Swamps and socialites

 Today we took a full-day van tour outside of New Orleans.  We were picked up in front of our VRBO at 8 am, joining a group of 10 other folks.  We drove for about 45 minutes and arrived at Swamp Adventures.  We were hoping to do a small-boat tour, but everyone else wanted the air boats, so that's what we ended up with.  It ended up being better than we expected.  Captain Gary stopped the boat a lot and we saw quite a bit of wildlife considering how much noise we made.  As well, Captain Gary gave us a wild ride through the twists and turns of the swamp, which we thought was very fun.  

When we started out, the water was so still it was like a mirror.  Because of the perfect reflection as you moved along, you had a sense of vertigo at times.  

Like a mirror!

 After stopping the boat in various places, Captain Gary would holler out and, as if by magic, gators would appear.  The first was a little one (3 feet) named Mary, who came directly over to the boat for a chicken leg, before disappearing in to the murk again.  

Mary

 The next gator was a big guy.  He was probably 8 feet and he was less than thrilled to see us.  Captain Gary kept talking to him and he finally opened his eyes and looked at us.  It then took another few minutes before he'd allow himself to be bribed over to the boat for a piece of chicken.  It was cool this morning so I guess he was more interested in staying up out of the water on his sunny log, than he was in getting a treat.

No name, but a big guy. 

Open wide!

 In addition to gators and birds (no snake sightings, thank hell), we saw a lot of beautiful scenery.  Captain Gary obviously loves the swamp and pointed out all kinds of interesting trees, plants, and other tidbits.  He told us about a woman who asked him if one of the birds was a pterodactyl (WTH?), and also about the time a woman from Calgary fell in to the swamp when they were stopped to look at something.  He said he'd never seen a person more scared than she was, and that she didn't make a peep or move a muscle she was so afraid of something getting her.  She just laid there twitching slightly. Luckily, he was able to quickly haul her back on to the boat without any permanent damage.  She did, however, lose her shoe, which he found again about 3 months later.  

Pretty much exactly what you think of when you hear the word swamp.

Spanish moss

Swamp people

 After the swamp, we loaded back in to the van and drove another half-hour to Oak Alley Plantation.  Oak Alley is a traditional Greek revival plantation that grew sugar cane to produce sugar and rum.  If you've seen Interview with a Vampire, you'll recognize the lane up to the house.  The trees are estimated to be more than 300 years old!

Oak Alley Plantation

Master bedroom at Oak Alley

 Last stop was Laura Plantation, which is a Creole style plantation.  I thought that this building was much prettier, even though it was much less ostentatious in design.  The colors and architecture of this style are copied from the Caribbean culture, which we love.  

Front view of Laura Plantation

Front porch at Laura - how many colors can you count? 

View out the back of Laura

Satsumas growing on the property.  Sadly, they're not ripe until around Halloween

Overall, the plantations are beautiful in terms of the grounds and buildings but, with a history so entrenched in slavery, it's hard to be terribly excited about them or what they stood for.   As well, there is a sadness to the air that is unmistakable.  

Original slave quarters at Laura Plantation

After a long day and an hour drive back to the city, we were tired and starving.  We quickly dashed off to Quartermaster Deli, which is a small 24-hour place that serves only take-away.  We ordered a smoked sausage po'boy and mac & cheese.   Andrew also ordered a poutine po'boy, just to see what it would be like.  It's a little shocking that they would take one of the most fat-laden dishes known to humankind (poutine), and ramp up the heart-attack quotient just a little more by putting it on to a French roll.  Can you imagine?  Even the guy making it said he couldn't understand the point of it.  I didn't take a picture, because it was too horrifying.  Andrew ate a bite or two and the rest, thankfully, went in to the trash.

Now we're lounging around the apartment for the rest of the evening. I've got a lovely glass of wine, and my book is calling.  See you tomorrow!