We were lucky enough to try various new foods during our travels across Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana. These are some of the highlights.
Tennessee
In Memphis one night we ate in a smokehouse and I enjoyed BBQ Pulled Pork with fries – yum! The waitress kindly offered that we could try their “Sweet Potatoes” for free. We were expecting a sweet potato, so we were surprised Continue reading
A Cemetery tour seems like a strange thing to do on holiday perhaps. But in New Orleans as the water table is so high, bodies are buried over-ground, as opposed to being buried six-feet-under. The result is a rather eerie collection of large ornate graves.
Which leads me to the Cemetery tours – the tombs are the final resting places for some well-known people and historical figures. There are 3 main graveyards, but only went to one of them. We saw the tomb of Homer Plessy, of the Plessy v Ferguson civil rights case which challenged the shocking laws requiring a “black” and “white” section on trains. Continue reading
We were excited to sail down the Mississippi on a Paddlesteamer. This was pretty expensive (around $50 each) but we both wanted to do it as a “bucket list” thing – it is a quintessential experience of the Mississippi really. Plus it was a rainy day so we thought it would be nice thing to do.
The boat set off towards the coast and the famous Mississippi Delta that I studied in geography at school. We passed yet more industry, factories, and the scars of Hurricane Katrina. Continue reading
In New Orleans we spent most of our time exploring the beautiful French Quarter. It was wonderful just strolling around admiring the wrought iron balconies, hanging-baskets overflowing with flowers, and listening to jazz and blues drifting out of bars.
It was a joy to explore the French Quarter, Continue reading
Our drive to New Orleans, along the majestic Mississippi, was nothing if not interesting.
We stopped at a Taco Bell outside New Orleans and the lady was really friendly and said she loved our accents, and she had friends in Europe. For a bit of fun, I asked her to guess where our accent was from. Continue reading
We were heading to New Orleans but wanted to visit a plantation while there. Oak Alley Plantation is one of several large Antebellum mansions along the banks of the Mississippi River which was a plantation in the days of slavery. 
We decided to splash out and stay in a cottage on the grounds (the doctor’s house), which was really convenient. The cottage was really cute and we met a friendly couple from New Jersey who were very friendly talkative characters! In the morning we had a leisurely breakfast of french toast, bacon and orange juice in the cafe overlooking the old oaks. Continue reading
Big Fat Tourist 