Spring Vacation Trip, Cajun Country

For our spring break we decided that we should go a few hours west into Cajun country Louisiana. The Acadians, a displaced group of Canadian French settlers were forcibly driven from their homes during a period of British ascendancy in Canada during the seven years war (The French and Indian war as it is called in North America). Eventualy many of them settled in the Bayous and Prairies of Louisiana. We spent four days traveling around seeing the unique culture that these French descendants created.

Itinerary:
DAY ONE
1. Laura Creole plantation
2. Tabasco co. Factory and Jungle Gardens

DAY TWO- St. Martinsville and Lafayette
1. Evangeline Oak
2. Longfellow-Evangeline state historic park
3. Jean Lafitte Acadian cultural center

DAY THREE- Eunice
1. Savoy Music center Saturday Jam
2. Jean Lafitte Prairie Acadian Cultural Center
3. Cajun Music History Museum
4. Rendezvous des Cajuns

DAY FOUR- Baton rouge
1. Mike the Tiger (see earlier Friday cat blogging post for photos)

A creole plantation which grew sugar cane. A slave cabin from that same plantation, which was inhabited until 1975 (without running water or electricity). This Plantation was where the American version of the Brear Rabbit stories were first written down in Creole French. Eventually the stories were translated into English and went through several incarnations.

The Certificate from the Colombians World fair stating that the Tabasco Co. has a booth in the industry and technology pavilion. Us in front of the Tabasco factory. The best thing about Avery island was that when you unrolled the windows you get this incredible vinegar pepper smell. If you have ever snorted an open Tabasco bottle then you will know what I mean.

.

Jungle Gardens Avery Island. A nature preserve on the same island that Tabasco factory is located, created by one of the Mcilhenny heirs. The egrets use this island to lay their eggs in the spring.

Jungle Gardens again, they had lots of baby alligators and TONS of signs warning us to not poke them.

the Evangeline oak in St. Martinsville. The building in the back of the tree is the Old Castillo Hotel that we spent the night in, a truly wonderful old fashioned school house turned bed and breakfast.

Our awesome guest lodge, the Blue Moon that we stayed at in Lafayette, complete with a live music saloon which played zydeco until 1am. We totally plan on staying here again to catch more fabulous live music.

Remember that line in Blues Brothers? Elwood:" What kind of music do you usually have here? "
Claire: "Oh, we got both kinds. We got country *and* western." It was like that, but with Cajun and Zydeco music instead. This is in Eunice, the Cajun Music capital of Louisiana. The first photo is of a Zydeco band, (you can tell because of the guitars and the washboard vest) the second is Cajun music. Both, as you can see involve accordions. The Liberty theater in Eunice hosts a live radio broadcast of Cajun music every Saturday evening. It is ENTIRELY in French, and all the little old French speaking Louisiana couples come to listen to it and dance the Cajun waltz.

I loved this sign. Clearly people were stealing the trash from this thrift store, although why they should care who roots through their toss-outs is beyond me. When we saw this sign Colin and I just looked at each other and laughed.