Day 3
Through “Save Our Cemeteries” organization we toured St. Louis #1 cemetery. The still actively used cemetery was established in the late 1700s.
Our guide, Larry, led us around several tombs, describing the history of the cemetery, how many of the tombs were created, how and why some are maintained while others are not, and some of the more notable tombs and their inhabitants.
People from all walks of life are buried here from rich to poor, white, black, French, Spanish, all mixed in with one another. The only division between burial areas is by religion, Catholic and non-Catholic.
Most tombs are built of brick and coated with a white stucco-like material. The tombs are maintained by surviving family or by a payment to the Archdiocese. The maintenance payment covers the walls of the tomb, but not the “doorway”.
One of the more famous tombs is that of Voodoo queen Marie Laveau who died in 1881. It is currently under restoration as numerous visitors continue to mark the tomb as part of a ritual, then someone tried to correct this by covering it with latex paint, but it was not the correct medium.
Another notable tomb purchased, yet still waiting for its occupant, is a pyramid shaped structure owned by Nicolas Cage. A lot of fans put on lipstick and kiss his tomb !
A short walk from the cemetery took us to the Hermann-Grima house. The historic house museum was opened to the public in 1971.
The huge home, a symbol of New Orleans wealth, was built in the 1831 by Hermann who ended up having to sell it when he lost his fortune.
In 1844 it was acquired by Grima who lived there with his wife, nine children and extended family until the civil war.
In 1922 the property was purchased by the Christian Woman’s Exchange and was used as a rooming house for women. Also included on the property was a consignment and tea shop.
Walking the streets of the French Quarter is an experience best understood by those who have visited.
Street musicians and vendors set up on multiple corners to entertain and collect cash donations.
The area is bright, loud, and welcoming. We stopped in at Ole Saint (53 beers on tap) for Happy Hour (excellent deal). While sipping, we struck up a conversation with a couple from Australia – exchanged email addresses – we are sure to meet up again.
Day 4
We walked to the Villa Convento to meet up with the Flok group again; this time to board a school bus and travel to Metairie to a “hole-in-the-wall” restaurant called Sugar’s. We were served a buffet of a home-cooked southern-styled dinner (fried chicken, stuffed peppers, gumbo, mac ‘n cheese, peach cobbler, and more).
I had no idea when I booked our New Orleans stay that it coincided with the Blues and BBQ Festival; and it is being held only one block from where we are staying.
Tonight we heard music from Little Freddie King and Ana Popovic. Dinner consisted of a crawfish sausage po’boy (Todd) and a pulled pork and slaw taco (me).
