French Quarter and Swamp Tour
This morning we drove into New Orleans (along with a lot of other people at 8:00 in the morning ) and parked near the French Quarter. We spent a little over two hours walking the streets, looking into shops, and peering through gated passages into secluded courtyards. Interesting, old, and historic. Just about every building has a plaque on it describing its’ history. Impressions and observations: Bourbon Street is synonymous with booze. A bar on every corner for blocks and blocks and the space between the corners is filled with more bars. The other streets are a collection of upscale clothing, jewelry, art, T-shirt, trinket, and coffee shops. And one neat candy store. Fresh pralines. Yum. Several ‘tourist info’ locations would be happy to sell you tours of just about anything. In front of Jackson Square is a string of horse drawn carriages at least ten long. Each driver ready to tell you all about the Quarter. Above the stores and bars are apartments and condos. Second and third floor balconies with wrought iron railings. Street musicians. Flower boxes. Gas lights. Narrow streets. The buildings line the blocks corner to corner but do not go through the block. In the center of each block is a courtyard. A sort of hidden retreat for residents. Overall a similar feel to the various districts of San Francisco but with its’ own definite flavor and MUCH older. Fun to see and maybe see again but that would be enough.
Jackson Square. Church in background is oldest in US.
Gas Lights
These are probably alcoholic but all over the South we have seen small, often drive through, stands similar to ice cream cone stands we saw in Alaska. Appears ‘Daiquiri’ is the Southern term for ‘Slurpy’.
They come in several flavors.
They wash the streets with some sort of cleanser. Sweet smelling. Not just water.
Not the typical historic, informative plaque.
This building was owned by the mayor of New Orleans – a long time ago. The mayor offered Napoleon sanctuary there if he desired it. That’s how long ago.
French Quarter police car.
Reason New Orleans is called ‘The Crescent City’. The Mississippi River makes a bend through the middle of the city.
This afternoon we took a swamp tour. Driving the Interstates and around town looks like Interstates and towns everywhere. Shopping malls, fast food, blocks and blocks of residential neighborhoods, etc. What you don’t realize is that the freeway is built up to at least 30 feet above sea level and that if you go a half mile down the right street it is a very different world. We went down one of thos streets and were on the banks of a delta river. Twenty of us climbed into a flat bottom boat and spent two hours cruising on the open river and into several bayou swamps. Guide grew up in the area and was very informative. Saw variety of wildlife and cruised through a Cajun fishing camp. Good experience that we may repeat in western Louisiana.
Small alligator on log (right), turtle (left).
Great blue heron
Alligator (center, mouth open)
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