New Orleans & More

Our first stop was in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
A quaint little town on the Red River.

The oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase.

One of its claim to fame is the movie Steel Magnolias was filmed here.

This area is famous for its Louisiana Meat Pies.

We stopped at Lasyone's and had their famous beef meat pie

and crawfish pie and a Shrimp Po-boy. Delicious!

Interstate 10 through south Louisiana is built on pillars and

you drive through miles and miles of road over the bayous.

Absolutely amazing!

New Orleans is below sea level so their cemeteries

are above ground. So unusual.

Finally we are in Jackson Square in the

French Quarter of New Orleans.

St Louis Cathedral is in the back.

Enjoyed cafe du lait and beignets at the famous Cafe du Monde.

There are fabulous street musicians everywhere. It is delightful.

These boys were break dancers and had been on "America's got Talent"

They did... a lot of it... they did incredible moves.

We had supper at the Gumbo Shop. Delicious Creole Cuisine...

gumbo, jimbalya, shrimp creole, pralines sundae.

Old Man River

The Garden District on New Orleans, just a short ride from the French Quarter

has some beautiful old homes with lots of wrought iron.

Natchez Mississippi on the banks of the Mississipi River was our last stop. Natchez is the oldest settlement on the Mississippi, settled two years before the French Quarter. It has a number of ante-bellum mansions. We toured a few.

Just incredible!

Longwood is a mansion started just before the civil war began.

It was to have been 30,000 sq. ft when it was completed.

It never was.... this is the view looking up to the 5 top stories.

And this was done before there were fork lifts!

Some of the original plans.

Amazing ideas and work.

Fields of cotton.