Sunday 6 January - New Orleans

Woke to rain this morning, not heavy but enough to make a change in plans necessary. Had planned to do an escorted tour of the St Louis Cemetery at 10.00am but instead put Plan B into action and after a very tasty breakfast prepared by our host Cindy headed in the car to the east of New Orleans and across the Mississippi to visit two restored plantations.  We had rain most of the way but it lifted when we reached the road beside the Mississippi where we were to visit the plantations. Both had been sugar cane plantations and were still producing cane today. The first plantation, Laura, was a creole (French) plantation and the actual homestead which was built in the early 1800s reminded us of an old Queenslander except for the use of timber and brick in the construction.

The front view of the Laura Plantation home

The view walking along under the side verandah

The pantry with the brick and timber construction exposed where the plaster was damaged in a fire in the 1990s. Construction method is French in origin but the house was built by an African slave from Senegal.

It was interesting to hear the history of the family that had built and operated the plantation with the women of the family exercising management responsibilities as President of the plantation. One of these women, Elizabeth, was a real tyrant and had been extremely cruel not only to the slaves but also to her own family members. There are surviving slave cottages on the property as well and these were lived in by descendants of the plantation slaves up to the 1970s.

Original slave quarters at Laura Plantation

Philip in one of the rooms of a slave cottage

The home was really like a large office for the running of the plantation and so the family only lived in it for part of the year, retiring to their townhouses in the French Quarter of New Orleans for the Mardi Gras season after harvest.

After the visit to Laura it was then on to Oak Alley Plantation a few miles down the river road. This home was built in the mid-1800s and was in the style of a grand house with large columns and formal rooms and gardens.

The view of the Oak Alley home from the front.

Master bedroom at Oak Alley Plantation

The entry of the house is framed by an avenue of Live Oak trees that were planted sometime in the 1700s and lead down to the levee bank of the Mississippi River.

The avenue of Live Oak trees leading down to the Mississippi. The plant growing on the tree branches is called Resurrection Fern.

While we stood on the first floor verandah looking out towards the river, a big ship went down sounding its horn and the funnel and bridge of the ship were clearly visible over the levee. The three of us, while impressed with the beauty of this home, all felt the story and authenticity of the Laura Plantation more inspiring.

Back on the road to New Orleans and Jessica went into sleep mode while Philip drove and Alison spent the journey looking for alligators lurking in the swamps on either side of the elevated road. No alligators co-operated in this venture.

No alligators here - at least not showing themselves!

On our return to NO we parked the car at Monrose Row and headed off on foot back into the French Quarter and down on to the levee bank to take in the sight of the Mississippi as it flows through the city. Alison and Philip were really pleased to see the river here as they had actually crossed it many days ago in its early stages in the north of the country.

Jessica and Alison on the levee bank taking in the view of the Mississippi

Looking upstream to city centre and cruise terminal

Saw the riverside trolley car which we plan to ride with the other lines tomorrow - $3 for a day of rides.

Lunch in a quirky cafe where Philip and Alison shared a muffaletta sandwich and Jessica opted for spaghetti and meatballs! Too much to eat so we got take out boxes and have enjoyed a second go for dinner tonight. We walked home via the entrance to Louis Armstrong Park which we had planned to traverse but a local suggested that as it was getting dark it might be more advisable not to head through the park to the streets on the other side.

Jessica is planning to finish the evening with some more beignets which she purchased at Cafe du Monde. She has been warned that she will need to eat them in the shower so that the icing sugar, with which they are dusted, or more accurately totally coated, won't go everywhere on the polished floorboards of our suite. The icing sugar can be seen all over over the floor under the tables at Cafe du Monde and even in trails along the footpaths leading away from the establishment.

PS: On the way home we also saw another example of the corruption of the name New Orleans, this time as the name for one of the local taxi companies.

Nawlins Taxi Cab Company