Travel/Voyager/سافر/यात्रा करना: 2011

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Cajun Christmas/Joyeux Noël!

Push the play button while reading this post. Enjoy!

Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?!

Louis Armstrong

N'awlins! That fantastic city who seems to have perfected the art of the profane and sacred. So, it seems only fitting with a talent of combining the sacred and profane that they would present the Christmas Season like no other experience. Like an old French whor...lady-of-the-evening who has unique talents and sophistication, so does this city. With a flair for the dramatic, New Orleans showcases its talents in a most unique way. It has an attitude of lagniappe-"a little something extra" not expected or demanded; New Orleans treats the holidays with its usual flare of garish and glory!

All hotels are bedecked in adornments, there are Reveillon Dinners, Papa Noel Children's Teas, bonfires, parades, and many other special holiday events.

Hotel Roosevelt

Ritz-Carlton Courtyard Christmas Tree

Hotel Montelone

We opted out of the Papa Noel Children's Tea for obvious reason but did enjoy Afternoon Tea at the Ritz with Champagne, holiday teas, sandwiches, Ramos Gin Fizzes, and mignardises.

Each Thursday evening, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art presents Ogden after Hours, featuring a live musical performance by Southern Musicians and artist interviews by Southern historian(s). The museum gives visitors an opportunity to celebrate Southern culture in an intimate and unique way, surrounded by the museum's diverse collection and in the architecurally-distinct setting.

Ogden Museum of Southern Art

Rayland Baxter performing

W.W. II Museum is a must see in New Orleans. Don't miss the movie Beyond All Boundries in the Solomon Theater. The 4-D film with a 7 minute pre show is a truly moving experience.

Celebration in the Oaks in New Orleans City Park is a fun holiday light display.

Looking at lights & drinking hot buttered rum

Krewe Jingle Parade was back for its fourth year. It's New Orleans’ official holiday parade. The “Krewe of Jingle” put on a great parade complete with authentic parade floats, marching bands, stilt walkers, Christmas characters and Elvis-lots of 'em! Twirling is NOT a lost art here!

Oak Alley Plantation’s 36th Annual Christmas Bonfire Party!

This year marked the 36th anniversary of this event at Oak Alley. The mansion was dressed in fresh fruit, greenery and seasonal floral arrangements, reminiscent of Creole Christmases past. There was a delicious Cajun/Creole buffet, open bar, lively dance band, and plenty of good cheer combined to heighten the holiday spirit throughout the famous alley of oaks and the lovely antebellum mansion.

Newest member of the Krewe of Corks-me!

Bonfire to light the way for Papa Noel coming down the Mississippi River

Melissa & Greg

Eileen & Jim

Oak Alley Plantation

Did I mention the food we ate in New Orleans?! ...crispy fried lobster tail w/remoulade slaw, lobster dumplings w/ white fish mousselin, shaved fennel, tomato concassé & lobster butter, nutmeg ice cream, bourbon & vanilla mashed sweet potatoes, duck crêpe, buttermilk fried chicken, turtle soup, duck gumbo, café brûlot, baked oysters on half shells w/apple smoked bacon, roasted red peppers, parmesan & garlic herb butter, and of course our new standard, bread pudding and onion rings! Sweet sassy molasses, I love this city!

Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?!

Louis Armstrong

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Tommy J.

As a retired history teacher & history buff, I was greatly anticipating a visit to a historical icon. After attending a wedding in Charlottesville we headed over to Monticello, the one-word aptly named piece of Americana. Just like Madonna or Cher, the one-named Monticello is more of a vignette than a noun.

Those perspicacious on their American history know that Monticello is the home of Thomas Jefferson, or as I call him Tommy J. Beginning as more than a house, Monticello was, dare I say, a working plantation; or as Tommy J. rabid fans call it, an estate or working farm. Of course all of that work was performed by slaves for the writer of the Declaration of Independence. We indulged ourselves for the “Behind the Scenes Tour & House Tour”. I highly recommend both tours. If you don’t have a paid tour you are not allowed into the house.

Monticello, which is Italian for ‘little mountain”, was designed in the neoclassical styles after Jefferson returned from France. After the death of his wife, Martha Wayles, Jefferson left for France as Minister of the United States. Here Tommy J. became enamored with French Classical buildings, he then brought those ideas home. He began construction, tear downs, and remodeling (sounds like my husband) on his old home, or the original Monticello.

It was repeated over and over on the tour that he hated wasted space so his designs were to maximized space, such as alcove beds and narrow stairs. But great plans sometimes go awry, because the crowning glory of the house was the octagonal dome built upstairs. It was rarely used because of the difficult and narrow stairs required to reach it. So much for wasted space.

The slave quarters on Mulberry Row, the vegetable and flower gardens, and family cemetery are spots on the grounds not to be missed. Even though most historians will agree that his pièce de résistance was the writing of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson requested that he be remembered for three accomplishments, and for those three accomplishments to be engraved on his tombstone.

Click on picture to enlarge it & read his three accomplishments

If you are au courant on Tommy J. then you know that controversy follows the Renaissance Man. He dodged rumors, even during his own presidency, that he fathered his mixed-race slave Sally Heming’s six children, of which four survived to adulthood. The author of “All men are created equal and are endowed to the unalienable rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” apparently knew that Sally made him happy. Allegedly they carried on a 38 year affair and produced six children but who’s counting. Others have made claims that it was another Jefferson male in the family who fathered Sally’s children.

What we do know is Dr. Eugene A. Foster’s DNA testing concluded that the Y chromosomes of the Jefferson male line matched that of the Eston Heming male line. Combined with the weight of historical evidence, the team concluded that it was most likely Jefferson had fathered Eston and all of Hemings' children. The Nature article acknowledged the possibility that one of Field Jefferson's five male descendants could have been the father, but an "absence of historical evidence" made this or other "possibilities...unlikely". -source Foster, EA, et al.; Jobling, MA; Taylor, PG; Donnelly, P; De Knijff, P; Mieremet, R; Zerjal, T; Tyler-Smith, C (1998). "Jefferson fathered slave's last child". Nature 396 (6706): 27–28. doi:10.1038/23835. PMID 9817200.

Just to make the story even more juicy, Thomas Jefferson promised his dying wife that he would never remarry, which he did not I might add. Oh, did I mention Sally was his wife’s half sister?! Sally and Martha shared the same father.

Oh Tommy J., what a wicked web we weave when we write ..”All men are created equal...!” Crap! I didn’t read the fine print: it said “MEN”! Sally... come here. I got something to show you...you have the right to pursue my happiness! Anyway, his house, garden, cemetery are awesome!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Tales of the Cocktail adventures continue...

N'awlins city of music, food, parties, parades, Mardi Gras, Bourbon Street, and just plain decadence! What's there not to love about New Orleans. It has a fusion of French, Acadian, Creole, Cajun, Dixie, Haitian, Caribbean, and good 'ol Southerners that has created some of the most unique culinary dishes, cocktail libations, celebrations, and music genres. Toss in some voodoo, mojo, and swampy geography and you have one of the most colorful, partying, celebrating, boozin', cookin', and spectacular cities in the world.

It's also the host of the Tales of the Cocktail, the international festival of cocktails, and this was our third year to attend this spectacular event. Here are some facts on this festival.

Laissez le Bon temp rouler Let the good times roll!

FACT SHEET-Tales of the Cocktail®, the internationally acclaimed festival of cocktails, cuisine and culture, returns to shake things up in New Orleans, July 20-24, 2011. The event mixes the best and brightest of the cocktail community—award-winning mixologists, authors, bartenders and chefs—for a five-day celebration of the history and craft of cocktails.