Mardi Gras Floats and Bourbon Street Antics

Jean's ongoing story of our trip....

Another lazy start and then we all headed over to the Mardi Gras museum which turned out to be quite a surprise. I had always been under the impression that the floats were made by the Krews - and was impressed at the level of professionalism and innovation they showed. It turns out however that each Krew member pays between $500 and $1500 to join their particular choice of Krew. The Captain decides on the theme of the float and then they approach this place where we visited to discuss the designs etc. Once decided upon, the floats can take up to a year to make!

The really expensive floats are made from fibre glass - costing up to $1500 per foot or at the other end of the scale, paper Mache floats can cost about $100 a foot. Neither of them work out particularly cheap. I was also surprised to learn that the Krew members buy their own beads, mugs etc to throws to the spectators.

There were some huge displays from past years to see, some of them very intricate with moving parts and many lights and we got the chance to dress up in some of the costumes for a photo shoot. It turned out to be a worthwhile trip.

After lunch, Debs and I had a short wander round the gift shops and then later we took a taxi down to Bourbon Street - the tourist spot. We've been there before so knew what to expect and there are certainly some sights to see.....

We caught this street act...pretty amazing-

We had gone to specifically see a Blues singer named Bryan Lee who was performing, live and free, in Co-Co's Bar.

He was brilliant and we had a great night. (Note- John has been a long time fan of Bryan Lee--known as the Braille Blues Daddy and this was the first time we've ever been in NOLA when he's been playing- what a treat!)

The Brits see the aftermath of Katrina

Jean's journal continues--the British view of Katrina..

After a late start, we decided to drive round the Garden District just to see some of the lovely houses there. Fortunately, this area wasn't too affected by Katrina structurally but the effects can be seen in the number of homes now up for sale, including La Belle Reve, the B&B we stayed in during our earlier visit to the city. Such a shame. We had lunch in the Babylon Cafe - Gordon had taken a fancy for iced tea, sweetened a la Southern States, but his sugar levels have been great while we've been away and he's looking and feeling well.

Then John, Gordon & I took the Katrina Tour which lasted three and a half hours (poor Debs did the laundry). At first I was impressed at how much had been done to restore the city to its former glory but this turned out to be only in the middle-class, more affluent areas. When we got to St Bernard Parish and the 9th Ward, where the poorer people used to live, it was almost untouched. Many of the houses were just wrecks and still showed the signs painted on the doors by the rescuers during the search for survivors. It was a disgrace! The guide said that part of the reason why many of the houses are untouched is because the inhabitants were unable to prove ownership, the houses having been passed down through generations. Government grants only provide a percentage of the cost of renovations and take months to come through and the poor folks haven't the funds needed to make up the shortfall.

There are rows and rows of empty slums with wood still lying around and the place looking like a bomb site. We were gob-smacked - America should hang its head in shame. There were some good people though - Walmart were straight out after the disaster struck with ice, blankets and provisions and they are generally held in high regard now. Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie, who have a house in New Orleans, are building a whole street in one of the worst hit areas. The Cajuns brought out their little boats and rescued people from rooftops and the first soldiers on the scene were the Canadian Mounties!

What makes things worse is that NOBODY was held responsible for the breeching of the levees despite the fact that the foundations were only laid to 17' and not the recommended 25'. If the regulations had been followed, 1800 people may not have lost their lives. Our guide also reminded us that all the stuff in the museums had also been under water and much had been lost as well as some of the wildlife. As he was telling us about the rare birds, one of the bus passengers asked what had happened to them during Katrina..... he replied, quite straightfaced, that they had flown away!!

Gordon and I stayed in the city after the trip while John went back to meet up with Debs. We did a bit of shopping and then met up with them at Tujaques for a drink and some food. The evening rounded off in our private gazebo - and more wine.

Cocktails in New Orleans

Jean's journal continues...

Road trip - left John's shed and drove the 76 miles or so to New Orleans, stopping en-route to buy Subway rolls which were huge but good on an empty stomach. The RV site was situated in the French Quarter and had a lovely swimming pool, jacuzzi and laundry and we had our own gazebo fully enclosed by mosquito wire (just as well as Gordon and I were already covered in itchy bites, whether from the sand fleas in Foley or mosquito bites in Louisiana we weren't sure)

In the afternoon, we took the Cocktail Tour which was interesting. The guide took us to some very old bars and gave us the history of the place then recommended one or two cocktails for us to try.

One of our first stops was the Napoleon House. The building's first occupant, Nicholas Girod, offered his residence to Napoleon in 1821 as a refuge during his exile. Napoleon never made it, but the name stuck, and since then, the Napoleon House has become one of the most famous bars in America. Their signature drink is the “Pimms Cup". At the Napoleon House, they serve it with a cucumber – just the best summer refresher.

At Pirate’s Alley Café, I tried a “Green Fairy”, a concoction made with absinthe (130 proof). The Green Fairy is made by pouring absinthe over a sugar cube balanced on a slotted spoon over a tall glass. It’s followed by water poured over the sugar cube. The cube is then burned and crushed into the drink. A chemical reaction ensues- causing what appears to be fairies flying through the green liquid.

At Tujagues, the second oldest restaurant in New Orleans (1856), we tried a “Woodland Plantation Punch” (way too sweet) Originally an all men’s bar, there were no chairs. The men stood at the bar (and, not wanting to lose their place at the bar, would pee into the trough under the bar). Today, the bar is a great local hangout. (See below)

We also went The Court of Two Sisters and Muriel’s (which boasted a resident ghost and an upstairs room that was once a bordello).

It was tastefully decorated in an authentic style and we found it very interesting.
We also met quite a few 'characters' (check out 'my new best friend' who's toast was always "Cheers to Queers"! )

When the tour was over we went back to the restaurant in Napoleon House for muffulettas then came back to the site as it was in a rough part of town and not the place you would want to be out wandering late at night. We sat in the gazebo and drank some wine then had a fairly early night.

A Cajun Crab Feast!

Jean's story of our trip continues....

Dipper arrived early and he, Gordon & John loaded up the trailer and headed off to the coast to catch blue crabs. Their journey took an hour and a half and the fishing consisted of throwing in a line of pots baited with turkey necks then pulling them straight out again and unloading the crabs. In two hours, they had caught well over 100 but threw back about 20 or so of the smaller ones. Dipper steered the boat, Gordon pulled in the baskets and John unloaded the crabs. One of them bit right through the welder's glove he was wearing, breaking the skin on his hand.

In the meantime, Brenda, Debs and I drove to Houmas House, a former sugar cane plantation, which has been beautifully restored to its former glory.

We walked round the gardens in the beautiful sunshine, had lunch in the restaurant then bought a few souvenirs in the gift shop. Brenda rang Dipper and got the news that the crab catch had been a success so between them they rang about another five couples and a big crab feast was organised for the evening. This never ceases to amaze me about the Cajuns - they can rustle up food for 20 people at the drop of a hat without any panic or fretting. They are laid back, friendly and sociable and great people to have as friends.

On the way back to Brenda's place to meet up with the guys, we called briefly in the supermarket. I was in the back of the car and Debs and Brem got out and headed towards the door, not realising that I was locked in by the child-lock in the back. I knocked on the window but couldn't attract their attention and off they went! I could see the headlines in the local paper next day - "OLD BRITISH LADY FOUND SUFFOCATED IN HOT CAR" but eventually they came back to see where I was and I got released. What a laugh....

So, that evening we headed over to Brem & Dipper's house by the bayou to have a taste of Cajun-style Blue Crabs.

A large table had been set up on the porch which was laid with salads, baked potatoes and lots and lots of crabs - we dove in. What a mess it all made and I have to say the crabs were a lot of work for little reward - from my perspective at least though everybody else seemed to manage no bother and it was a great evening. We played music and sat round the fire again and a great night was had by all. Memory building!!

Check out Dippa's hand selected crabs--Katie got this one

Jambalya, Crawfish pie, file gumbo

Jean's story continues...

Back on the road heading towards Napoleonville, Louisiana where our Cajun friends John & Brenda (aka Brem &Dipper) live. Fascinating to note that diesel in Louisiana is only $1.99 a gallon (compared with £1 a litre back home). Anyway, Dipper has some land in Napoleonville on which is a huge shed where he parks his RV and this is always referred to as 'John's shed' and that is where we parked up for the next few days.

Late in the afternoon, Jeff, Dipper's son, came over and started preparing Jambalaya for the evening meal and then we were joined by Brem & Dipper later.

Dipper lit a log fire and we sat round it drinking wine and re-living old times. All the while the wind was picking up and after Brem, Dipper & Jeff had left, we watched the TV and found that a tornado was heading our way. John decided we should have an emergency plan and as he felt it would be better to be low on the ground (a motorhome could easily be picked up by the tornado), the plan was that if the worst came to the worst, we would head for the ditch behind John's Shed and lie down in there! John has a weather phone in the motorhome that rings through warnings of any imminent bad weather and twice later that night it rang. I spent a sleepless night wondering which would be the worst option - being carried away in the motorhome or lying in the dirty, stinking ditchwater behind the shed. In the event, the tornado passed us by and next day, the wind had settled and the sun was out. Phew!

Sand fleas in Foley, Alabama

(Entries from Jean in white- my comments in Italics)

The road trip begins. It takes a while to get moving what with making sure everything is secured and putting the sliders in etc but we were on our way by 9 a.m. It was a gorgeous day again.

The drive took about 7 hours along wide, straight roads heading towards Alabama. We listened to a selection of Podcasts including one about a plague of rats in India and another about how the Americans spend billions of dollars each year on their pets. This includes clothing, medication (including anti-depressants!), hotels which provide individual suites with beds and TVs and of course, 'neuticals' - cosmetic surgery for neutered dogs to avoid them feeling inferior. Silicon is the preferred material but as this can be upwards of $1000, there are cheaper materials available - 2 balloons maybe?

Eventually we arrived at Bella Terra , a brand new RV site near Foley. When finished, it may well be a lovely site but with lots costing $135k - $155k and nothing included not even a picnic table, they may find the lots are hard to shift in the current climate.

Extras like gazebos come in at something between $11k and $29k!! We spent one night there (and unfortunately picked up sand fleas in the process) and ate the lovely Indian curry that Gordon had made the night before.

Manatees, Attack Squirrels and Zydeco

Jean and Gordon arrived late – very late on the evening of the 7th. Something about their trips to the States and delayed flights. (Entries from Jean in white- my comments in Italics) Jean’s story starts: “Woke early in the sunshine but felt fine and ready to start the holiday. Mornings with J&D are usually unhurried with plenty of coffee but by mid-morning, we'd decided to visit a local wildlife park in Homosassa, just down the road from Rock Crusher. This turned out to be a lovely place and we were especially taken with the manatees.

These huge gentle creatures glide through the water and as there was an underwater viewing area, we were able to see them close up. Then there were lots of pink flamingos, a hippo which apparently had been a TV star and after it's acting life was over, it was too tame to be returned to the wild so is living out it's life in Florida.

All in all, we enjoyed the stroll round this place and the sunshine which accompanied us

By lunchtime, we were ready to visit The Freezer, J&D's local bar. This was different - situated on the banks of the bayou, most of it was open to the elements and with a big thatched roof. It seems that a squirrel had made its home there and hung about on the rafters cadging food. After a lovely meal of clam chowder and steamed shrimp, we went for a short drive and then headed back to Rock Crusher to enjoy the sun.

In the evening, we headed to a Cajun Diner called Neon Leon's. Apparently, Leon was Lynard Skynard's bass guitarist but the music playing on this night was zydeco and the restaurant was full of 'seniors' but the food was good - gumbo and more shrimp - and we enjoyed the night.”