Louisiana

After East Texas, we kept heading east into Louisiana. We headed north to the town of Natchitoches that is the oldest city in Louisiana. I don't know why, but it is pronounced Nack-a-tish. It is a Caddo indian name. We went a little further north to a campground in Marthaville.  It is a true rural area with logging operations, farms and real Southern cooking. I stopped for lunch at Mim's restaurant for fresh catfish. A grandmother and her granddaughter run this cooked to order shack.  Hand breaded, fresh caught fillets couldn't be beat.

We visited Cane River Creole National Historic Park.  This well maintained riverside plantation goes back to a land grant in 1785. The plantation remained in the same family until 1999. Cotton was raised first with slaves and then with share croppers. The period after the civil war was just as interesting pre-war. We toured than main house with a guided tour just for us from a Ranger who couldn't have been nicer or better informed. Everything changed with the invention of mechanized cotton picking.

Louisiana blooms in the spring. 

 The dining room in the main house. The board above the table is called a punka, a fan moved back and forth by a rope with a slave doing the work.

Next on to New Orleans and a campground on the the canal that leads into Lake Ponchartrain. We drove through Baton Rouge and across the famous lake causeway that seemed to go on forever. We stayed on Route 10 through New Orleans that on Friday night was relatively tense but we safely arrived at the campground. 

We took the shuttle to the French Quarter and began walking around. It sure is different during the daytime than at night on Bourbon St. The crowds were pretty large around Jackson Square but we walked down to the French Market. 

We signed up for a walking tour of the garden district.  We had never been there before and decided it was time. We had to walk out of the French Quarter and catch a street car. They were everything I remembered from childhood.  We got dropped off by Commander's Palace.  One of the great Brennan family restaurants.

 We toured this amazing neighborhood until our feet hurt. We learned the difference between pre-civil war and post-civil war. Slave quarters are the tell. The area is known as the "sliver by the river" as it is one of the few areas above sea level. 3' may not sound like a lot but it certainly was during Katrina. The area is known for opulent mansions and beautiful gardens. I was amazed that most of the homes had not been converted into professional offices as the upkeep must be unbelievable. But, there are still wealthy families that have been here for years as well as an influx of famous personalities, like Sandra Bullock, Nicolas Cage, and Anne Rice. 

Hard not to feel some antebellum history going back to 1832.

Next time-Tornados, Andrew Jackson and Jean Lefitte.