Sights and Tastes of New Orleans.

 Today I took a day tour out of New Orleans to visit two sugar plantations and I was very surprised to find a quilt on one of the children's beds. The first house we visited was St Joseph's Plantation and it is still owned and run by the original family. The quilt was from the 1940s and a version of Dresden Plate I hadn't seen before. As well as the main homestead we also visited the outside kitchen and former slave quarters. Of course the huge Oak trees were a lovely feature in the grounds and were originally planted to encourage the cooling breezes.
      The second plantation is Houmas House and has extensive gardens as well as lots of interesting furniture and collectibles which decorate the home. Both plantations were built along the banks of the Mississippi River which served as their way of transporting the sugar after processing, as well as a means of transport for people as they conducted business in New Orleans.
     I finished the tour with a Mint Julep which is a well known drink in the South. I always like to try the local food and drinks and have enjoyed Seafood Gumbo, Shrimp Poboy and Fried Shrimp and have really enjoyed the different flavours. We also drove through the American and French Quarters of New Orleans and the tour guide was very knowledgeable about the local history and customs so it was a great way to gain some insight into New Orleans and Louisiana.
More fun to be had tomorrow.
Hugs, Jan Mac