Old N'awlins

The first stop today is the Oak Alley Plantation on half way to New Orleans. I learned today that south of Baton Rouge the climate is not good enough for cotton anymore but the perfect condition for sugar cane plantation - therefore around the Mississippi we can find everywhere sugar plantations like that. Especially the around 300 year old oak trees from the river to the house make this plantation special. By the way: these premises have been part of movies several times, e.g: rendezvous with a vampire. 

In the afternoon I arrived finally in New Orleans and especially downtown, the French Quarter, is like I expected it and far larger than Nashville or Memphis. When you are interested in Jazz every corner reminds you of  music: the Basin Street station (basin street blues), Bourbon street (parade), Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino and of course the live music in most of the clubs around Bourbon street!! A real heaven for music lovers! You stroll around, find a nice place, rush in, have a drink and listen and then continue to the next place.... Nevertheless there are two topics which are really disturbing: first the growing sex club scene - in my three year old guide they are explaining these establishments only at the beginning, now I feel that almost 30-40% of all places are somehow linked to Hustler & Co. As a guy explained today it looks more and more like Amsterdam - how sad. The second disturbing topic is that only few clubs are really playing 'New Orleans Jazz' - I found three! Most of the bars are trying to be attractive with mainstream pop and rock and sometimes you can also find Blues ...

There was a third disturbing topic today but not linked to music. When you are in N'awlins then you have to eat Jambalaya or any other Cajun stuff on the balcony of one of the many restaurants - despite the fact that all of them had empty tables I got always the explanation that there are reservations and I can have my dinner downstairs inside and not on the balcony. So I didn't have dinner and I decided that a lonely traveller (Jumbo didn't count) has a hard life - the conclusion is simple: next time THE SWEETHEART has to join - agreed?

At last I found the perfect place for traditional New Orleans music: the Perservation Hall. Founded in 1961 to keep the old traditions alive the place is simple (you stand or sit at the ground or on one of the few benches, no drinks, ..) and no renovation since the opening is disturbing the atmosphere. These guys at the stage (today played Carl Leblanc & The essential NO Jazz Band) have so much fun are so experienced in this music and you feel the power in the audience. Simply great! Maybe I will go there tomorrow again to finalize these holidays in a proper way (maybe you can open the link then you can see a small documentation of the place and the music which is played there - have fun).