14thDay - Oak Alley Plantation

We set sail last night at midnight but heard nothing and this morning pulled into the mooring at Oak Alley Plantation. Last night we were given a special treat with the New Orleans All Stars, a 5 piece band comprising of keyboard, drums, trumpet, clarinet and double base. We certainly enjoyed them and hope to hear more of this type of music in New Orleans. We are very close to. New. Orleans now and the river traffic has Increased considerably. The majority of the vessels are dumb barges lashed together and at times a tug boat can be pushing as many as 70 of these huge barges. 20 or 30 is about the norm.
After breakfast we walked off the boat and over the levee bank which runs the entire length of the Mississippi. Once over the bank there was a highway and 2 police cars there to stop the traffic as we walked across the road to the grounds of Oak Alley Plantation. There are 28 huge oak trees planted in 2 rows leading up to the Homestead ( see photos attached ). These trees are 300 years old but considered only middle aged as they can grow to 600 years old. This was the first plantation we visited having done something the other days but now I wish I had done one of the others as this was ever so interesting. We had a wonderful guide Bob, who had appeared on our Sunrise TV at home this week in a promo. He told us that one might feel a presence of some sort in the Funeral or Laying Out Room and I began to feel strange when I got near it. I've only felt this way once before, when we were in the Mortuary at Port Arthur. Maybe it was something I ate for breakfast! Who knows? There were over 100 slaves here originally. The original owner had beautiful marble floors throughout but after he died and his wife spent all the money!!!!! The house went into severe disrepair and, would you believe, cows sheltered in those rooms and their hooves and excrement ruined them so the next owners laid wooden floors over them. What a shame! The house was left to a charity to keep for future generations and they cater for 800 visitors a day.At the end of the tour we were offered a mint julep drink which comprised of bourbon,mint syrup, ice and water and boy it sure had us stepping high. We then had time to wander around the grounds viewing the slave quarters (replicas ) and lots of other scenes of the era. The perfect weather made it a great experience. Now we are packing to have our cases out tonight for tomorrow when we disembark for our Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans for 2 nights and a walking/coach tour.