So where to start? Rosie was kind of getting into this horse drawn carriage mode of transportation…it is a relaxed slow way of seeing The Quarter, not too many peeps are on the tour due to the limit Rosie imagines on what the horse can pull, and, most importantly, it is nice and quick too, in thirty minutes you are done and dusted but have a great over view of the city, have learnt some great facts and have a perfect sense of city orientation. None of this half day tour milarky for Rosie and The Operator we like to venture forth for detailed inspections of places we might like to re visit at our own leisure.
We jumped in a carriage at Jackson Square, this is the heart of the French Quarter and is a beautifully symmetrical park facing the mighty Mississippi….that is hard to tell though with the levees to stop potential flooding being built so highthat you actually cannot see the river….its a shame, being able to see this mighty river would elevate this town to a whole new, albeit probably lethal level. St Louis Cathedral stands tall and elegant overlooking the square, it can see the river from its fairy tale like towers. Seen this ‘castle’ before? It was supposedly to have inspired Walt Disney when he built his own castle at a certain famous theme park.
In a nutshell The French Quarter is the oldest part of New Orleans, it was established in 1718 by the French, the Spanish then conquered the French and took over the city, then Napoleon Bonaparte bought the city and sold it to the Americans down the line.
The Brits were also successful at taking over the city but were promptly defeated by he US Navy in the famed Battle of New Orleans 1815. The Union army also had a turn of capturing and occupying the city during the Civil War.
Large numbers of Germans and Irish then arrived and settled as the city became one of the busiest and biggest trading ports in the US. All of this chequered history leads to some amazing stories about this town, it adds to the patchwork charm, gives depth to the architecture and has helped create the style of the city that exists today.
As we were clip clopping through the narrow colourful streets on our carrage, our driver, who had lived in the town all her life, gave Rosie and The Operator some great local tips on what to see and do and most importantly, where to eat! One of her tips was a Muffuletta Sandwich…first created here in New Orleans and never replicated properly anywhere else….the original shop that created them is still here, but is overpriced and over busy, according to the local insight…head along to the Frenchmans Market for an experience you will never forget….ps, buy one and split it, she said, you will see why.
The French Market is the tourist market of the city, it is a great stroll and allows you to pick up all the souvenirs you want to take home at a great price, plus there is a great food court attached to the market that adds to the hustle and bustle.
So what is a Muffulettta Sandwich…. other than divine! The origins are it was invented in New Orleans by Italian immigrants, it is layers of delightfully oily, finely chopped marinated olive salad, mortadella salami, swiss cheese, ham and provolone encased in a beautiful sesame bread. If they ask you if you want it toasted….say yes….Rosie pretty much ruined a top trying to wrap her chops around this huge greasy sandwich…it was amazing! We ordered one sandwich as advised and this is a single serve, on two plates!
Refreshed we headed for The City of The Dead, or better known as St Louis Cemetary #1, because the city is built on a swamp and the water table is so high, the dead have to be buried above ground. It was off to the avenues of mausoleums and elaborate stone crypts that resembles a small village all of its own complete with avenues and street signage.
A New Orleans crypt always has a ‘bakers oven,’ or two, if you are a big family. This is a slot where the recently departed is laid to rest for a year, the length of time it takes for the body, in the New Orleans climate to be slowly cremated in a combination of the elemental heat and the heat contained in the stone. After a year the remains which will be bone only will be removed and interred into the main body of the crypt and the ‘oven’will be vacated and ready for the next body.
For those families that do not have their own ‘ovens’ communal ones are available for a year then you will put into your little crypt. This is a method of keeping the ‘real estate’ to a minimum and reducing costs. Interesting.
Rosie and The Operator next had a stroll around the beautiful sculpture garden and lake attached to the New Orleans Museum of Modern Art, what a gem! Beautiful stand alone pieces of art set in a gorgeous garden, framed by trees, avenues, and even into the lake. It is outstanding and so good to be able to wander under the trees and linger in the shade away from the hustle and bustle….plus it was free!
Hurricane Katrina 2005, the elephant in the room in New Orleans…still, even 10 years after the event. It still hurts, the damage that was done, the lives lost, the lessons learnt. Most have just picked themselves up and moved on with their lives, either in the city or outwith. A combination of events on that fatal day in August caused catastrophe in the New Orleans suburbs, Hurricane Katrina hit landfall, the tidal surges were enormous from the gulf and the the levees breached in over 50 locations because they were not set deep enough into the ground to hold. The mighty Mississippi was at capacity and the water that came flooding into New Orleans had nowhere to drain. The French Quarter was the only area relatively unscathed due to it being the highest point in the town.
These guys still carry the ‘Katrina Tatoo’ on the side of their house, look at how high the water rose…..same for these street signs.
This guy is never going to get caught again…him and a number of neighbors have raised their houses! It is sobering alright, especially seeing the now derelict tracts of land where houses used to be.
Back to the Orleans Bourbon Hotel we trekked…time for a wee happy hour on the deck and watch the street as darkness sets in. I love the shadow the statue at the end of the street cast on the church in the full dark. What a glorious place New Orleans has been. A place that Rosie and The Operator would love to come back too….a place that would be awesome to share with friends….
