Bayou is French for “Swamp” and a Day in NOLA's French Quarter

We finished our time in the Gulf Shores deep freeze with a walk around the park trails and a visit to the pier. Rog tried making friends with a local (pelican) and I enjoyed what may be our last ocean sunset for a while. The lovely ice sculpture was compliments of the park's sprinkler system. Proof I was not exaggerating my claims of freezing weather! Lol. We departed on Tuesday, 1/10, for Bayou Segnette State Park just outside of New Orleans, LA (NOLA).

Gulf Shores ice-capades. 

Rog gets closer and closer until ...

... hey buddy - outta my bubble. 

Love the ocean sunsets. Spectacular!

Heron prints.

Bayou Segnette is about 30 minutes southwest of New Orleans on the other side of the Mississippi. We drove pretty much right through the city to get here and that was….shall we say….interesting. New Orleans is a city of bridges. Lots of bridges. Lots of really, really high and really, really long bridges. I swear we crossed lakes, canals and the serpentine Mississippi River at least twice! Gusty winds did nothing to improve the experience either. Lol. But we made it and are happy to have a quiet, peaceful respite from the hustle and bustle of New Orleans.

Bridges everywhere!

I checked and bayou is actually defined as “a sluggish marshy tributary of a lake or river”, but what they mean is “swamp”. It sure does sound better in French though. Lol. It’s not very scenic, but with daytime temps in the 70’s and just the occasional rain squall, I can live with it. :)

Not especially pretty this time of year, but no bugs and the highs are a lovely 70 degrees.

Even the swamp, excuse me, bayou is pretty at dusk. :)

Evening light reflected off the water. 

We booked the French Quarter Culinary History Tour for 10AM Thursday, 1/12. We spent about two hours walking the French Quarter, getting a behind-the-scenes look at some famous eateries and learning the differences and history of the local Creole and Cajun cuisines. 

We toured Antoine’s restaurant which was established in 1840 and has grown over the years so that now, if all the private dining rooms were occupied, it would seat over 1000 guests. We peeked into the wine cellar, a long, narrow room which measures 165-feet by 7-feet, and holds approximately 25,000 bottles when fully stocked. We also got tons of great tips for where to get the best food and have been happily working our way through a long list of New Orleans culinary must haves. :)   

Our delightful and knowledgeable guide, Elizabeth, expounds on the wonders of NOLA cuisine at Antoine's.

The aptly named Escargot Room at Antoine's. 

Antoine's wine cellar.

K-Paul's, a NOLA sensation established in 1979 by Chef Paul Prudhomme.  Best. Gumbo. Ever.  

Let’s see, in just three days, between us we’ve had: gumbo (twice!), oyster po’ boy, jambalaya, red beans and rice, gulf shrimp, muffuletta, King Cake, bread pudding with whiskey sauce, beignets with café au lait, and have plans for crawfish etouffee at the acclaimed Bon Ton Café. Please note, not a single thing served in New Orleans is low cal. It’s a good thing we are being diligent about getting in our daily 10K steps or I wouldn’t fit through the RV door. Lol.

After our culinary walking tour, we spent the day wandering around (and eating our way through) the French Quarter and visiting several museum exhibits. We toured the Presbytère, which is a state museum with Hurricane Katrina & Mardi Gras exhibits housed in an 1813 former courthouse. The Katrina exhibit was fascinating, it was very interesting to get the perspectives of the locals that lived through it and not just what was televised on CNN.

Mardi Gras exhibit - lots of incredible costumes and history. 

French Quarter details.

Not sure I'd want to be late on my rent!

We also enjoyed the historic circa-1835 mint turned museum with coin exhibits downstairs and a tribute to Louis Armstrong and a jazz venue upstairs.  We walked to the Louis Armstrong Park, a local park near the French Quarter also honoring the jazz great. We haven’t made it to any of the jazz clubs, but we’ve been incredibly impressed by the number and quality of the street musicians. Awesome music everywhere.

The New Orleans Mint is the only mint to produce coins under three governments - the USA, Louisiana (after it seceded), and the Confederacy.

Hitching posts are still in place throughout the city. 

Entrance to the Louis Armstrong Park.

Loved this small tribute painted on one of the park steps.

And, of course, we did the obligatory stroll down Bourbon Street, but I gotta say it really wasn’t my scene. During the day it just seemed dirty and desperate, maybe it would feel more lively and entertaining at night. But I’m not sure if we’ll make it back to find out. 

The (in)famous Bourbon Street.

Next on our agenda is a visit to New Orleans City Park where we have reservations for a romantic gondola ride through the park’s canals. Should be fun!