We learn that most
buildings actually date from the Spanish period. The city was founded
in 1718 by the French and was the capital of French Louisiana. In
1763 it was ceded to the Spanish under the Treaty of Paris. In 1803
it briefly reverted back to the French, then Napoleon sold it to the
United States the same year. With this act Thomas
Jefferson nearly doubled the size of the United States!
As we walk down, we
see the partially collapsed (12 Oct 2019) building that was supposed
to become the Hard Rock Hotel. Unfortunately this has caused all the
old trolley trams in the area to be rerouted so we are not able to
get a ride in one of those. Most remarkable were the Mardi Gras &
voodoo shops.
We carry on to the
Mississippi waterfront and spot a classic Mississippi steamer. We
also see elements of the flood protection system that infamously
failed during Hurricane Katrina on 29 August 2005.
All this walking is
making us hungry so we head to Willie Mae's for some authentic
Louisiana cuisine. We try some different flavours of Fried &
Baked chicken, beans and rice. It's all finger licking delicious.
Even though we are
stuffed, there is space for some classic French beignets from Cafe du
Monde.
We see the word 'Acadian'
re-appear in many guises. Some information panels describe how the
Acadians settled here from Canada/Nova Scotia. What is being failed
to mention is that they were deported by the British from Nova Scotia
in the Great Expulsion of 1855 as we learned earlier on in the trip.
La Louisiana was the name for the entire French land claim in North
America and exteneded all the way to what is now Quebec, Canada. Over
the years, the word 'Acadian' morphed into 'Cajun'. Those born in
Louisiana afterwards were referred to as 'Creole' which means 'born
in the new world' and has nothing to do with race. Today however, the
words Acadian, Cajun and Creole have a much more recial and social
economic connotation and as such are used selectively by different
groups.
After the French sold
Louisiana to the Americans the government worked hard to erase the
French language and culture. It wasn't until Acadian soldiers were
used as interpreters in France during WWII that the French heritage
gained recognition.
Today: 29km - 1h20m
Total: 17,313km -
347h15m
