Today we boarded the bus for a walking tour of the French Quarter followed by lunch at the New Orleans School of Cooking.
The French Quarter is perhaps the one item everybody thinks about when you mention New Orleans. It is, after all, the original New Orleans. Ones senses cannot help but be stimulated by the smells, sounds and sights. As our tour guide said, "I do not need to watch reality TV, I have the French Quarter."
Ours tour started across the street from Jackson Square. This is the Cathederal that dominates that part of the French Quarter. The original Cathederal was constructed in 1727, and burned in the fire of 1788. It was reconstructed and completed in 1794, one year after New Orleans became a Diocese. In 1850, New Orleans became an Archdiocese, and in 1851 Archbishop Antoine Blanc blessed the newly expanded and restored Cathedral. Elements of the earlier churches are included in the present structure, and there have been many additions and improvements made throughout the years. In 1964, Pope Paul VI raised the Cathedral to the rank of Minor Basilica, citing its splendor, antiquity, historical significance, and pastoral zeal. St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest continuously active Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States.
We continued down the street to the original French Market in what is know as "Dutch Alley." The name "Dutch Alley" is a tribute to New Orleans first African American Mayor, Earnest "Dutch" Morial. It is where the Cafe Du Monde is located at the start of it.
The beignet master at work. The dough is cut into squares and this guy was able to throw them over his shoulder, without looking, into the frying vat. He was something to watch.
One of the many sculptures in Dutch Alley.
A view of Dutch Alley with the old store fronts to the left. It is here we heard a macabre but funny story and learned something about voodoo. Most, if not all, of what we know about voodoo is from Hollywood and it is incorrect. It is a religion that was widely practices in the Caribbean and is still practiced in Haiti today. It has been merging with Catholicism since the 18th century when Haiti was part of the slave trade and Louisiana under the French required everyone to adopt and become Catholic. A voodoo rite is not complete until the practitioner goes to mass on Sunday. It is meant to heal and help people for the most part, much like the curandero in the Spanish culture. It is also referred to as a folk healer. The story we hear was that the vendors in the stalls to the right in the photo above complained to the police about a foul smell coming from one of the stalls. On their arrival they found a gentlemen stirring a large pot with a foul liquid in it. The asked him what he was doing and he said that the was making a potion for his arthritis pains given to him by the voodoo doctor. He stated that the doctor told him to boil sweet oil and puppies so that is what he was doing. The police immediately went and arrested the doctor for what he had told the man. The doctor then told them that he had given the directions for the rub to be made but that he had told the man to boil sweet oil and poppies, not puppies! Apparently that was the equivalent of today's physicians handwriting.
Back in the 50's or so, Walt Disney sat here and sketched the scene, minus the car, for Disneyland's representation of New Orleans Square.
We continued out of the alley and on down the street. As the tour guide talked about the local architecture. The entire French Quarter is a historic landmark, building owners can do anything they want with the inside but the outside must conform to the style and standards of the old French Quarter architecture.
This photo shows the difference between a balcony, to the right, and a gallery to the left. Galleries are larger and need support in the form of posts anchored to the sidewalk below. Balconies are smaller and are supported by metal beams going through the house to the back. An aside note is that the rent for one of the small apartments or condos run in the neighborhood of $3000 to $6000 per month. The renter is responsible for all utilities and in most cases they are responsible for replacing any appliance that goes out! The lanterns you see hanging by the door are gas and original. They do not use a mantle and burn continuously. The ironwork on the left is cast iron where the iron on the right is wrought. The cast iron was most likely made outside of Louisiana. The wrought iron was made by local craftsman.
These tile markers ore on the walls of buildings throughout the French Quarter.. Louisiana was under Spanish rule for a little over 40 years. An interesting note that Bourbon street was not named so because of the bars and liqouer, but was given that name by the French engineer that laid out the streets in 1721 after the royal family at the time. It was originally called Rue Bourbon and was translated to english when the city was granted to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
This sidewalk plaque is dedicated to Henriette Delille, founder of the first African-American order of Nuns. As was the custom back in the 18th and 19th century, wealthy men had a wife and usually a mistress who was of a lower social class. Henriette was being groomed to be a mistress but did not want to travel that path but she wanted to serve God as a nun. The trouble is, you could not be a nun if you were black or had any black blood in you, Henriette was the fourth generation of free women of color. She created her own order for African-Americans before the Civil War and focused on feeding the hungry and healing the sick. The Church would not allow her and her followers to wear the traditional habit so they developed their own. The order was recognized 10 years after the start and Henriette took her vows along with 12 other. She died at the start of the Civil War. Today she is up for canonization as the first step towards sainthood.
This was the original Convent of the Order of the Holy Family. They have since moved but continue their work today.
Below is Preservation Hall. Dedicated to the preservation of New Orleans Jazz. You can still attend intimate concerts here, given by some of the best New Orleans Jazz musicians and groups. As good as the music is on Bourbon Street, I understand it pales in comparison to the music heard a few block away on French Street. Here you can listen to Jazz, R&B, Blues, Reggae and almost any other genre you can name.
It is impossible to be in the French Quarter and not talk about music! New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz. It has its roots in the music of the African-American community and is a free sounding music drawn from the home country of the slaves. It has strains of Caribbean, African, Church melodies, brass bands that marched down the street during the Civil War. This was all combined, modified and evolves today. You can not go to the French Quarter and ignore the sound, it emanates from the street corners, dingy bars and dance halls. From the open windows of private residences even funerals that march by. Most people hear it and like it, saying they didn't know that was what jazz sounds like. It is very hard to listen and not start tapping your feet and swaying to the beat and the music of brass, piano, guitars, piano and drums in any and all combinations. There is the upbeat sound during Marde Gras, the sultry trumpets and trombones in smoke filled bars. It is a wonderful sound that draws you in and plays with your senses. The combination of ragtime from the post Civil War and the Blues that works its way down from the Mississippi Delta form what is truely Americas music that is now enjoyed world wide. Some Jazz greats from New Orleans are Charles "Buddy" Bolden, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Al Hurt, and Wynton Marsalis to name a few. We were treated to a sampling of New Orleans Jazz on the steamboat "Natchez" on our final night in New Orleans. We are considering taking a Fantasy RV Caravan to Americas Music Trail in the next year of two.
Out walking tour ended near where we had started at the Jax Brewing Company Building. Here we were able to attend a New Orleans School of Cooking Class, learn more about the food of the area and get fed, what a deal! I will post that tomorrow night. Until then, have a blessed day and please keep the folks in Florida in your prayers and thoughts as they deal with Hurricane Milton. Bless you all and thanks for being along for the ride!
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