Plantations and Swamps

We're deep in Cajun country now as we travelled south of New Orleans into southern Louisiana.  We drove on country roads flanked by canals, bayous and the levees of the Mississippi River.  The "yes sir" and "no ma'am" responses are flying fast and furious now and we enjoyed some amazing food including catfish (very mild and tasty) and a crawfish boil!  It's made by boiling whole potatoes, corn on the cob and andouille sausage in a spicy mixture, then steaming the crawfish on top.  It was messy to eat, but sooooo delicious.  We also couldn't resist some fresh beignets with sugar, but have yet to indulge in fried peanut butter sandwiches (breakfast - honestly!) or boiled turkey necks with pig's feet...

We ventured along the famous River Road which hugs the Mississippi and has old plantation mansions facing the river.  The levees have been built about 30 ft./10 m high now, but in the old days, the plantations enjoyed beautiful breezes and views of the river.

This is the back side of the levee, showing how high the river is.  The other side looks like a high grassy hill facing the mansions.
First up was Oak Alley Plantation, famous for its 28 massive oak trees, planted in 1700 and forming an allee in front of the home.

 The trees completely dwarf the mansion.

Much more fascinating, though not as ornate was the Laura Sugar Plantation which was run by generations of Creole women.  Creoles are of French, West African and native Indian heritage and differentiate themselves from the Cajuns from Acadia.  Our tour guide began by telling us how wonderful life in Louisiana was under French rule, until the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.  "That's when the 'Americans' took over and everything went backwards after that."  She was fiercely proud of being a Creole and didn't appear to consider herself  'American'.  The Creole accent is very different from the southern drawl and still has really strong French influences.

The house is built on brick pillars which "float" above the silt so the whole house moved when you walked in it!

The Creoles did not build ostentatious homes here - they owned those in New Orleans and it was considered poor taste to show off your money where you did business.  This plantation covered a huge  area and the land stretched back 18 miles from the Mississippi River! It took 180 slaves and 15 "free men" to run this place.

Contrast the lodgings of the plantation owners with the slave houses.  This one would house 2 families or about 12 people.

After the Creole experience, it was time for a Cajun one - a swamp tour!  Our guide was so hilarious, he should have had his own stand-up show.  His speech was peppered with French words like, "D'ere's beaucoup gators back in dem swamps" and everything was "mighty fine." 

He was full of interesting tidbits such as, "Racoons are good eatin - you just have to know how to cook 'em.  Ya gotta take out the stink glands first, then you can fry 'em, sautee 'em, or wit any sauce ya like!"

He also told us he likes to party hard, then was frustrated  because he couldn't remember where he was the night before.

The swamp itself was unbelievably beautiful.  It was tranquil and quiet - as our boat glided through the water, it looked like a lush green boulevard ahead that parted as we went through.

We passed by cypress trees draped in moss, then began to see the wildlife - mullett fish jumping right out of the water, huge turkey vultures swooping around us, egrets, blue herons, racoons...

and of course, alligators!  Our Cajun friend LJ called to them and they would surface, knowing there were some yummy chunks of raw chicken at the end of his hook.  They jumped right out of the water to get the food and we got to feed them too (yes, even Cel!)

LJ was quickly becoming our good friend and when we told him we were so happy to meet a real Cajun, he said, "You wanna see a real  Cajun???" then promptly took out his false teeth and started talking faster in an even thicker accent!  The guy was a real entertainer!

 We ended our tour with LJ asking for our address so he could visit us when he gets up to Canada...

We've also got some more of our favourite billboards to share!