tour for me was the alley of live oaks. From the second storey gallery, the view is incredible. A quarter mile of live oaks on either side of a walkway, leading down to the levee at the Mississippi River. In antebellum Louisianna, travel would have been by river. Looking out over the view, I can just imagine a boat pulling up to the plantation dock, disgorging its passengers, who would be met by slaves to take them in a carriage to the big house, where refreshments would await.
Creole ladies were not supposed to drink spirits in front of gentlemen. If they did so, they were not considered ladies. So ladies oftem refreshed themselves with fresh fruit, while the men enjoyed their wine or spirits. Now here's the interesting bit. That fresh fruit..... it was typically soaked in rum
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
New Orleans
My sister, Alicia, and I are visiting New Orleans for a week. This is without a doubt one of the friendliest places I have ever been.
The fleur de lys is prominent everwhere here. It was quite a surprise to see it displayed so prominently. But, the fleur de lys has a different meaning than it does back home, where it is the symbol of Quebec, and is largely associated with separatism. Here it symbolises the revitalization of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
The French Quarter, where we are staying, is the oldest part of the city, on the bank of the Mississippi River. It is the original city, and was burned down twice. After the second fire, the city ordered that all new buildings could not be made of wood, rather had to be stone or brick, and had to have some space between buildings, hence the structures we see today with their inner courtyards. As one person said, that requirement really was the first fire code. The architecture is a mixture of French and Spanish influences. I always thought the second storey balconies with the wrought iron railings were French. However our guide on one of the tours we took explained that they were actually a Spanish design. Now that I think of it, it makes sense.
One thing I learned was the difference between a gallery and a balcony. If the structure had a second storey verandah (my word) with supporting pillars underneath from the sidewalk to the underside of the verandah, that's a gallery. The owner of the building had to pay tax on his or her portion of the sidewalk where the gallery existed. If the second storey verandah did not have supporting pillars underneath, that's a balcony. And for the owner, less taxes.
Food here is delicious, and if I'm not careful, I'll undo all the work I've done trying to shed a few pounds. Luckily, Alicia and I have been sharing meals. Hopefully that, and all the walking we've been doing will keep my waistline in check. Blackened shrimp, jambalaya, southern fried chicken, red beans and rice, key lime pie, banana foster ice cream cake - these are some of the dishes we've enjoyed.
Across the street and a few houses up from our hotel is the Beauregard-Keyes House. The house was actually built in the early 1800s, and its chief claim to fame is that it was once rented by General Beauregard (a Confederate general), and was once owned by the author Frances Parkinson Keyes. It's a fine example of a centre hall style house. I thought I would hear a lot more about Gen. Beauregard, and didn't. Thst doesn't mean that I was disappointed, because I wasn't. There are furnishings from the time when the general would have lived there, some of which belonged to his family. And our guide, Ott, did talk about the general. But what I found more interesting was learning about an author I had read oh so many years ago. Mrs. Keyes at first rented the house, and then bought it on the understanding that she would restore it. She was an avid collector of fans and dolls, and you can see much of her collection on display in the house. When we went in, we were given a copy of one of her books to keep. A great keepsake, and a unique way to spark interest.
Unfortunately, this narrative does not have pictures. They will come later, when I've figured out how to work my tablet. But for now, I'll add more stories as I can.
The fleur de lys is prominent everwhere here. It was quite a surprise to see it displayed so prominently. But, the fleur de lys has a different meaning than it does back home, where it is the symbol of Quebec, and is largely associated with separatism. Here it symbolises the revitalization of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
The French Quarter, where we are staying, is the oldest part of the city, on the bank of the Mississippi River. It is the original city, and was burned down twice. After the second fire, the city ordered that all new buildings could not be made of wood, rather had to be stone or brick, and had to have some space between buildings, hence the structures we see today with their inner courtyards. As one person said, that requirement really was the first fire code. The architecture is a mixture of French and Spanish influences. I always thought the second storey balconies with the wrought iron railings were French. However our guide on one of the tours we took explained that they were actually a Spanish design. Now that I think of it, it makes sense.
One thing I learned was the difference between a gallery and a balcony. If the structure had a second storey verandah (my word) with supporting pillars underneath from the sidewalk to the underside of the verandah, that's a gallery. The owner of the building had to pay tax on his or her portion of the sidewalk where the gallery existed. If the second storey verandah did not have supporting pillars underneath, that's a balcony. And for the owner, less taxes.
Food here is delicious, and if I'm not careful, I'll undo all the work I've done trying to shed a few pounds. Luckily, Alicia and I have been sharing meals. Hopefully that, and all the walking we've been doing will keep my waistline in check. Blackened shrimp, jambalaya, southern fried chicken, red beans and rice, key lime pie, banana foster ice cream cake - these are some of the dishes we've enjoyed.
Across the street and a few houses up from our hotel is the Beauregard-Keyes House. The house was actually built in the early 1800s, and its chief claim to fame is that it was once rented by General Beauregard (a Confederate general), and was once owned by the author Frances Parkinson Keyes. It's a fine example of a centre hall style house. I thought I would hear a lot more about Gen. Beauregard, and didn't. Thst doesn't mean that I was disappointed, because I wasn't. There are furnishings from the time when the general would have lived there, some of which belonged to his family. And our guide, Ott, did talk about the general. But what I found more interesting was learning about an author I had read oh so many years ago. Mrs. Keyes at first rented the house, and then bought it on the understanding that she would restore it. She was an avid collector of fans and dolls, and you can see much of her collection on display in the house. When we went in, we were given a copy of one of her books to keep. A great keepsake, and a unique way to spark interest.
Unfortunately, this narrative does not have pictures. They will come later, when I've figured out how to work my tablet. But for now, I'll add more stories as I can.
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