We're In the NOLA, Baby!

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Beignets. Crawfish. Blues. Jambalaya. BBQ. Jazz. Streetcar rides. Beer and hurricanes (the kind you drink, not the kind that wreaks havoc in the sky). That about sums up our vacation in New Orleans!

David and I had an awesome weeklong trip to the Deep South while Nonna and Granddaddy stayed home with Ford.

Beignets at Cafe du Monde

Walking down Bourbon Street

We stopped in an old used bookstore. I sat down while David browsed and this kitty laid down in my lap!

Wandering the French Quarter

We spent two days primarily at food festivals: the Louisiana Seafood Festival and the Blues and BBQ Festival. We chowed down on gator sausage, crawfish nachos (my favorite of the week!), po' boys, pulled pork, and ribs while enjoying authentic local blues and jazz groups.

Catching some jazz at the Seafood Festival along the river

Gator sausage

Crawfish nachos

Shrimp po' boy and the local beer

At the Blues and BBQ Festival downtown

We spent one day riding the streetcar through New Orleans along St. Charles Avenue to see the "real" New Orleans outside the French Quarter. We hopped off and walked around for a few hours to see the spectacular old houses in and around the Garden District. We stopped in at an amazing little French bakery for breakfast and did some shopping at the local boutiques and antique shops along Magazine Street. This was one of my favorite days because we got to experience New Orleans outside of the tourist destinations.

Trolley time

Some of my favorites along St. Charles Ave.

We also spent one day touring two sugar plantations about 45 minutes outside the city, near the Mississippi River. It was so neat to see and imagine how the Creoles lived and prospered before the Civil War. The tour guides told some great stories about the owners of the plantations--how they started their business, the height of their success, and their downfall after the war. The pictures just don't do justice to how spectacular these places are.

First stop: Laura Plantation. Laura Plantation (built in 1804) was run mostly by women (awesome). In the Creole tradition, the family business is passed down to the smartest child, not the eldest son (as tends to be the case in the Anglo culture). In the case of this family, the smartest children were the women (ha!). The business started out as a sugar plantation but later added wine distribution because one of the women married a Frenchman. At its largest size, the plantation was approximately 12,000 acres. The house totaled about 24,000 sq. ft. and had a 2,500 sq. ft. detached kitchen to its rear. By 1808, the estate consisted of 10 sizable buildings, including quarters for 17 slaves, a barn, warehouses and a sugar mill.

The basement where, among other things, wine was stored.

Kitchen

Dining room

Office

Now that is some good front porch sittin.

Inside one of the slave cabins.

This was Laura's great-grandmother's "retirement home" she built for herself on the property, right next to the main house. You can see it hasn't been restored yet. The old lady died here at the age of 94 when she stood on her front porch yelling at the Civil War boats moving down the Mississippi. They shot a cannonball at her and killed her.

The second stop was Oak Alley Plantation (completed in 1839), which has been featured in many movies and shows (including Days of Our Lives, Mom and Dad!!). The front walk of this majestic house is canopied by rows of 300-year-old oak trees. It was gorgeous.

Dining room

Bedroom

Our tour guide -- a fantasic storyteller

Bedroom

Second floor landing

In between all the pigging out and exploring, we caught some football (couldn't miss the Packers game!) and relaxed (i.e., caught up on our sleep).

Shopping in the French Market

St. Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter

Go Pack Go! The jersey was David's anniversary gift. :)

A wedding march through the French Quarter. This was so cool! The bride, groom, bridal party, and guests danced through the Quarter with beers in hand. Loved it!

We sure missed Ford (and Chase), so we were happy to be home after a week away. But we had a great trip and enjoyed celebrating our 7th anniversary without life's normal distractions. And I particularly loved being in the South again! Thanks for a good time, NOLA!

Categories: old married couple