This weekend is the French Quarter Festival. It is free (always a good thing) and has all the music, food and drink and atmosphere you could want. Some friends and I (sadly Dazza had to work) went yesterday to enjoy the end of what was a gorgeous day in N'awlins.
Shrimp po'boy from one of the food stands. Amongst us we had crawfish etouffe, jambalaya, creole shrimp pasta, duck, pork and shrimp po'boys and a skewer of grilled shrimp and andouille sausage with pepper jelly .... yum!
We sat in Jackson square and enjoyed the end of the sunshine.
Mango daiquiris - candy in a cup with alcohol ... again, yum!
The sky blessed us with some nice colours whilst people danced and partied to their heart's content.
We made our way to the Brass Band stage. Brass Bands here are funky - nothing like the ones from home!! There is a dance impelling funk line from the sousaphone topped with sparkling trumpets and some right old razzing from the trombones....
We heard the band "Free Agents". [click on the link and you'll understand what I'm wittering on about] They were fantastic. One memorable song being "We made it through that water" ..... That's this town, take a horrible experience and use music and dance to help people get over it - celebrate the fact they are still here in spite of it all!!
I hate using a flash (I need a better camera...) so my night time shots always bring a dash of impressionism to them.
On our way to Frenchman Street we stopped at the Cafe Du Monde for some Cafe au'Lait and Beignets ... my friends complained that I was making us look like tourists by taking photos ...
Again, yum!!
On the sidewalk beside Cafe Du Monde is a guy who sets up most nights with his large telescope and "busks" in astronomy...!! Only in N'awlins....!
We ended the night on Frenchman Street. The Blue Nile is up and running (we'll definitely be checking out some bands there soon) after renovating. The guy standing outside it was very welcoming and when we returned his greeting of 'how you doin?' he said:"I live in N'awlins, I'm great!"
and we replied:
"So do we"!!!!!!!!
We listened to the Panorama Jazz Band play at the Spotted Cat before heading home....
I love this town!!!
9 comments:
Love the pix! People need to get over worrying about looking like tourists with the camera. I get that from my friends too!
Thanks for posting! I have been too busy to get outmuch lately and appreciate the report and pics!
And I'll link you, too.
Oh, and my great grannie came directly over from the Aberdeen area. She was a toughie and we little babes were the only ones to understand her brogue -though I later learned, truth be told, that she liked the liquor...maybe that thickened her accent a bit?
oh, and just put a bit of bandage tape on your cmera and everyone will take you VERY seriously!
TM - thanks for posting. I know folks need to appreciate the difference between taking cool pics cos there is so much cool to take pics of in this town, and being labelled a tourist!! I think the fact we didn't ask what Beignets were kinda showed that we were not of the tourist ilk!
Nik - Thanks for posting and I'm glad I could bring a bit of FQ Fest to you view the web!
I'm from an hour outside of Aberdeen - I'm sure your grannie probably spoke "Doric" - the dialect of the area - almost incomprehensible to anyone who didn't grow up there. One of my friends from the area has moved to Corpus Christi in TX - when she and her hubby (also from Aberdeenshire) come to visit I should have a bunch of folks over just to see if they can understand us - if you mix in some whisky it generally gets worse! :)
On the camera front - I just need to save some pennies fro a digital SLR (I've got a crappy little olympus thing - I have a SLR that takes film (what's that?) but the motor in the lense went and I've not gotten around to getting a new one). So I dream of owning a Canon EOS SLR digital and taking really good pics - I will now add bandage tape to make me look extra cool!!
You so, so, so get it.
Welcome.
Well, these are fun pix, although I can relate much better to your Scottish background than I can to Louisiana, as the closest I've ever been to New Orleans is the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Disneyland.
In answer to your questions on my own blog, yes, indeed, the great Randall Stevenson was my tutor for a post-modernist course. He's lovely. And I heard Cairns Craig lecture a couple of times. I'm not recalling anyone called "wacky Jack," though... sorry. I had Bob Irvine for a tutor twice (he's from Aberdeen, but he doesn't really sound it -- not that I'm an expert on Aberdeenshire accents, mind you, I do better with the locals in Embro...). Simon Malpas and Claire Coldbrook (English and Australian, respectively) were also my tutors. I loved Bob. Colin Nicholson (aka Nick-- and he's Welsh) was my supervisor for the dissertation, and he was the greatset thing in the world. I love the man.
The one person who had an accent that drove me nuts was Aaron Kelly, and he's obviously Irish. Even my Irish programmemates couldn't pinpoint where he was from. I've got a pretty adaptable ear, but this fellow took all my concentration to understand his lectures. (Brilliant man, most difficult accent I had to deal with -- even when compared with my many non-native English-speaking friends. And I'll take broad Scots hands down over English with an Irish accent for ease in understanding.)
Oh my my my. David Hume Tower, land of many steps!
I lived in Scotland the summer of 2002, then again in 2003, then the full year of 2004-2005, so I did not pass you in the corridors of DHT.
However, it's lovely to meet you now.
Feel free to drop by my blog from time to time, and do have tons more fun in New Orleans.
Great pix.
David Hume was a philosopher who was delightful in person-- not always a common trait.
Thanks for popping by Oyster!
David Hume Tower is a large tower block of academics at Edinburgh University - the top floor has a great view of the city, and when windy, the building can really sway! I am often nostalgic for the place - it is good to know that its "patron" was a good guy too.
paperback writer - its pretty hard not to have fun in this city, so at your suggestion I'll stop fighting it and "what the heck" have some more fun!! :)
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