Cajun Country

  As every schoolchild knows, Cajun is an alternate pronunciation of Acadien, the name for the French-speaking people of Canada in the 18th century. They lived primarily in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and eastern Quebec. After the British conquest of Canada, Acadians became British subjects but they refused to support the British during the Seven Years War (called the French and Indians War in America) so the British deported them in 1755. Many settled in French Louisiana. That's when things get a little complicated. In 1763, Louisiana was ceded to the Spanish but in 1800, during the Napoleonic wars, Louisiana was returned to France. Then, in 1803, when Napoleon needed cash to fund his wars, Louisiana was sold to the US.
   Louisiana was founded by Pierre LeMoyne d'Iberville and New Orleans by his younger brother Jean-Baptiste LeMoyne, Sieur de Bienville.  Acadians, or Cajuns, tended to be country people who held onto their French heritage and language. They are distinguished from their City Mouse cousins the Creoles who had a mixed heritage--Spanish, French, African--and a more cosmopolitan culture. Modesty prevents me from claiming any connection whatsoever with a couple guys named LeMoyne. Modesty and, of course, the truth.
   A tour of Louisiana has three main attractions: New Orleans, the Great River Road plantations along the Mississippi, and the heart of real Cajun country out in the bayous. Each experience has much to recommend it as I hope you can tell from these photos.

The French Quarter is quintessential New Orleans for many visitors. 

In Jackson Square is the equestrian statue of Gen. Andrew Jackson, hero of the Battle of New Orleans.

St. Louis Cathedral stands on one side of the square.

Artists and musicians work along the sides of the square.

Where you can also book a carriage ride through the Quarter.

Crepe myrtle trees bring color to the urban environment.

Fanciful wrought iron grill work is the distinctive characteristic of French Quarter balconies.

A local ordinance requires every New Orleans visitor to have a cafe au lait and begniet at Cafe du Monde.

Street musicians possess an amazing level of talent.

St. Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans

Our favorite New Orleans hotel is named for founder of the city, Jean-Baptiste LeMoyne. (The name is the only reason it is our favorite. Have never stayed there.)

In sharp contrast to the raucus French Quarter is the Garden District with its stately homes and elegant gardens. Take the streetcar to the District. Preferably the Streetcar named Desire.

The monument for the Battle of New Orleans, fought at Chalmette about five miles south of New Orleans, in January 1815. 

About 4,700 Americans under Jackson held off an invading force of British who lost 700 killed and 1,400 wounded to the American losses of 7 killed, 6 wounded.

The home of Louis Xavier Martin Lino Chalmette on the grounds where the battle was fought is now the museum/visitor center.  The home was built by his father who was expelled from Quebec in 1755. It looks like a plantation house but it was not.

Oak allees are something of a cliche on Southern plantations--like this one at Oak Alley where 28 live oaks more than 300 years old impress arriving guests. The oaks must have been planted as rather sizable trees. They do not grow in nice parallel rows in nature and none of the plantations is 300 years old. Just saying.

Plantation owners were fond of formal gardens in the European style.

Costumed guides and docents help history come alive.

Resurrection fern on the live oaks turns brown and shriveled when it is dry but comes back to life at the first hint of moisture.

Commercial fishing is a big deal in the bayous and along the Gulf coast. We stopped to share a light seafood platter at Crawfish Town: salad, crawfish (of course), shrimp, stuffed crab, catfish, frog legs, gumbo, bread pudding, pecan pie. Didn't need much supper, or anything else, for 2 or 3 days.

Hurricanes are also a big deal in the bayous and along the coast. In recent years, new homes are probably on stilts. Contractors who raise older homes above the likely storm surge do a lively business.

Old joke: Who's buried in Grant's Tomb? Answer: Nobody. Grant is not buried, he's entombed above ground. In New Orleans and other low-lying communities, the water table is too high for burial so plots are above ground. Local advice is never go in there after dark. 

At St. Martinsville we visited "The Home Church of the Cajuns,"  St. Martin de Tours, founded in 1765.  Said to be so well maintained that it has been neither changed nor renovated since then.

Behind the church is this statue of the heroine from the Longfellow poem Evangeline: A Tale of Arcadie about a woman who was separated from her husband on their wedding day by the Great Deportation and spent years searching for him. 

What's your favorite Louisiana hot sauce?

That's right. The grounds on Avery Island are definitely worth a visit. The store sells Tabasco flavored everything, including ice cream. Don't scoff until you have tried it. Then scoff. See how the sauce is made then tour the extensive gardens and wildlife refuge called Jungle Gardens. The name sounds cheesy, I know, but the grounds are really quite lovely.

You may have noticed the name McIlhenny on your bottle of Tabasco.

Ancient live oaks trailing Spanish moss contribute to the romantic charm of the South.

Camellias too.

And maybe even magnolias.

Tabasco maintains a huge egret rookery on Avery Island where raised platforms for nesting help protect them from predators.  By the way, the "island" is reached via a bridge that must be, oh, two or three feet long.

The Acadians left the Great Frozen Tundra for the hot, humid swamps.

At Vermilionville, west of Breau Bridge, is a historic village with original and restored Cajun homes.

Can't survive on the bayou without boats.

Note the exterior stairs by which the boys in the family accessed their bedroom in the loft.

We headed up the river to St. Francisville and Rosedown Plantation for one of our favorite tours. But there are those who say "Oak allees make all plantations look alike."

By which they mean that all plantations look simply amazing.

That tasseled screen over the table is a punkah that is moved by a cord to shoo the flies.

Rosedown is furnished with gorgeous original and antebellum period pieces.

The grounds include extensive gardens, both casual and formal.

Don't know what category this falls in.

Those jagged, tooth shaped things at the base of the bald cypress are called knees but function as the "lungs" through which it breathes in soggy ground where most trees would drown.