As you may have expected, this outdoor exploration is not exactly me heading out into the wilderness with my camera and snapping some great mountain pictures. That is coming in the next few days.
This exploration, however, was one of a new place. I have never been to Louisiana before the Society of Environmental Journalist’s conference (yay for state 43 out of 50!) and I was happy to be able to explore a new city.
When my friend Kasey and I weren’t at the Hilton conference session, we were able to walk around the very humid French Quarter of the Big Easy.
Most of the time, we wandered around the French Quarter, eating beignets, taking photos of fantastic balconies and munching on great food.
On Saturday, we were able to visit the infamous NoLa cemeteries and take a ghost tour. I knew that the tombs are above ground so that the caskets don’t float away during floods (since NoLa is below sea level), but I was surprised to find caskets and headstones in the walls surrounding St. Louis Cemetery Number 2.
One of the best stops in St. Louis Cemetery was Marie Laveau’s tomb, which is covered in X markings.
As the legend goes, Laveau was THE Voodoo Queen of the Crescent City. Those who visit her grave ask for something, sort of like a prayer, since she was a spiritual healer during her lifetime in 1794-1881. If she grants said wish/prayer, you must return to her and give her a gift. Her burial-place was covered in coins and other tokens of appreciation.
After visiting these areas, we went on a ghost tour of the French Quarter. I personally do not think ghosts are a real thing, so I was more interested in the history of the area and the background of the unique architecture.
We did see the building used in American Horror Story: Coven (which I do not watch), and below is a photo of the shooting schedule at that location. This house is used in the show and based off of Madame LaLaurie‘s mansion, which is a few houses down. LaLaurie was known for torturing slaves, or so I learned from Wikipedia and my ghost tour guide. Spooky.
Until next time, New Orleans!
Abbey Dufoe 