NEW ORLEANS Fun-filled metropolis at the mouth of the Mississippi, New Orleans is a cultural melting pot and the birth place of jazz. In 1682, the Frenchman, Robert Cavalier, declared this Mississippi region to be French territory and named it, ‘La Louisiana'. However, Napoleon later accepted $15,000,000 from President Jefferson and in 1840 it was the fourth largest city in the USA. The Garden District is a sought-after residential area in which there is an abundance of magnolia trees, palms, shrubs and flowers, and the city's largest graveyard, the Metairie Cemetery, has over 7,000 graves and an array of spectacular mausoleums which astound the eye. Gumbo Soup, Jambalaya, Hurricane Cocktails and Dixie Beer are just a few of the traditional refreshments on offer in this carefree, non-stop city, yet, just outside, there are the swampy bayous alive with many exotic species, and the Oak Valley Plantations whose great wealth derived from the sugar cane industry prior to the American Civil War and part of which is reminiscent of some of the scenery from Hollywood's, Gone With The Wind. In the 19th Century, New Orleans was North American capital of the Voodoo cult and today it is a city of unique atmospheres, flavours, contrasts and Mardi Gras: an extraordinary city!
