Louisiana - Cajun Country & Nola
First stop was Lafayette, staying near the airport as we were late arriving. The Homewood Suites were very comfortable and had everything needed for a longer stay – they would even do your shopping for you if you had the time and the inclination to make the most of the kitchen in your suite! We left early as we were on a mission – first, a true Cajun breakfast at Johnson’s Boucaniere – shame that being veggie I couldn’t try the famous Boudin (no idea, some kind of sausage?!) so I stuck with the much healthier grilled cheese biscuit…after a whistle-stop tour of Lafayette, we headed out to the swamps to go hunting for ‘gators with Champagnes at Lake Martin. Sadly, there’s no champagne but we did find ourselves a few reptiles, not to mention a lot of great bird life.
On our way to Baton Rogue we made a stop at Avery Island. Never heard of it? Me neither but go and dig out the Tabasco sauce in your cupboard – yep, not made in Mexico, made on what’s essentially a salt island in the middle of Louisiana. I came home with some Raspberry Chipotle which they added to ice cream to give you a raspberry ripple with a kick – yum!
Next stop Baton Rouge, a university town with a history of eccentric governors and some excellent places to eat, drink and be merry. We stayed at the gorgeous boutique Hotel Indigo and had a great time visiting the sites and trying out a few watering holes. The view from the Tsunami restaurant and bar was fantastic and I had a lot of fun trying to explain the concept of vegetarianism to the waitress at Poor Boy Lloyds – luckily not an issue for President Obama when he dropped in. Still, I knew I was in for food overload on the cruise so a green salad wasn’t an issue! The next morning we were up bright and breezy to head out in the direction of New Orleans via a couple of antebellum plantation houses. First up, Houmas House, where a lady straight out of Gone with the Wind showed us round. It was stunning and a very popular place for weddings, with rooms on site for guests and gorgeous grounds. Next was Oak Alley, another impressive property strategically located next to the Mississippi with the most incredible – wait for it – alley of oak trees.
Upon arrival at New Orleans (or Nola as abbreviation-loving residents call it) we headed out on a must-do walking cocktail tour to see the sights (OK, bars) of the French Quarter. It was love at first sight, I’ve been wanting to see New Orleans for a very long time and you could feel the history exuding from every wrought iron balcony. Antoine’s and The Court of Two Sisters were great places to drink it all in (literally) and the latter does a very popular Jazz Brunch on Sundays that’s enough to make me want to return. However, it was time to embark and, thanks to our Carnival rep, Luke Smith, we had the VIP treatment, whisking us through embarkation in no time at all so we could get unpacked and enjoy the Sailaway party as the Carnival Dream got underway – see the next blog for more details!