(Saturday, April 12 to Saturday, 19, 2014) – Babydoll (aka Linda), Sugar Pie (aka Virgil), and Betty enjoyed a Louisiana adventure recently, and this blog post chronicles some of the highlights of that adventure!
Our adventure began with an escort to the Holiday Inn from Paul & Maddi to catch the shuttle to the Airport. Linda, Betty, and I took a ride to the Airport on the Executive Express shuttle and we met another nurse from Saint Louis who was heading home and shared the shuttle ride with us. The Delta Flight to New Orleans was very smooth and we arrived on time to 75 degree weather! We picked up the rental car, a Dodge Avenger, and loaded our luggage in the roomy trunk. We then entered our data into the Navigation system and headed to our initial destination, the Hampton Inn in LaPlace, LA. We checked into the motel and then went to eat at a local resteraunt on the west side of Lake Pontchartrain called Frenier Landing.
The setting was wonderful, for us three recently thawed Minnesotans who survived the Polar Vortex winter of 2013/14! We were seated in a booth outdoors facing Lake Pontchartrain and there was a gentle, if not stiff, warm breeze coming in off of the water that felt amazing. The Lake water sound, lapping against the shore was soothing, as also were the many other sounds that we associate with spring & warmer weather (crickets, frogs, birds, etc). We enjoyed splitting a Lake Pontchartrain salad, and a couple of Poboy sandwiches (shrimp & catfish) and ate our fill – yum!
We then made our way to the local “Nal-Mart” for provisions and turned in back at the motel to conclude a wonderful first day – so blessed! Sunday, April 13, 2014 – Today was a wonderful day, sunny and 78 degrees, and we enjoyed a full day of activities – a Cajun Pride Swamp Tour, followed by a tour of the Oak Alley Plantation (circa 1839). The Cajun Pride Swamp Tour, located in LaPlace, LA included a guided pontoon boat ride where we were able to see many gators, some raccoons, and various other wildlife.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Oak Alley restaurant that included some of the best Gumbo and Pecan Pie of the entire Louisiana trip! We then departed the Oak Alley Plantation and drove to Baton Rouge and checked into our hotel, and then drove to see the home that Babydoll & Betty lived in when they lived in Baton Rouge. We also were able to see the elementary schools that Linda attended in Baton Rouge, as well as the apartment complex on the LSU campus that they called home at one time.
After a wonderfully spent day – full of adventure, we settled into our home for the next four nights and three days – the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center. We enjoyed another delicious meal of Louisiana food for supper, that included gumbo – yum!
Monday through Wednesday were the technical conference sessions for Virgil, while Linda & Betty were part of the Guest Program that included trips to tour a Plantation, historic & new capitol building tours, shopping tours, etc. Tuesday evening was the conference event that included a tour of the WWII battleship, the USS Kid, along the Mississippi River, as well as a buffet of Cajun food and a band. Papa and Nana danced by the Mississippi! Wednesday evening was the President’s banquet that we all attended and enjoyed a delicious supper. Here are some photos from the Houmas House Plantation (sugar cane, circa 1828) and the Old & New Capitols that Linda & Betty visited as part of the Guest Program:
Thursday morning was a travel day, as we traveled from Baton Rouge to sightseeing in New Orleans, and in the evening to the Ormond Plantation (sugar cane, circa 1790) located between Baton Rouge & New Orleans. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the Hilton and headed towards adventure in New Orleans. Our destination was the Basin Street Station, where we boarded a ride on the “Hop on – Hop off” Cityscape Bus Tour. The bus was a double-decker bus, open to the elements on the top. Linda & I braved the elements and sat in the front row on the top & took some photos along the way.
We “Hopped off” at a stop along the tour for a delicious lunch at the Cheesecake Restaurant. The next “Hop off” for us was the French Quarter, where we spent a couple of hours walking and seeing the many sights of this famous area in New Orleans. We enjoyed a delicious treat at the Cafe’ Dumond – a Beignet & Cafe’ au lait – very yummy!
We checked into the Ormond Plantation and then went on a trip to the nearby grocery store for some supplies. We ate at a local pizza place (Rolos) and ate some delicious pizza! We then settled into our rooms for the evening (Ormond Room & Pineapple Room).
We awoke Friday morning at the Ormond Plantation after a restful night of sleep. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and met other guests, Christine & Ray, who were from Italy. Ray is a professor of materials science, and Christine does government work in Italy. We took a tour of the nearby Destrehan Plantation (sugar cane, circa 1787) and a nearby cemetery after breakfast. Many of the trees around the plantations we visited had Spanish Moss hanging from them (that reminded us of beards).
The Destrahan Plantation tour was full of good historical information, and the tour guide did a great job. The walk through the local cemetery revealed the above-ground burial practices of this area (due to the high groundwater table). The graves varied in age & state of disrepair – and many people died due to the Yellow Fever epidemic (circa 1853), which was spread by mosquitoes.
We next enjoyed a delicious lunch of fruit and cheese & crackers on the veranda at Ormond Plantation. We enjoyed some “merl axing” (relaxation) after lunch with some reading before suppertime. Supper was delicious at Ormond Plantation – Crawfish Étouffée, and a crab cake/pasta dish. We went for a walk after supper along the levee across the road from the plantation along the Mississippi River. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing & reading before turning in for the night. Saturday morning we enjoyed another wonderful breakfast at the Ormond Plantation and then walked next door to the German Farmer’s Market and walked around to see what crafts and items that vendors were selling. We then packed up and headed to the airport to conclude our wonderful adventure in Louisiana!