I was dreaming about writing this post for years. To be completely honest I dreamt about New Orleans for years. About Louisiana. Shadows. Mystery and covered in Spanish moss trees.
I do realize that for most of the people New Orleans is considered the city of the moral decay, booze and jazz. And I would have been a total liar if I would not admit that it’s true. People go to NOLA for many reasons and I’m not the one to judge them. Some of them never leave the border of the French Quarter and that’s totally fine, but I (personally) didn’t spend a small fortune (let’s not talk about the ridiculous prices of flights I bought) just to get myself drunk and party hard all day long. I know that doing it on Bourbon Street sounds so much more appealing than doing it on your own couch in front of the TV or a local bar, but for God’s sake, Louisiana and it’s absolute beauty has so much more to offer!
I can proudly say that I saw a lot in a short period of time. I let myself get lost in the history of the place, it’s culture, mentality and food. I tasted every local dish, I drank all the drinks and shots that bars had to offer. I took tours and organized trips to the most amazing places in the state of Louisiana. And I have so much to tell!
I’ve decided to dedicate this post to my general pleasure of telling stories and describing my feelings and thoughts. So let me bore you to death with my little memoir.
Day one.
Garden District and French Quarter.
Oh my God. I must have been blind on the way from the airport the night before. That was the first thought of mine after I got out of my hostel. Everything seemed so much different in the sunlight. Ugliness seemed more bearable, shadows less scary and whole scenario more exotic than haunted.
I'm not going to lie that absolutely everything has changed with the change of the day time. Unfortunately not. New Orleans is not a safe place and I learnt that while walking down to the city center (25 min walk from my hostel). I was the only one walking. I was the only one on the side walk. Some cars were stoping for me, other gave themselves a permission to be offensive. Onced I passed a bridge with a whole "town" of tents belonging to homeless people, I knew I'll never walk this path again. Shocked and confused I got into French Quarter and let myself walk all the tiny streets, corners and parks. I walked passed hundreds of bars and pubs and small shops. I stopped in almost all of them. I wasn't bothered with the weather I was given (rain and cold).
I entered voodoo and vampire shops (people working there are amazing story tellers), bought some souvenirs. After quick dive into Bourbon Street I pulled myself together (I was way too excited) and found my way to Garden District which is everything people might expect from NOLA. Is dark, misterious and absolutely breathtaking. All the houses and small palaces are super easy to find and the distance to walk from point A to B is acceptable for everyone. I found a house that once belonged to Anne Rice, giving it a long and loving glance. Anne Rice is one of my favourite writers and having a chance to see everything what she saw while writing her books was incredible. I warmed myself up in a coffeeshop famous for selling books signed by NOLA's authors.
And when I was about to catch a bus back to my hostel (on that point I was frozen solid) I noticed a small cemetery hiden in shadows. I didin't know that I will be given a chance to see one of the most famous cemeteries in the US, where all movies about vampires where made (Vampire Diaries, The Originals and Interview with the Vampire). I spent good two hours in this place, wandering around, absolutely speechless. Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 stole my heart and if I were to chose just one cemetery to see in New Orleans I would definitely picked up this one. If you have a chance to buy myself a guided tour around this cemetery I would. I totally recommend it.
Day two.
Swamp and Plantations tour.
What a day.
I woke up really early, full of energy and excitement ready to see what I was waiting for my whole life. And it was raining. Again.
The first thing we had a chance to see that day where swamps. Actually it was one of many bayous. The tour I took lasted around 1,5h and it was beautiful but not worth the money I paid. I don't want to blame the weather but it didn't help. It was super cold what made the whole experience definitely less pleasant. A tour guide even if marvelous giving us all the info about gators (he and his family are hunters for generations) didn't help the impression of dissapointment. Disappointing was how much we were allowed to watch. We didn't get close into the trees (and it was my dream) and we didn't have a chance to see a swamp from the inside. We only moved back and forth through the same path that was far from impressing.
(Swamp tour is located close to Oak Tree Plantation so if you can skip it, do so. It was a waste of money.)
A total highlight of the whole trip was definitely visiting Oak Alley Plantation with lunch served in its cafeteria. If you'll ever have a chance to visit this place go there for lunch. Food is absolutely delicious and will give you a chance to try all the traditional Louisana's dishes. I loved it, but before I move on, let me just warn you about the spicyness of this food. Louisiana loves spicies so if you're not a fan of fire in your mouth, make sure you waiter or barman knows about it! Even mild food (for people of NOLA) is super spicy. Be aware!
Oak Alley is just an amazing place to visit if you want to learn just a bit more about the culture, mentality and history of this state. Do I need to mention that this place is simply breathtaking and the alley of oaks is just overwhelming with its beauty? I always loved nature but nature of Louisiana is nothing I've ever seen before.
At the end of the day we visited one more plantation and the experience we were given there was totally different.
Oak Alley is a place where you'll be fed well and see a beautiful mantion but you won't be given much of historical details. You're mostely independent visitor and most of the guided tour will focus around the gardens and architecure. A visit in Laura Plantation (famous creol plantation) was a true guided tour for history and culture lovers. Tour lasted almost 2 hours and our guide was absolutely amazing. We've learned everything to be leared about Louisiana, customs and culture. I was thrilled being given a chance to dive into history. Both plantations are 10 min dirve from each other so you have no excuse not to visit them both.
For those of you who wonder what tour I took: click here to find out more about it.
Day three.
Exploring NOLA.
First thing I did that morning was heading straight to City Park (you can easily get there with public transportation). City Park is definitely something worth visiting, especially in the morning when place isn't too busy. You'll be given a chance to get to know all Louisiana has to offer in terms of nature and wild life. Have a walk there in the morning with a good cup of coffee. After that I also headed to nearby cemetery (St. Louis Cemetery No. 3) which was definitely worth checking out! Just remember guys that cemeteries in NOLA are opened from 9am-4pm so make sure to go there first thing in the morning :)
On the way to French Quarter (I spent there so many hours already but I wasn't quite satysfied yet) I booked myself two small tours I wanted to take during the day. One of them was St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery Tour (you can't get there without a guide) and the other (the most exciting for me) Ghost, Vodoo and Vampire Tour in French Quarter.
I can say only amazing things about both of those tours. If you love history, listening to spooky stories and really understand NOLA I can only say that you must take those tours. I simply can't still forget the Ghost and Vodoo tour I took and if I could, I would take this tour over and over again. I truly fell in love in New Orleans after hearing the scariest stories of this city and Edward (our guide) was absolutely amazing. If there is one thing you must do in NOLA and you're on a budget it would be it. Absolute must see/do. If you can, book it in the evening. It gives it this whole experience some extra "magic". Once you'll hear the stories of this place, you'll never be the same. I can promise you that.
Day Four.
All about food, drinks and another swamp tour.
Don't get me wrong. Just because I didn't mention the crazyness and influence of Bourbon St. doesn't matter I didn't get myself absolutely smashed every night. It's impossible to stay sober in the company of thousands of drunk people and I must underline here the fact that I'm not a huge alcohol lover or crazy party person. You're offered alcohol everywhere, any time of the day with every dish. And alcohol in NOLA is cheap. Super cheap. I'll make a list of places to see in my next blogpost :)
So I started my day from buying myself a good cup of coffee and very sugary beignets (must eat in NOLA) in Cafe Du Monde and I walked around knowing that the next day I was forced to leave this beautiful city. I visited last places from my list, I visited shops and actually everything I possiby could based on blog/youtube/real life recommendations. In the early afternoon I let myself to have one more chance with swamp tour. I was realy disappointed with the tour I took few days before and I couldn't let myself have a wrong impression on that beautiful piece of nature. I bought a ticket for an Ultimate Swamp Tour Experience and I believe it was one of the best things I could do for myself that day. That tour gave me exacly want I wanted and what I expected. We saw swamps from every possible angle. We went into the swamp and had an amazing chance to take breathtaking pictures. We learned everything we were supposed to know. I was over the moon with this experience. If there's a swamp tour you must take, this is it! Totally recommend it! :)
I spent the rest of the day walking around and experiencing NOLA for the last time before flight home.
I walked all the streets I loved so much. I bought myself a Huge Ass Beer and danced on Bourbon St.
Day Five..
Time to go home at 5 am.
I came back home in early afternoon on New Year's Eve day. I watched TV with my friends, drinking champagne. All I could think of was New Orleans and a huge dream I just made come true.
I fell in love. I can still see a Spanish moss on the trees. I can still hear jazz music from Frenchman Street. I lost and found myself in the city of lost souls, wondering around parks filled with pirates' ghost, dancing voodoo queens and vampires waiting in the shadows.
Trips like this makes me feel alive. I guess that's what life is for. Exploring. Tasting and loving but mostly dreaming.
All the love! M.