NAWLINS

Saturday 29/11/14

We were up early and finished the last few items to pack. We had a nice buffet breakfast and left the The American Queen Steamboat for the last time. We had planned to explore New Orleans for a few days before flying home. We got a taxi to the Sweet Olive B&B and we were lucky that Nancy, the host, was happy to have us book in early. She was having a tree trimming party that night so I guess she was glad not to have us come late. Nancy gave us a map and a list of places to see and places to eat. We were a bit surprised when we asked if we could have a cup of tea/coffee because she said, "I don't do tea and coffee except for breakfast but there is a coffee shop two blocks away." This was the first B&B we had ever stayed in, that didn't provide tea and coffee at any time.

 So our travel friends, Kathy and Rob, and Bill and I set off with map in hand to find the coffee shop and then the town. It was a cute little coffee shop and we were intrigued with the New Orleans accent. 'Nawlins' and 'y'all' were heard often. Sometimes it was hard to understand the locals. They too had a few problems understanding us.

 We walked and walked for about 30 minutes until we reached the French Quarter and Markets. We weren't too impressed with how far away the B&B was from the action, when it had said in the description, "a short walk from the French Quarter". 

The French Quarter is packed with interesting people and shops. Kathy and Rob were interested in this amazing sauce shop. We immediately thought of our sons in law as they both love cooking with hot and spicy sauces.

We continued walking and found Jackson's square, with the beautiful cathedral in the centre of the French Quarter. There was a street performance of acrobats, which we watched for a while before moving on for a walk along the river side.

We decided to take a ferry ride over to Algiers, where we saw the statue of Louis Armstrong. There wasn't a lot to do in Algiers except walk. Kathy and Rob were keen to continue exploring by foot but I could see Bill wilting. So we agreed to go our own ways. Bill and I took the ferry back and found a restaurant for lunch.

We could see the "Nawlins" skyline while we waited for the ferry.

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 We knew New Orleans was famous for its music and food, We found out about the food with our first meal. We thought we would just have a light sandwich for lunch but this is what arrived. Bill had a shrimp Poboy and 

 I had a crab cake Poboy, (pronounced 'poorboy') which is the name given to this traditional  New Orleans sandwich. It originated during the depression when a generous family who owned a cafe used to make sandwiches for the poor boys who had lost their jobs.

 With full tummies we started to make our way back to the B&B when we came across a young group of musicians having a jam session in the street, just like we had hoped to see in this town famous for jazz and blues music.

Another experience we were looking forward to was a ride on a New Orleans street car so we caught one heading in our direction.  You have to have the exact right money to pay the fare. It drops into a sealed box. The last stop nearest to the B&B was at the markets so we had another wander through the markets, they were huge. Then we walked home. We nearly got lost but finally made it. People had started arriving for the party. Kathy and Rob arrived home not long after us. Rob was a bit upset because there were  no TVs in the rooms. Lucky for us we had good Wifi. 

We were invited to the tree trimming party so we joined in as best we could. It also meant that we didn't have to walk the walk into town to have dinner.

THE KIDD IN BATON ROUGE

I was reading a detective novel some years ago and it was set in a city called Baton Rouge. For ages I thought it was a made up name for the story. I never thought in a million years that I would one day actually visit that city, the capital of Louisiana, USA.

We were on the American Queen Steanboat sailing down the Mississippi on our way to New Orleans. We didn't stop at Baton Rouge and the passengers were a little disgruntled until the captain explained that on their last "Thanksgiving Cruise" they had stopped there on the TG holiday and nothing was open. No shops, no museums and it was like a ghost town. So on this cruise they sailed past BR and landed outside Nottoway Mansion and organised a free tour of the house. So we cheered up and enjoyed this diversion from the itinerary.(see last post)

However, the next day we were offered a bus tour of Baton Rouge and admission to the destroyer USS Kidd.

We drove past the Louisiana State Capitol building, at 34 storeys high it is the tallest building in Baton Rouge. It is the tallest Capitol building in the country. It was built in 1930 for Govenor Huey Long with an Art Deco design. It is is on the national register for historic places.

Looking at Baton Rouge from the river overlooking the levee wall.

This sculpture, known locally as the "Paper Clip" for obvious reasons. It is part of the wharf structure where river boats berth. We would have docked here if we had stopped on the way down the river.

The USS Kidd is an authentically restored Fletcher Class fighting ship. It is stationed on the side of the Mississippi River and it floats when there is a lot of water but it was in a cradle when we visited the Kidd. Named after the first admiral killed in the Pearl Harbour attack. There were many guns and depth charges on the deck but I was more interested in how the 300+ men were accommodated on what appeared to be a small ship to me.

We found the room where they slept. It had 3 bunks on top of one another and there were rows and rows of them. It must have been awfully cramped conditions with no privacy at all.

I was flabbergasted at the toilet/head situation. The red seat was for those with VD.

I take my hat off to the service men who had to endure these conditions and fight a war too.

The USS Kidd was based in the Pacific and saw action in World War 11 in many of he Pacific Islands as well as Papua/New Guinea and the Phillipines.

NOTTOWAY TO SPEND THANKSGIVING

The next stop on our Mississippi Cruise was supposed to be Baton Rouge the capital of Louisiana State. However, because it was Thanksgiving Day Holiday the cruise itinerary was changed because everything in the city was closed for the holiday and there was very little to do or see. So instead we sailed past Baton Rouge and moored outside Nottoway Plantation Mansion, where we would enjoy a tour and Thanksgiving celebrations.
Here is my diary entry for that day.

27/11/14
Thanksgiving Day. We looked out of the cabin door to see that we were moored right outside the huge Nottoway Plantation Mansion. It was a beautiful sight. Everyone greeted each other with Happy Thanksgiving Day. As usual a delicious breakfast of Florentine Eggs. Then we walked ashore and joined our 9:30 tour group for a guided tour of the mansion by a local guide dressed in traditional period costume. Her dress was beautiful but I don't know how the women of those days could possibly be comfortable. The house was amazing with it's many rooms on three floors. The story of the house and it's owners was very interesting. Best of all we were allowed to photograph. It has been recently restored and a resort developed on the surrounding property. Funnily enough it is owned by an Australian. There is a little museum and gift shop there as well besides a cafe and posh restaurant.
There has been a huge bonfire built on the levee in front of the big house. This is for the celebrations tonight.

 From the boat we could see the bonfire on top of the river levee, which was hiding half of the Nottoway Mansion.

 We climbed up the levee on a zigzag path and then we could see all of this magnificent house.

Nottoway was completed in 1859 for John and Emily Randolph and their eleven children. John Randolph was originally a cotton farmer but he turned to sugar cane and bought the first steam powered sugar mill. The Greek Revival and  Italianate mansion was designed by Henry Howard. The ceilings are 15 ft high and the doors 11 ft.There are 64 rooms and six internal staircases as well as 165 doors and 200 windows. 

 The tour was included in the cruise. Two guides dressed in beautiful period dresses organised us into groups. It was very crowded with 400 passengers to get through in a day. We had times allotted to us.

 The most impressive room is the semi-circular white ballroom. John Randolph wanted it all white so that his daughter's dresses would not have any distractions and all eyes would be on them. We heard lots of wonderful stories about the family.

The dining room was yellow with the most beautiful chandelier but all my photos were overcrowded with people so you get the table setting instead.

 One of the many rooms I think it was where the ladies retired to after dinner.

 The furniture was exquisite but may not all be originals.

After touring 3 floors and many rooms we finished in a ground floor room which has been converted into a museum where we watched a very interesting video of the history of the house told by Mr Randolph to his grandson.

 Bill didn't come on the tour but in the afternoon he came for a walk around the grounds. This is the view of the side of the house .Today there is a very nice restaurant on the bottom floor behind the huge glass walls. Nottoway is now owned by an Australian, Paul Ramsay, owner of Ramsey Health, with 72 hospitals and Prime TV with 12 stations. In 2008, $14 m was invested into upgrading Nottoway estate. There is now a resort with Villa style accommodation, together with, conference/ballroom, spa, swimming pool etc.

We walked back to the boat.  Soon it was time for dinner. We expected a much bigger celebration for Thanksgiving but it was a special menu including turkey of course. Our waiters were very good.

After tea we opted to stay on board and watch the bonfire rather than stand in the cold evening air on shore. We felt the Thanksgiving Celebrations were a bit of a disappointment especially as the cruise was called "The Thanksgiving Cruise".

TWO MILES LONG AND TWO YARDS WIDE

The post title is how the Mississippi River town of St Francisville is described. The little town is perched on a very narrow ridge. with steep drops on either side. We had to climb a very steep path from the American Queen steamboat up to the free Hop on Hop off buses. The bus climbed higher up the bluff to the little town of St Francisville. It didn't take us long to visit the few attractions. There were more beautiful antebellum houses, a nice church, a historic museum, bric brac shops and a market hall.

 I surprised myself by being up early enough to see the morning mist and sunrise from our cabin door.

 We visited the church which was engulfed by these huge oak trees draped with  Spanish Moss.

 We walked the neat streets with lovely houses, we visited museums and yes Bill found a coffee shop before we hopped on the bus back to the boat for lunch.

After lunch we went on another"Premium Excursion"(at an extra cost). This was to 'Angola', the Louisiana State Penitentiary. It is the biggest prison in US covering an area of 18,000 acres which used to be plantations, one being "Angola" supposedly named after the country where the Afro Americans came from. It is bordered on three sides by the Mississippi river and the other side faces a mountain range and so the prison 's nickname is 'Alcatraz of the South'
Angola used to be the most violent prison in the country but in 1972 Elayn Hunt was appointed director and massive reforms took place. Today the prison, under Warden Burl Cain, has become the most successful correctional centre in the country. The emphasis is on moral rehabilitation. There are a huge range of programs operating, ranging from farming to religious studies, including educational studies, dog training, running TV and radio stations and holding the world famous Angola Prison Rodeo.
There are over 6000 offenders and 1800 staff. 90% of offenders are in for life until they die. Angola is like a town, it has its own Post Office. It is self sufficient, growing crops and cattle.

 Our bus drove into the prison and stopped at The Red Hat block (1933) which is now heritage listed. It was where the most dangerous offenders were held and executed. They had red paint splashed onto their straw hat for when they worked in the fields. We walked through this eerie building, which reeked of bad memories.

 When we emerged from the old cell block we were met by a rehabilitated offender driving the Rodeo Cart. He talked to us about the rodeo held every weekend in October for the privileged offenders and the general public.

 The prison is designed with a main complex and a  series of camps like mini prisons. We were taken to the chapel where two 'lifers' who were now mentors for other offenders, gave us a talk about the programs offered. We were most impressed with these two men who knew they would never leave this place but they had a zest for life, learning and helping others.

 One of the most sort after jobs is one of dog training.

At the end of the tour we visited the jail museum. Angola sure has a gruesome history but an amazing story of becoming a model prison, that is visited by other directors of correctional institutions from all over the country and the world.

Ooops we nearly left Bill behind.

NEXT STOP NATCHEZ

We landed in the town of Natchez in the morning of 25 Nov. Natchez was inhabited by the Natchez Indians in 17th century. Then the French came and built a fortification called Rosalie. Flatboat men brought goods downriver from Nashville for further transport to New Orleans. The men walked back to Nashville 444 miles. Today the pathway through the wilderness remains as a National Park.

Cotton made Natchez the wealthiest city in US in 1860's. Plantation owners built mansions here and they were spared in the Civil War because the town surrendered. Many of them have been restored and are open for inspection.

After another delicious breakfast we boarded the Hop on Hop off bus and toured the town. 

 We toured Rosalie mansion built in 1823. The original owners were Peter and Eliza Little they didn't have children but  they cared for orphans. When Peter and Eliza died there was no valid will and the house was auctioned. It was bought by Wilsons who didn't have children either and also cared for orphans. They adopted one, Fanny McMurtry, who inherited the house. She married and had six children and the house stayed in the family until 1958. It is now owned by the society: The Daughter's of the American Revolution.

 Known as the Keyhole House due to the shape of the entrance.

  The houses in this town were amazing.

We had a guided tour of Stanton Hall built before the Civil War by cotton broker Frederick Stanton. This is a good example of the opulent Antebellum Classical Revival Mansion. Bill was most annoyed because we couldn't take photos and walked out. He can only take guided tours in small doses not one after the other.
After the tour we found him wandering in the gardens. We checked the map to see where to go next. Kathy knows how to win him
over,
"Look Bill it's not far to walk to the main street and a coffee shop." Now he was interested.
"Show me, how far do we have to walk?" Walking not being one of his favourite activities. As you can see it was still very cold.

We had coffee and a muffin for lunch and after visiting some other attractions we walked back to the boat instead of catching the bus. We strolled along the top of the bluff which overlooks the Mississippi. You can see 30 miles of the river.

We leaned on the fence and soaked up the lovely colours of the sunset over our pretty steamboat.

 We ambled down the steep embankment and prepared for another smashing dinner. I couldn't resist another glimpse of the sunset from outside our cabin.

 I even walked up to the bow of the our  boat to try and capture the silhouette of an old steamboat permanently moored in front of us and used as a casino.

FIRST STOP VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI

When we awoke on the second day of our cruise down the Mississippi we had already tied up at the Vicksburg landing. There are no docks in the smaller towns because of the rising levels of the river. 

 Included in the tour price is a Hop on Hop off bus tour of all the towns we stop at.

 We walked up the steep embankment to the road. They do have buggies for those who are not very mobile. We also enjoyed the Fall colours.

On top of the embankment there are these huge concrete levee walls to hold back the water when the river floods. We walked through a gap in the wall which is made by one of these huge concrete panels sliding open on wheels on a huge track. The levee wall has been decorated with murals showing the history of Vicksburg.

We were provided with a map and a list of places of interest. It is a good system because you can choose what you want to see and how long you want to stay. Buses come by about every 15 mins.

There are many beautiful historic houses. Some you can walk through. This one is a restaurant "Walnut Hills" an early name for the town of Vicksburg. The columns on these houses are called Pierced Columns and they are an architectural element mostly only found in Vicksburg. They are not solid columns but have the centre carved out in a variety of patterns.

Washington St is the main street full of interesting shops and museums. I loved the cups hanging from the posts outside this cafe.

 We visited the Coca Cola museum and learned about the history of this iconic drink.

 We popped into a toy museum. The collection was amazing and brought back memories.

Our last stop before lunch was the 'Old Depot Museum" Where we learnt about the Civil War. It used to be a railway station. We returned to the boat for lunch and in the afternoon we went on a "PremiumTour". That means an excursion for which you have to pay extra. 

 It was called, "On the Front Lines of the Civil War Tour". We went by bus to the Vicksburg National Military Park. It is the battlefield where ,in 1863, the 47 day Vicksburg Siege took place. This defeat, together with the Gettysburg defeat, was the turning point in the war. It was difficult for the Grant's Union army to take Vicksburg because it was perched on a high bluff overlooking the river with artillery batteries , swamps north and south, and a ring of forts and 172 guns guarding land approaches. Eventually, Grant hammered the Confederates fortifications from the land side and Porter blasted the city from gun boats on the river and Pemberton surrendered.

 We were driven around the battlefield and told about the battles. Throughout the park there are memorials from each state that had soldiers killed here. This is the Illinois memorial.

On the way back to the boat we stopped at the USS Cairo Museum. The Cairo, iron clad gunboat paddle steamer, was sunk by a mine, the first vessel to be destroyed this way. It wasn't until the 60's that the gunboat and its artefacts were raised from the bottom of the Mississippi.