Mardi Gras is just around the corner, so let me write about New Orleans, which I had a pleasure of visiting a few years ago. The city itself is very interesting, but the visit during the carnival added flavour, some Creole flavour 😉
I arrived in New Orleans from Dallas by the famous Greyhound (Greyhound coach and Amtrak train journeys were on my “American bucket list” – success in both cases), with a short stop in Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s capital.
New Orleans has several names among the locals:
NOLA – Short for New Orleans, Louisiana
The Crescent City – from the buildings of the city that must have followed the shores of the Mississippi – shaped like a crescent moon.
The Big Easy – there are two versions of this name, one says that it was easy for musicians to find a job, and the other that it was easy to buy… alcohol during the Prohibition 😀
Even though I only spent a few days in this city, I knew right away that I would have to come back, because I didn’t see everything, and I felt very comfortable in the city. This was due to the history of the city, founded by the French in 1718, later ruled by the Spanish, to be sold in 1803 along with the entire Louisiana to the Americans by Napoleon, who regained it shortly before the transaction. The French and Spanish rule influenced the city’s charm the most and that’s why I felt so good there. NOLA is a wonderful blend of styles – you can have a coffee in a coffee shop which could be in Hackney, London; take a walk in Plaza de Armas, which looks like squares from other Spanish cities in the so-called New World, and then wander around the French Quarter, whose buildings at times resemble those of the Caribbean islands. And all this with the accompaniment of jazz and blues played practically on every corner. Mardi Gras should be added to this mix, and that’s when I arrived – a carnival with street parades, which culminates on Shrove Tuesday (Polish śledzik) before Ash Wednesday. But let me take you for a short walk around the Big Easy.
Museums in each new place I visit are always an important point on the agenda for me. It was no different in New Orleans. Two of them were chosen: the Louisiana State Museum and the National World War II Museum.
The State Museum is housed in the Cabildo, a former town hall and governor’s residence, and focuses on the history of New Orleans and Louisiana.
The museum, apart from being located in a beautiful building, is really recommendable. There were no crowds inside, and I had the opportunity to learn about the rich history and customs of New Orleans. I will definitely come back to this museum next time.
The second museum I visited was the National World War II Museum (there is no surprise in this selection ;|))
Someone may ask – why a WWII museum in a city like New Orleans? Well, NOLA was the headquarters of Higgins Industries, and Andrew Higgins was the man who designed so-called Higgins boat (LCVP) that made landing in Normandy a little easier. More than 20,000 of these barges were built during the war, and Eisenhower himself said that without Andrew Higgins it would not have been possible to win the war. Museum opened on 6 June 2000.
Overall, the Museum does not disappoint – I had a nice time there. You can see exhibits that we will not see in Polish museums. In my humble opinion, the Museum does not match the level of the Imperial War Museum in London (and we will enter IWM for free, and at NOLA you have to pay), but it should be on the wish list of anyone interested in World War II and visiting New Orleans.
But the main reason why a lot of people come to Big Easy is because of Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is nothing more than the Shrove Tuesday, right before Ash Wednesday, but in New Orleans it turns into a little madness, about two weeks before the end of the carnival, culminating in 5 days before Ash Wednesday. This madness manifests itself in street parades, organized by special clubs, called Krewes. Mardi Gras has been celebrated in NOLA probably since the founding of the city, and the oldest Kreve was founded in… 1856. Krewes’ job is to organize parades that pass along the streets of NOLA, with club members on floats – moving platforms – distributing strings of beads and toys. Krewes have different names and hence costumes and habits, but it’s all about having a good time – advertising, in whatever form, is prohibited on the platforms.
As I mentioned, the best fun and parades start 5 days before Ash Wednesday, unfortunately I couldn’t stay that long in New Orleans, but I did manage to see some parades. The beads and toys are thrown towards the most enthusiastic viewers – I only collected four cords and one toy (which I gave to some child), so I guess my enthusiasm for street parades was not too high. I would say a strong one on a scale of 1 to 10…
You can spend a few days in this city, wandering around the centre, sipping coffee in stylish interiors, watching mini-parades, tasting delicacies of Cajun or Creole cuisine. Speaking of food, I got a taste for ‘po boy’ sandwiches (short for: poor boy). The baguette-like bun served with melt-in-your-mouth fillings, like pulled beef, crayfish or shrimp. Additional ingredients include mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes, hot sauce – yummy!
Speaking of food, I will briefly mention Cajun and Creole cuisine. Louisiana and New Orleans are called a melting pot of nations. French, Spanish, English, Caribbean and West African influences have long mixed here. This is reflected in the kitchen. Cajun cuisine is called peasant cuisine, where meat (usually pork), fish or seafood is usually cooked in one pot, rice in the other, and vegetables in the third. Creole cuisine is a bit more sophisticated and draws more from French cuisine. What gives the uniqueness of Louisiana cuisine is a crazy mixture of spices – apart from bay leaf and allspice, we have hot peppers, cloves and mint. One of the better examples of mixing influences is jambalaya – a dish based on Spanish paella but with the addition of local spices.
There are also some Polish traces in New Orleans. If you haven’t heard about Rudolf Modrzejewski, the greatest American bridge builder, known as Ralph Modjeski in the USA, you can read about him here. In New Orleans we can find the Huey P. Long Bridge, that carries a two-track railroad line and three lanes of US Route 90, built in 1935 by Modrzejewski. In 2016, a plaque commemorating our compatriot was unveiled there.
The second Polish trace is related to the intriguing Voodoo religion that came to New Orleans from Haiti and West Africa. As you probably remember, in 1802 Polish legionaries were sent by Napoleon to Santo Domingo (Haiti) to suppress an anti-French uprising there. Some deserted and stayed in Haiti, some allegedly ended up in the United States. They brought with them the cult of the Black Madonna from Częstochowa. Voodoo followers believe that the Black Madonna is the representation of loa Erzulie Dantor – the Haitian goddess of fertility, beauty and love.
As you probably know Poles also took part in the American Civil War. Unfortunately, several hundred Poles fought for the Confederates. Some Poles from Texas were apparently forced to join the South. But there was also a Polish unit, called “The Polish Brigade”, formed in New Orleans from Polish emigrants living in Louisiana. The brigade was formed by three Poles, Ignacy Szymański, Hipolit Oladowski and Kasper Tochman – all three, great supporters of slavery. The brigade took part, inter alia, in the battle of Gettysburg. Although there are no reports confirming that, there’s always a chance that Poles were shooting other Poles during that battle, as there were Poles serving for the North, fighting in that battle. Sad reality of Polish history after 1795…
And that’s it from New Orleans. I am in love with this city and I intend to return there again, because the list of things to see and do is long, incl. visit to local cemeteries.
Polish traces around the world 