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I was very fortunate to participate in the experience event organized by the Louisiana Tourism Board and Canon in July this year, going deep into various parts of Louisiana to experience its unique scenery, characters, food and wonderful life, the author has compiled it into a 3-part travelogue, and now presents you with the second part of the travelogue, Central Louisiana.
If you need to review the first part of this travelogue, please click here
===============Canon EOS Explores Louisiana: New Orleans with a Strong French Flavor=========================================================================================================
During this trip, the author and his party will encounter a series of plantations, which is also a review of the black history of the United States from the colonial period to the emancipation of slaves in 1863.
The plantation method simply refers to a large form of agricultural organization in the southern united States that uses slave labor and grows one or a few crops for export. On the rest of our trip, we will experience The Destinyhan Plantation, the San Francisco Plantation, the Oak Alley Plantation, and the Houmas House Plantation.
Of all the New Orleans plantations, the itinerary would have been incomplete without having been to the Destinhan plantation. Founded in 1787, Destrehan Plantation is the oldest heritage plantation in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Here, visitors can see the original documents signed by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. In 1804, the Jefferson Papers appointed a small group of people, including the first owner of the plantation, Jean Noel Des des Dehanhans, to form the Orleans Territorial Commission, an institution established after the Louisiana Purchases to ease the situation that had taken place in the Orleans region after its transformation into American democracy.
Perhaps for most travelers, there are not many beautiful scenery here in the plantation, but more of a protection and review of history and culture, such as this simple statue seen in the Destinhan plantation, which is more of a simple embodiment.
The caretaker of the Destrehan plantation came to tell us some of the details of the plantation
Inside the Destinhan plantation, there is a historical document containing information about all the slaves who have lived and worked here since the plantation's inception, as well as the price at which they were bought back, as well as some of the skills that the slaves had originally mastered.
The plantation's large kitchen can be seen here, reflecting the lives of the manor owners and slaves in the colonial Southern United States
Around the entire plantation, it is also full of life, and plants and fungi are thriving.
Most of these plantations are no longer engaged in their original cultivation functions, but have become a place for tourists to visit, and they also display some of the huts where slaves lived at that time, as well as various utensils
There is also a small museum that tells the story of the events that took place in the Destrehan plantation, and some sculptures recreate the details of life in the plantation.
The living conditions of the slaves living in the plantations were indeed relatively difficult, but the life of the plantation owners was all kinds of luxuries. At that time, all kinds of plantation owners, large and small, were real local tycoons when understood in today's words
The interior decoration of the houses where the plantation owners lived was various and prosperous, although it was not the luxurious feeling of royalty and nobility in Europe, but it also reflected the various kinds of wealth in living conditions as a large family.
The caretaker of the Destrehan plantation followed us very carefully to make various introductions, and she also changed into the costume of the plantation lady at that time, making the visit more immersive.
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After leaving the Destinhan plantation, the second plantation we came to was the San Francisco plantation.
The Colorful San Francisco Plantation was built in 1854 by a wealthy sugarcane grower, embodying its ambition and extraordinary creativity.
The San Francisco plantation sits under a century-old live oak tree, and no other plantation in the south can match the decoration. The plantation boasts world-famous hand-painted ceilings, faux furs and faux leather, as well as some of the best antique collections in the country.
Walking through the 14 rooms of the San Francisco Plantation, the shadow of historical carvings can be seen everywhere, fully reflecting the glorious feast of the plantation in the late 1850s, before the Civil War.
The San Francisco plantation is not large, and after a short tour we drove to the very famous Oak Alley plantation.
In Louisiana, the Oak Alley plantation, perhaps the most photographed estate by tourists, was built in 1837 and was originally named Bon Séjour (Pleasant Stay). Designed by architect Joseph Pilié, located on the Mississippi coast west of New Orleans, the manor house has a two-and-a-half-story manor house with 28 oak trees planted on the avenue in front of the middle of the building, which dates back to the 17th century, and was planted by unknown people whose provenance cannot be found.
In the 18th century, Jacques Telesphore Roman, a wealthy sugarcane grower, came here from New Orleans and built the small building, enclosing 28 oak trees together to become the owner of the sugarcane plantation. But passengers on a boat trip in the Mississippi River Valley will see a different landscape, with 28 giant oak trees occupying a quarter of the avenue leading straight to the residence, known as "Oak Lane."
From tree-lined boulevards to magnificent Greek Revival-style mansions, Oak Alley Plantation is truly a place to be. Step inside the elegant interiors and echo the romance of another era, where shimmering hardwood floors and glittering chandeliers reflect traces of the flow of sunlight, reflecting the rich and magnificent history of this magnificent home.
Oak Alley Plantation was the filming location for the famous movie Gone with the Wind. The beautiful scenery of the manor makes it an ideal place for people to hold weddings, and it is a good place to hold weddings.
Here, the Canon 100-400 lens takes full advantage of it, compressing the large scene into small scenes, standing on the second floor and photographing the oak trees from different angles.
In addition to these 28 oak trees, many other trees here are also hundreds of years old. A local photographer placed a cigarette cake at the root of the oak tree for artistic photography.
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At Oak Alley Plantation, in addition to visiting these tall plants, a visit to the villa where the planter once lived was also an important part. Like the plantations I saw before, the main building here also displays many of the daily necessities of the farmers.
These exquisite estates are more like a museum, showing visitors the life of slave owners and slaves at that time
After finishing the Oak Alley Plantation, we came to the last stop of the tour, the Houmas House Plantation Garden. The biggest difference between this plantation and the previous ones is that the previous manor house has been built as a museum for only to visit, while this Houmas House plantation garden, not only has a museum part, but also has been converted into a hotel.
Houmas House Plantation Gardens is a large 38-acre garden with lush vegetation covering the entire land, and the exterior is stunning and makes visitors linger. There are beautiful scenery in all seasons, and the Flowers of the Hoomanshaus Plantation have a unique beauty every moment of every day.
Once in the Houmas House Plantation Garden, you'll know why it's called the "Crown Jewel of the Louisiana River Road." In the 19th century, Houmas House planted tens of thousands of acres of sugarcane, making it the largest sugar production estate in the country. This manor house is known to many as the "Palace of Sugar" for its grandeur and luxury.
The Houmas House plantation garden has been bought by private individuals today, and on the basis of maintaining the original appearance of the plantation, the new plantation owner has built a bar, restaurant, hotel in the Houmas House plantation garden, and the plantation owner himself lives in it.
Antique music boxes, not only with tuning forks, but also drums and bells, the sound is very beautiful.
Inside the manor houses an antique Steinway grand piano, which can still play beautiful melodies today after careful tuning by the owner.
Inside the main building of the plantation, there is also a beautiful spiral staircase with many new owners' collections.
There is also a museum section inside the plantation, similar to several plantations visited before, which display many of the daily necessities of the original plantation owner, and from the kitchen, the Houmas House plantation seems to be much more luxurious than the previous plantations.
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There were also several peacocks in the Houmas House plantation, and I photographed one of the female peacocks, and the male peacock only left beautiful feathers and could not find its location.
For dinner, the owner of the new garden entertained the author and his party for dinner at the park's restaurant, The Carriage House, which serves traditional Louisiana cuisine, and thanks to the addition of the historic building, the restaurant redefines the luxurious dining experience in terms of environment, blending intimacy and comfort.
With permission from the new owner, we entered the restaurant's back kitchen to photograph the preparation and cooking of the main dishes, and the main body of Louisiana dishes was still a variety of seafood.
The new owner of the manor usually lives with his dog, who is very obedient and lies quietly on the ground enjoying every day.
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Early in the morning, before leaving the Houmas House plantation, we went for a morning run outside the estate, just as a cruise ship passed by, and we were ready to leave for Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana.
Baton Rouge is louisiana's second-largest city after New Orleans and is the most populous city in downtown Louisiana, surpassing new Orleans, the largest city (many of New Orleans' residents do not live in the city). However, after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, a large number of refugees fled from New Orleans to Baton Rouge, temporarily overtaking New Orleans.
In 1719, the French built a walled city here, occupied by the British in 1763, occupied by Spain in 1779, and owned by the United States in 1810. It became the state capital in 1849. Big oil fields around. Oil refining and petrochemical industry center, and rubber, plastics, scientific instruments, wood, paper and other industries.
The Baton Rouge Capitol, our first stop to visit, is the tallest capitol in the United States, 450 feet tall and 34 stories tall. Completed in 1932 and completed in just 14 months, the tower covers about 27 acres and cost $5 million. The interior and exterior design of the building, including the halls, corridors and Senate, as well as the House of Representatives, have a special symbolic significance.
Located on the twenty-seventh floor, the observation deck overlooks the city of Baton Rouge from above, and at an altitude of 350 feet, everything becomes small and gives a different experience.
Since the completion of the building, Governor Huey M. Huey P. Long became a hero in the hearts of the people, a pride for the citizens, a glorious history, and the spiritual leader of louisiana people. In 1935, he was assassinated and died in the mansion he had built. He is buried here, with the statue facing the Capitol.
Many of the refining facilities seen in the distance belong to Esso
Baton Rouge, like Louisiana, is a city built on the Mississippi River, and we can see the Mississippi River running through the city from the Capitol, and there are also many cruise ships that dock here to pick up and drop off travelers.
Looking out from the upper floor, you can see all the buildings within a 30-mile radius. The streets and highways here are so neat and the traffic is so convenient.
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After coming down from the observation deck, I continue to the first floor of the Capitol to continue to visit the history of the Capitol
In the middle of the capitol's ground floor, there is a large carving made of copper, on which is a map of the entire state of Louisiana, and the locations of several important cities are marked with sparkling gemstones.
This is a picture of the current Governor of Louisiana, and it still looks quite young.
Inside the museum of the Capitol, there is a special area that states the details of the assassination that took place in the Capitol that year.
Next, we will continue to visit and learn about the history of the Reichstag, baton Rouge was originally an area of American Indian activity, where French immigrants camped in 1718, and Baton Rouge belonged to France. But after the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the British became the owners of the place and changed the place name to New Richmond. In 1779, Spain defeated the British in the area, and Baton Rouge became a Spanish-controlled zone. In 1810, the local population revolted to overthrow Spanish colonial rule, declared independence, and established the Republic of West Florida. A few months later, join to become part of the United States.
When the Parliament Building did not hold a parliament, several chambers were open for the public to visit, which was also the first time that the author had close contact with the real parliamentary chamber (of course, it can only be visited from the side, not across the fence)
It's time for the 100-400 lenses to shine again, and this is the seat of Mack A., a legislator representing the Sixth Ward, with the Flag of the United States and the state flag of Louisiana.
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After leaving the Capitol, I went to the LSU Museum of Pastoral Life near Baton Rouge, dedicated to preserving and displaying louisiana's rural life from the 18th to the 19th century. Looking at these large numbers of crafts and buildings, it is like a picture of self-satisfaction, and the lives of people in that era come to life.
In fact, it is similar to what I have seen in the plantations before, but this museum has displayed and sorted it out more systematically.
Here I use the HDR function built into the 77D machine, the photo looks more gorgeous, and the saturation is greatly improved.
The small churches of that time, as well as the Christian cemetery, although simple, retained the characteristics of the time.
Passing by saw a black locust, glowing with oil. The texture is still quite good
The museum also houses local cattle breeds, longhorn cattle, which are at least twice as long as ordinary horns, which still look quite interesting.
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After lunch, my party went to another museum near the Capitol, the Old Capitol in Louisiana. Compared with the majestic new Parliament Building, although it is less modern, it is more of a reflection of history and heritage.
Due to the shooting angle, the author was unable to take a full picture of the old Parliament Building, but fortunately there is a model demonstration inside, and you can see the structure and appearance of the Old Parliament Building from the model below
Pictured above is the appearance of the current old Parliament Building
The picture above is now from earlier, the former reconstruction of the old Parliament building
Louisiana's Old Capitol is a gem of Gothic architecture, standing on a cliff overlooking the Mississippi River. This 165-year-old mansion has endured wars, fires, scandals, fierce contradictions, idleness and occasional blows. Today, it is a symbol of courageous, ambitious leaders and the active implementation of citizenship.
The origin and history of the entire old Parliament Building, in the internal screening hall there is a 3D holographic introduction film supported by Disney, but unfortunately, filming and video recording are not allowed here, and you can only experience it in person.
The large stained glass floor-to-ceiling windows of the old Parliament building look very good
Inside the museum, there are also a large number of models and demonstrations of various types of boats on the Mississippi River
The ceiling and staircase of the Old Parliament Building are classics of the time, especially this beautiful stained glass ceiling.
Although the indoor shooting light is relatively dim, but this is not difficult canon 77D at all, the picture quality of 1600 ISO is quite good, even when the ISO reaches 3200, there is still a good usability, high-sensitivity shooting without any problems.
There are also many special exhibitions inside the old Parliament Building, including the datavote automatic ballot machine used for elections at that time, etc. Although it seems to be a cultural relic level today, it is still available for trial on site, and visitors can re-experience the voting process of the election in the form of questionnaires.
After a visit to the Old Capitol, we came to the city square near the hotel, where we can relax, play games, watch movies that run through the lawn and show events in the pavilions on St. Louis Street. The "City Lawn" is also used to host various community events such as small concerts, fitness classes and receptions.
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On the sixth day, I had planned to shoot in the Atchafalaya Basin, but due to the failure of the ship, the itinerary had to be changed to the seventh day.
Next, my party arrived at Crawfish Town U.S.A., built in an authentic barn in the early 20th century, best known for its cooked crayfish, premium beef and classic Cajun dishes in the Achifa Payaya Basin
Here are Louisiana's most respected and award-winning serving best seafood chefs, offering us crayfish and Cajun. Located near henderson/Cecilia (exit 115) near I-10 and not far from the Achifa Payaya Basin, you'll understand why the crayfish and Cajun are top notch for both out-of-town visitors and locals.
There is also a market next to Crawfish Town U.S.A., where I saw large chunks of fish, crocodile meat, shrimp and various seafood piled up
Large pieces of steak, and sure enough, the amount of foreigners eating is amazing
As mentioned earlier, it's not the current season for crayfish, but there are quick-frozen crayfish shrimp to choose from, and it doesn't taste too bad
The specialty of Cajun cuisine, Gumbo is a thick soup capable of holding any ingredient, the most traditional Gumbo ingredient is chicken and a kind of cajun sausage, but gumbo's raw materials can change with the seasons and regions.
There is also crocodile meat, which should be crocodile steak to be precise, enough for you to take a big bite
These are seasonings for crayfish and seafood, original Louisiana specialties.
After lunch, the group visited the world-renowned chili sauce factory, TABASCO, to see the production process of the world's number one chili sauce.
Tabasco Chili Sauce, also known as Tabasco Hot Sauce, is officially called "Chili Boy" hot sauce in China. American specialties, which have been exported to more than 160 countries and regions, once triggered a "Tabasco storm, which is a hot sauce that swept the world." Hillary Rodham Clinton's handbag was indispensable; britain's late queen queen loved to put it in a lobster cocktail; and King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga took it wherever she went
Tabasco may not know much about some friends who don't eat Western food, but you can definitely see it in the large and small imported food supermarkets or imported food areas around you. He is a world-renowned chili sauce brand, and the Tabasco factory is visited by visitors every day, with hundreds of thousands of people visiting the factory every year. The staff who came here told visitors about the history and story of the factory, and the peppers grown on the island originated from a Mexican traveler in the 1860s who gave the founder, Mr. McIeni, a handful of peppers.
Although McKeeney was a successful banker, he couldn't find a job just after the End of the American Civil War, so he sprinkled the pepper seeds around his house. When the peppers were ripe, he began to make the hot sauce. He finally laid down a recipe that began: "Add a cup of salt to each gallon of cooked chili peppers, and then mash them completely." This handwritten recipe has been preserved to this day. The picture above shows the different types of chili peppers selected for making different flavors of Tabasco hot sauce.
The salt used to make chili sauce is all mineral salt from the small island of Avery, and the salt used to make chili sauce is still the mineral salt of the island. After the salt pepper is mashed, it is to be loaded into a wooden barrel after three years of fermentation, the barrel does not leave an opening, but also a layer of salt will be laid in order to prevent the fermented pepper juice from flowing out, while not letting the air enter, and then after the fermentation process, the pepper stirred into a paste is mixed with vinegar, stirred for about 30 days, filtered and then divided into small bottles.
Only 2% of the peppers used by Tabasco are grown on the island, and the rest of the ingredients come from Central and South America. Each chili pepper must be strictly hand-selected to ensure its ripeness meets Tabasco's standards.
This is a scene display of mining salt, and the presence of mineral salt has created the glory of Tabasco chili sauce.
After years of development, tabasco hot sauce has developed a variety of different flavors of the series of products, there are red peppers, green peppers and other different products, of course, the most classic or best-selling global red standard version.
Inside the factory store, there are extra large bottles of chili sauce for various flavors, and one bottle is enough for the whole family to eat for several years
There are a variety of Tabasco products for tasting experience, as well as soft ice cream made with Tabasco, spicy ice cream have you ever eaten? There are also two different soft ice creams, spicy and slightly spicy jam, which are worth trying.
There are also many Tabasco cultural products for sale, such as this Cajun spicy CD, which is estimated to have a blood-boiling effect after listening to it
Since our trip to the Achafalaya Basin was blocked on the sixth day, in order not to miss this wonderful event, my party decided to return to the Henderson–Atchafalaya Basin area in the dark on the seventh day to shoot the sunrise before we left the central Louisiana region
Although the price is to get up at 4 o'clock in the morning, leave at 5 o'clock, breakfast can not be eaten, it turns out that the choice of the author's party is very correct, at dawn, the golden sun, the blue sky, full of layered clouds, has become one of the most beautiful scenery in this trip
In order to capture this beautiful view, I specially replaced the Canon EOS M6 equipped with 15-45 lenses, and the EOS 77D with 100-400 lenses, and the wide-angle telephoto was matched with each other
Photograph the lonely trees on the swamp in the light, reflecting the colorful clouds in the sky
The moment the sun rises, a golden reflection is revealed
The Achafalaya Basin is located in the Mississippi River Delta in Louisiana, USA, and is also a dream destination for photography enthusiasts. Plenty of swampy wetlands and breathtaking wildlife make for a surreal place of beauty. In addition to photography, many people also come here to fish.
Locals drive high-speed speedboats through the swampy wetlands, and fishing has become the best leisure activity in the local area.
Of course, when it comes to wetlands and swamps, crocodiles are a regular here, and 100-400 shots are really handy when it comes to photographing crocodiles. Since it has been filmed in detail before, it will not be highlighted separately.
The local variety of aquatic trees and micro-ecology are also characteristic of the basin
Take a panoramic view of the wetlands at high altitude and see the wonders we pass by from another angle.
So far, our trip to the central Louisiana region has come to an end, and the next step will continue to go north, heading towards Lake Charles City, continuing to feel the various features of northern Louisiana, so stay tuned to my Canon EOS exploration of Louisiana.