New Orleans day 2

This morning we headed to the area on the banks of the Mississippi River to visit the Destrahan Plantation and manor house. The original house was buid in 1790, but additions and renovations were made during the 1800s. There are several plantation houses in this part of town that are now open for tours, events and operate as hotels. We were taken on a guided tour of the house by a guide in period costume. We were the only 2 on this tour, and because our guide knew we were from overseas, he spent a little more time explaining the history of the region and the context around plantation and slave ownership. It was a really interesting tour and a good way to get a sense of the historical, economic and personal history of the region. The house itself was extremely well built and a lot of time was spent going into detail about its construction. It was also quite beautiful, but we couldn't help but be a little disappointed about some of the more recent renovations that were made to it over the centuries.

We then went on a short drive around this part of town and saw some other large and clearly historic homes and churches. After that we headed to the Baratraria preserve trails, a nature reserve with walking trails among some of the swamp areas outside on New Orleans. We were hoping to catch a glimpse of some wildlife and the reserve certainly didn't disappoint. As we pulled up in the carpark, we saw 2 staff watching something not far from us. It turns out that an Aligator had decided to wander through the parking lot, under the cars, and toward the road. The staff where there to make sure that the aligator and visitors all kept a safe distance from each other. Once we actully headed out onto the trails we were lucky enough to see another 4 aligators along with snakes, lizards and other assorted bugs and creepy crawlies. Damien was clearly in his element! After getting our fill of reptile entertainment, we headed back to the hotel to once again cool down and have a rest.

Thoughts have now turned to tomorrow, which will see us hit the road once again, this time headed for Memphis. We have already got a couple of things in mind to see along the way that will break up the day.

New Orleans has a great deal of history and a huge food and music culture that make it a really interesting place to visit. It would be so much better if more was done to maintain its public spaces and historic attractions. It also felt to us like the tourist trade is starting to eclipse the original spirit of the city - especially in the French Quarter.