Southern Decadence

Three nights in New Orleans, and I’m starting to speak like an American! I know, I know, but the accent is so infectious y’all!

But I guess there’s a little more to it then that. There is something truly beautiful about N’awlins. The Southern drawl is just one part of its romance. The people here were in most part great – Southern hospitality isn’t the myth I thought it was. Perhaps a little exaggerated in the stories, but from our three days here, there definitely seems to be a genuine openness with everyone we have met.

So, we got here three days ago. First stop was Bourbon Street. And, this place well and truly lived up to its reputation. We were here during the Southern Decadence festival (equivalent to the gay Mardi Gras). Every where we looked, there were half naked men – half of whom looked liked they had been chiseled from rock and the other half of whom looked much more like me – sort of round and cushiony!

Anyway, drunk naked men aside – we were here for food! So we pressed through the masses of people and found a Cajun place, and set in for some good ol’ southern cuisine. A little gumbo, some jambalaya, some crawfish and a little alligator tail, all mixed up with some Cajun spice and hot sauce! And of course, everything came in American sizes. And when one consumes that much grease in that short a period – the result is inevitable!

So while Mrs G stayed out for a little jazz that night – I had to hurriedly race home to deal with the consequences of my experiment with Cajun cuisine!

Day two in NOLA started out with a little (and I have to emphasise that it was little this time) breakfast made up of American pancakes, topped with some maple syrup and butter love in this classic diner! It was great! Felt like Mrs G and I were back in America in the 50’s! We spent most of the day just wondering around the French quarter, sampling some beignets, listening to the street side musos, and poking our heads into the many quirky shops around the city.

We also got to experience some picketers bible bashing at the Southern Decadence parade. It was exactly as they show it in the movies! Red neck hill-billy types with frumpy overalls and scraggly beards promising hell fire and damnation to the leather wrapped revelers!

Getting caught up with the touristness of it all, we decided to sign up for a Ghost tour of New Orleans. While I expected to be well and truly disappointed by this – it probably was the highlight of the trip here! I hadn’t realized how steeped in history this place was! Violence, disaster, epidemics seemed to all be a natural party of the city’s history. Every corner seemed to have a story associated with it.

Anyway, after being well and truly impressed, we went out and listened to some jazz at a few places just beyond the quarter. The standout had to be the act at the Spotted Cat – a nice cosy little place with cash only payments that looked like it hadn’t changed for the last 50 years! The trombone player was pretty phenomenal!

Mrs G and I spent much of the third day lazing around and enjoying American TV.  Probably the best day in New Orleans yet!

- Mr G

PS. We’re now in Orlando. Spent the entire day at Disney world.. but that'll be the subject of of another blog!