NOLA Part 2

On the Friday morning I headed down to the Quarter after breakfast (possibly at Pinkberry) and joined a free walking tour.  It was at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (which is really a building in the French Quarter, close to the Mississippi, that they have preserved and set up as a small museum). It wasn't super long and they really only took us down towards the River because the city doesn't want a 'free' tour going on in the Quarter where all the other paying tours are going on. The information that the guide shared was incredible!!

The Cabildo Museum, holds a legacy of historic
 events and cultural diversity about the state of LA.

When the France took over New Orleans, they told the French people it was mountainous and hot and sunny...well when the French came over it was hot, humid and swampy!  Word got back to France that this 'new land' wasn't so great and no one wanted to come...so France emptied out their prisons and married the criminals and prostitutes and sent them over!  Many died on the long journey over from disease and from 'new disease' when they got there...so the founders of New Orleans were criminals and prostitutes!  LOL

Pretty ironwork on a door

If you visit NOLA, I highly recommend the free tour!!

Our guide also told us that when Spain took over after France's 40 years there, few Spanish families came to settle, so the Spanish men married the French's daughters!  I guess that was a 'tsk, tsk' type of thing too!

Lots of these entranceways into beautiful courtyards or restaurants

Through the entranceway into the courtyard

In the 1790's the Spanish, are the settlers who built all these courtyards...they would build the homes/buildings right up to the sidewalk, leaving a space of beauty, an oasis, in the middle for themselves to enjoy...they could shut out the 'bad' of the outside world.  The big openings with the gates (two pictures up), were for the horse and wagons to enter and exit from the courtyards inside.

Beautiful ironwork on one of the large entrances

One of the gates into Jackson Square

A bench inside Jackson Square

Evidence of Mardi Gras

I liked Royal St., there were a bunch of cute shops there to browse in and the sign still had some beads hanging from it..evidence of the ever popular Mardi Gras, that happens on any Tuesday between February 3rd and March 9th. It is the day before Ash Wednesday.  The best place I found to pick up the cheaper beads (all the others seemed to be speciality ones, ie. NFL teams, or some kind of a theme) was in the French Market.

If you are walking past Cafe du Monde, keep going a few blocks and you'll come to the market...there were lots of great places to eat at and a flea market type spot at the far end. These beads were the cheapest and the kind for throwing away (like Mardi Gras). Along the way in the market, I came a cross Rod Broussard, a local photographer, he had the best work (to me anyway) that I saw the whole time I was there....take a moment to check out his site...I think my favourite was the 'Weeping Angel'. I didn't purchase this one, but I did buy one of the 'French Quarter Door' prints, with the red doors and turquoise shutters.

When I made my way back towards the 'Square' I passed these gentlemen. Take a quick listen!! I then went around the back of Cafe du Monde and you can see them in the kitchen making the Beignets! Quite interesting!

Comes out of the roller and through the rectangular cutter,
then they get tossed into the deep fryer behind them!

The Horse heads

These aren't really considered 'old' when it comes to New Orleans history, or so I was told anyway and some locals in the shops had no idea where to send me when I asked about them...I just happened to come across them. I believe these were on Royal St. as you get closer to Canal St., these ones still had their rings. They were used to tie up the horses when people would stop and go into the shops...many have had their rings stolen and some are all chipped up, but this was the nicest bunch I came across all in a row.

Canal St. trolley

Canal Street was considered 'neutral ground' between the early settlers in the French Quarter and the working class of the Business District. The tour guide from the National Park said that New Orleans actually had many canals running through it and anywhere you see streets with the middle sections, this is where the canals use to be. He said that the French Quarter was built 'right' for proper drainage and then the 'American's' who were in the Business area redesigned their area, covering up the canals and didn't do such a great job...where the flooding was I believe?? Hmmmm....don't quote me though!

Oh! New Orleans actually has a subtropical climate...they had some banana trees growing in Jackson Square that the Guide had pointed out!

Overall I enjoyed the city, there is still so much to do and see there...I have my list of 'to do's' if we ever go back, ie. I'd take a proper tour of the graveyards and of the streets with the massive, southern homes, do the horse and buggy tour around the Quarter and take more pictures!! Oh, plus eat lots more Pinkberry!!


I'll leave you with this funny picture...this is what I looked at the flight to New Orleans...the lady in front of me, ever so kindly, hung her hair (at least it was clean!) over the back of her seat so that it nicely dangled above my tray table!  Hubby and I couldn't believe it! I'm sure my mouth was wide open, completely stunned that someone would do that??!!  Am I wrong?? Seriously. Thank goodness no hairs fell onto my table, I think I would have lost it! I'm not sure what actually stopped me from asking her to move her hair, but I didn't say anything...I think I was just too stunned...(oh, Hubby kindly reminded me it was HIM that stopped me).

Cheeky ladies hair

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

NOLA

Back in September, I was fortunate enough to travel with my husband (who was going to a conference for work) to visit New Orleans!! Originally I had no desire to visit there, only because when we save our money to go on vacations, I usually like it to be spent by the pool or ocean in the hot sun relaxing, which is my favourite place to be. So I researched the area and the more I read, the more excited I was to be going!! (I took about 200 pictures on this trip and I am going to have trouble choosing, so go get your cup of tea and settle in for a bit!!)

While Hubby was busy in the Convention Center, I made my way multiple times a day down to the French Quarter exploring!  Our hotel was right across from the Convention Center, so it was a bit of a hike to get there!  I actually enjoyed the exercise, but the sweating was a little more intense than I expected, to say the least!!! (Each day it hit 104F and that was with humidity!) On the upside of the sweating, I'm pretty sure with it being combined with all the walking I lost about 7lbs!!!!!  :D  I'd like to think I did anyway!

I think the first thing I really liked about NOLA (short form for New Orleans, Louisiana), was the fun colours they used on their buildings!! The ironwork was incredible as well, such beautiful detail on everything!

A Cajun restaurant on the way to the Quarter

Hubby and I arrived on a Wednesday afternoon and we got to see one of the cemeteries on our drive into the city...it's kinda neat, because they bury their dead above the ground in these whitish tomb style buildings because of the water table and out of ritual. (I do not claim to be a NOLA expert, so if I have mispoke about anything, please feel free to share what you know as well!!). I was told to make sure to take a tour if you want to visit a cemetary, not to go on your own, as well, they close early at about 3pm.

Our first evening we enjoyed the balmy night air and headed down to the French Quarter...we walked around the famous Jackson Square (where the horses are all lined up for tours and the artists sell their paintings). The very popular 'Cafe du Monde' is also right across from the Square and we sat and enjoyed some Beignets (pronounced BEN-yea). Hubby says to the server, 'Could I get a little more powdered sugar?'...poor girl didn't know what to think...he was just being silly with her.

Beignets at Cafe du Monde with coffee

The next morning I made my way to the French Quarter again and took a million pictures along the way...

These were the doors on the Insectarium on the west corner of the French Quarter

French Quarter building

Shotgun homes in the French Quarter

These were the only 'shotgun' homes that I saw in the French Quarter...I read that they were called that because of their simple floor plan inside...you could literally shoot a gun and it would go through each room in the house. 

Great door!

Great door knocker!

 

Looking down on Jackson Square

In the heart of the French Quarter is Jackson Square (the park), the square was named in honor of Andrew Jackson, the hero of the battle of New Orleans for which one of three statues are in honor of. You can also see the St. Louis Cathedral in the middle..it is said that you can draw a line down the middle of it and everything on either side is a mirror image. The 2 buildings on either side are the exact same, one is the Cabildo Museum. Then the buildings that make up the right and left sides of the square are the Pontalba Buildings, merchants downstairs and living quarters upstairs.

So you may be wondering if I went to Bourbon St.?  Well, yes we did...now please remember, this is my opinion based on my experience there...it was my least favourite street. Hubby and I went together during the day and I was completely shocked at the 'in your face obscenity' to be quite honest. I knew it was a party street, but I didn't realize that it was so graphic right on the front windows! That certainly isn't my idea of exploring a city, so I think we finished walking the block and I took my picture of the street sigh and we were outta there! 

I'll leave you with this last picture, I think this was my favourite door picture.

Part 2 of my trip will be next!!