With our packing list for the next adventure begging for my attention, I figured it was time to write a bit about our time in Louisiana! We traveled to New Orleans with a couple of our dearest friends from Vail; Kat & Kevin. They were both born and raised in Louisiana so we couldn’t have asked for better ‘tour guides’ during our time there! 

Upon landing we quickly re-learned how to breathe in the humid air that sometimes felt thick enough to eat. Kat’s dad, Bruce, picked us up from the airport and we headed to their home. As soon as we walked in the door Bruce served us up some gumbo he prepared just for our arrival. Looking back, it was probably my favorite thing I ate the entire time there! After lunch we quickly settled our things at the house and got back in the car for a trip to the New Orleans City Park. The park was stunning, huge Oak trees with Spanish Moss dangling from every branch. It looked like some kind of Mardi Gras celebration gone ‘au naturel’. We stopped at Morning Call before exploring the park so we could have some cafe au laits and beignets. Morning Call rivals Cafe Du Monde, serving up the classics while also staying open 24 hours a day. I think I actually prefer Morning Call, as they serve their beignets sans powdered sugar but have shakers at the table.

The following day we hung around the house, resting up after our travel day. We went out for sno balls in the afternoon. I tried to relate sno balls, snow cones, and water ice to one another but was harshly scolded by Kat because ‘they’re completely different’. I’m secretly still trying to figure out what exactly the difference is. Brian chose ‘King cake’ flavor and I went with chocolate and almond. Kat got strawberry stuffed with ice cream that looked pretty delicious.. and also stained her lips for hours afterwards. We ended the evening heading to Bourbon street to see Bruce. He plays on Bourbon 3 nights a week with his cajun band, he’s the lead singer and accordion player! Bourbon street on a Tuesday evening was just as busy as any other town would be on a Friday. The streets were filled with wildest array of people I’ve ever seen. We spent most of the evening at Tropical Isle, where Bruce plays, and couldn’t pass up the chance to have a hand grenade, THE drink of Bourbon Street! 

On Wednesday went on the Swamp tour which was out of this world! I wrote about it in a previous post. I won’t go in to too much detail again but I highly recommend going on one if you’re in Louisiana! After the tour we helped Kat’s sister move out of college and then went on the hunt for some Boudin. If you’re like I was, you’ve got no idea what Boudin is. I learned that it’s a mixture of sausage and rice in a casing (like sausage links). You kind of suck the meat and rice out? I couldn’t quite stomach the idea of it.. so I went with some deep fried Boudin instead, same ingredients, minus the casing part. It was super tasty! Kat’s family all agreed it was a little on the spicy side for what boudin typically is, but I thought it was great. 

Thursday was a true ‘exposure therapy’ moment at the crawfish boil we went to. As a kid I didn’t eat much meat with bones in it and only recently learned to not hate it. I barely held it together when 3 pounds of crawfish were set in front of me. Kat & Kevin taught us how to properly shell a crawfish which goes a little something like this. 1) Tear the tail from the head 2) Suck the juice directly from the head 3) Stick pinky into head to scoop out the yellowish goo and eat it 4) Peel a small portion of the tail shell off and pinch out the tail meat 4) ) Optional* crack the claws open and slowly wiggle out the meat. And that’s how you eat a crawfish. Brian and I took our sweet time trying to crack into our miniature lobster looking dinner. Kat and Kevin blew through theirs at record speed. I haven’t seen anyone peel crawfish before but they were so fast! Then we met up with Brian’s childhood friend, Ryan, and all went down to Bourbon street to see Bruce play again! 

Our Friday was spent at Jazz Fest! Kat’s dad has been playing at Jazz fest for the past 38 years and we were not passing up the opportunity to see him on stage! We all piled in the family van and drove to the festival together. One bonus about ‘being with the band’ is the air conditioned trailers and the free food/booze situation. Bruce played 2 sets on 2 different stages  and we saw both. I love that his music encourages ‘real’ dancing instead of the foot tapping and clapping or bumping and grinding most modern music calls for. Kat & Kevin waltzed among the other fans while Brian and I soaked up the moment from the sidelines. I love to dance but I truly enjoyed watching everyone else, their smiles were contagious! After watching Bruce play we wandered the grounds making our way to the Gospel tent to listen to the loudest gospel choir I’ve ever heard. We went to quite few other stages and listened to a song or two before moving on. After Jazz Fest we all went home to shower and sleep except for Brian who went out with Ryan to Bourbon street and ran into not one but two celebrities! Adam DeVine from Workaholics and Pitch Perfect and Draymond Green from the Golden State Warriors! 

Sunday we traveled to La Combe to visit with Kevin’s family for a couple days. We visited the Abita Brewery, had an epic bonfire, watched the sun set over Lake Pontchartrain, and split 15 pounds of crawfish between 5 people. It was a really relaxing time after the busy days we had been having previously! 

On Wednesday Bruce took the day off so he could drive us out to the plantations and show us around. The drive was about an hour into the countryside. When we arrived to Laura planation we bought our tour tickets and then looked around while we were waiting. The Laura Plantation was so bright and colorful! And the oaks on the grounds were massive. The tour was very informative and covered a lot of ground in the short amount of time. As the afternoon wore on into the evening we quickly drove past Oak Alley Plantation to get a glimpse of the Oak lined sidewalk before heading back home!

Brian and I wanted to take a second to thank everyone in the Daigrepont family who took the time to show us around for 10 straight days, not roll their eyes when we asked what ‘get down’ meant for the 3rd time in a row, cooked us amazing meals, and let us mooch off their Jazz Fest digs. Our time in Louisiana wouldn’t have been the same without you. And obviously, to our friends Kat & Kev.. thanks for letting us share a room with you, super cozy eh?