Review: Great Railway Journeys of the World

Thirty years ago the BBC broadcast the series Great Railway Journeys of the World.  Each episode was presented by a different narrator and featured a unique itinerary.  The series has been reprised a few times over the last couple of decades, but I particularly like an episode that aired in 1980, hosted by Michael Palin, the starting point of Palin's involvement with future (and very popular) travel series endeavors.  I'll admit I'm slightly biased by my love for Monty Python, but I've read some of his memoirs and seen several of his other travel documentaries and I am very taken with his wonderfully descriptive narratives and insight.

You can judge for yourself, since all six parts of the episode "Confessions of a Trainspotter" are available on YouTube.

It begins in Euston Station in London and chronicles a journey that follows older, non-mainstream lines that take you all the way through eastern Scotland to Kyle of Lochalsh.  Along the way Palin fervently details a light historic account of rail transport in Britain.  I am a bit nutty for Scotland these days, and it's exciting for me to view footage of Edinburgh and Inverness that is thirty years old, and be unable to discriminate between documentary shots and those from my own vacation last September (except for those including adverts for Edinburgh Festival 1980).

For a television series the production value is quite impressive.  Pay particular attention to some of the grand, sweeping aerial footage during the end credits.

One of my favorite moments is the commentary on a small Highland games competition that Palin visits.

Of course, a documentary about trains in Britain would not be complete without taking a ride on one of its most famous, The Flying Scotsman steam engine.  When the show was produced you could still buy a ticket (an expensive one I imagine) to ride the Scotsman.  Since, the train has been in various stages of disrepair and subsequent restoration.  Currently, the locomotive is undergoing another restoration and is expected to be running a passenger service again by next year.

All of this only makes me wish for the next trip to Scotland, when I want to rent bicycles, take the train to Oban, ferry over to the Isle of South Uist, bike, ferry, and camp our way up to Stornoway on Lewis, and make our way back by ferry and rail (with perhaps a side stop to revisit Skye).  A great resource I found on this kind of activity is at Cycle Hebrides.

Buford Mountain and Elephant Rocks

This morning Hans and I drove northwest to Buford Mountain Conservation Area with a couple of friends from school, Ashish and Claudette.  Buford Mountain is a lesser-known recreation area that features a 10-mile loop trail that quickly ascends its namesake to reach a summit at 1740 feet, only 32 feet shy of the highest point in the state.  After that, the trail follows a mild rolling ridgeline.

It was a cool clear day when we began our hike.  Aside from the rough and rocky terrain for the first mile the trail was fairly mild and scattered with violets, sorrel, and phlox.  Occasionally we came across silken tent caterpilliar communities.

We opted for a shorter hike today and stopped for lunch at the exposed rocky glade of Bald Knob.  There was a geocache in the area, so Ashish did the honor by guiding us to the cache with our GPS.  After signing the log book and exploring the cache's contents we made our way back down the ridge and to the car, for a total of 7-miles worth of hike.

Since we were in the area, we stopped at Elephant Rocks State Park.  I had been told by countless locals to check it out.  After all the hype, however, we expected, as Claudette put it, "an epic fail".  We were pleasantly surprised.

The parking lot was packed and we could see why:  The Elephant Rocks themselves are giant boulders of pink granite perched atop a stone hill and resemble a line of circus elephants.  Producs of erosion, the rocks and hills are surrounded and composed of many narrow crevices and paths that offer a natural playground.  Hans and Ashish were the only ones brave enough to leap the four to six-foot gaps between crevices leading to the top.  After taking a couple of pictures we made our way back to the parking lot by squeezing through narrow alleys and sliding down the smooth rocks.

The drive back to Cape Girardeau was more scenic than the one out:  We avoided the interstate for a more direct route through small towns and farmland.  Some of the lakes and streams were positively gorgeous.  Sometimes we found ourselves following the remains of an old stone farm wall.  We passed many signs that pointed to other state parks and trails.  If Hans and I go hiking or camping any time in the near future we will definitely give the Arcadia Valley a second thought.

*Thanks, Claudette, for a couple of these pictures!

New Orleans: Plantations

Since today was our last morning in New Orleans, we got dressed up and had brunch at Brennan's.  We had reservations since it's Easter weekend, but the restaurant was not as busy as the staff predict it will be on Sunday.

I started with their excellent Brandy Milk Punch that had wonderful freshly-grated nutmeg on top.  For our meals, Hans ordered the Spicy Omelette ("our eggs are cooked in a sophisticated manner") and I had the Eggs Nouvelle Orleans ("poached eggs served on a bed of lump [blue] crabmeat topped with a brandy-cream sauce").  To finish, Hans had an Irish coffee, served in possibly the tallest cocktail glass imaginable, and we shared the Bananas Foster (they're the originators).  I daren't say how ridiculously expensive our breakfast was, but it was well worth it and very enjoyable.  But we both agreed that we probably won't spend that much on a morning meal ever again.

Outside the Louisiana Supreme Court Building

Behind St. Louis Cathedral

After checking out of the hotel, we drove westward out of the city to the Great River Road in order to get to the first plantation we wanted to see: San Francisco.  I chose this one because it was supposed to stand out among the other famous plantation homes with its Gothic-influenced design.  As we approached the site, however, we were blocked by emergency vehicles that had responded to an auto accident.  So, even though we were within 100 feet of the parking lot, we had to drive 20 minutes in a circle around farmland and refineries in order to approach the plantation from the opposite direction.  Unfortunately, San Francisco plantation was not as interesting as we thought it would be.  The admission cost was $15, and the grounds had limited access.  We knew we were already going to pay at least $12 for admission to Oak Alley, so we just looked at the manor home, took a few pictures, and went on our way.

Oak Alley was much more impressive.  I suppose that is why so many people visit.  That, and the line of 28 300-year-old oak trees are what most people identify with when they think of plantations, thanks to the movies.  The grounds were more extensive than at San Francisco, and the multitude of azaleas that are featured in most of the landscaping were in full bloom.  Their bright colors in the shade of the huge oaks made for some unique photo ops.

The tour of the manor home was interesting.  The house, for as large as it is, has only nine rooms.  The building seems larger than that because of the tall ceilings for ventilation during the hot summer months and the large spaces for hosting large parties.

However, Hans and I both felt that as admirable as the building and grounds are, one still can't forget the slave labor that went into building and running these plantations, and it would have been more interesting to hear information about the slaves and how they lived.

In any case, we strolled along the old oak alley path under the large and sprawling branches.  It was a slightly humid day, but the breeze off the river felt good.

When we were done visiting the plantation, we began our long drive home.  To make things interesting, we headed first through Baton Rouge (with some of the craziest drivers I've ever seen) and then to Natchez, Mississippi in order to drive part of the Natchez Trace Parkway, a scenic and historic road that goes all the way up to Tennessee.  Hans took over the drive from there, and we quietly observed the sunset through the canopy as we drove to the outskirt of Jackson.  Along the way we saw a turkey, and later a squirrel and crow chasing each other on a hill next to the road.

We continued up I-55 after a quick stop for dinner and ended our evening in Grenada.  We're both fairly tired from a long day in the car, but tomorrow we only have to drive another four hours to get home.

New Orleans: Bayous and Beer

This morning we got started late since I wanted to browse some shops in the Garden District.  Many of them either opened at 10 or 11, according to my guidebook.

The GPS got us down Magazine Street to the first antique store I wanted to visit, but instead of being open at 10, like the guide said, a sign on the door stated otherwise: 11.  Oh, well.  We continued down the street, spotted the other antique shop I wanted to look at, but continued onward and stopped at Blue Frog Chocolates.

The store had an amazing chocolate aroma about, and there were shelves stuffed with candies for Easter.  I picked up a bag of absinthe-flavored malt balls, a couple of truffles from the counter, and an interesting-sounding piece of hazelnut paste.  Since we were now hungry, we went to the near-by grocery store for a few items we can't find in cape, and lunch from the deli.  We sat outside in the sun to eat our lunch and try some of the candies we'd just purchased.  Hans' key lime truffle and my champagne truffle were decent, but we're not sure if they were worth three dollars apiece.  They were fairly large, but almost too much.  The hazelnut paste, however, was divine.  Very smooth, and layered with chocolate ganache.

Next, we had to fight traffic back up the street.  After struggling to find a parking spot, we found out that the store I wanted to see the most wasn't open today.  Boo.  So, the morning felt a little wasted, but the day wasn't over.  Next, we went out to Jean Lafitte National Park for a swamp tour.

Our guide was very entertaining and knowledgeable.  The cypress trees were starting to bloom and there was plenty of Spanish moss on the oak trees.  We saw lots of turtles and gators.  At the end of our tour we spotted a great blue heron in one of the trees.

Later, I took Hans to the shore of Lake Ponchartrain, and then we drove across the causeway to Abita Springs.  Along the way we saw two pelicans that were drifting on the winds that blew over the bridge.  From there, we drove by the Abita Brewery and then to the site of the original brewery, which is now a pub.  To our surprise the restaurant was next to a beautiful park with a grandstand, water fountains for kids to play in, and part of a 30-mile stretch of pedestrian trails that go through some of the other small towns and park land.

As usual, I had the beer sampler, and the burgers we had were ridiculously enormous and excellent.  I'm going to have to give Abita a second glance at the store from now on.  I think their IPA is the first I've ever liked.

At the end of the evening we drove back across the causeway and back to the Garden District for ice cream.  The Creole Creamery has over 40 flavors, many of them unique and inventive.  Hans had the Black and Gold Crunch, a mixture of coffee and chocolate, and in support of the Saints.  As usual I could not decide on any one flavor, so I had a sampler of Red Velvet Cake, Molasses Oatmeal Cookie, Wasabi (not gross like it sounds), and Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake (my favorite).

The evening ended quietly, as both of us were tired.  Hans is still trying to fight off his cold and I'm starting to come down with one.  Tomorrow we will check out some plantations and then head home.

New Orleans: Happy Birthday, Hans!

This morning began with a quiet walk around the quarter (and slightly harassed by a street performer in Jackson Square).  We went into a couple of souvenir shops, but didn't commit to anything.  We wound up outside a visitor center dedicated to New Orleans and the surrounding Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve.  There were some interesting displays, and made us excited about the swamp tour we're going on tomorrow.

Yesterday in our pursuit of lunch I was disappointed to see that the Napoleon House was so busy the wait line was  backed up into the sidewalk.  Today, however, we lucked out by showing up at 11:30, before the rush.  we sat in the sunshine-soaked courtyard and admired the small fountain that had a charming greenman spout.  Hans tried his first Po' Boy with pastrami.  Like me, he found that they're good, but a little too much bread for one sitting.  I had the shrimp remoulade-stuffed avocado.  It was so wonderful.  When I get home I'm going to try to learn how to make it.  To wash it all down, Hans had a locally-made Dixie Blackened Voodoo lager, and I tried their Pimm's Cup cocktail.  The lager was good, nothing spectacular.  I really liked the Pimm's Cup, and I think my mom's description fits pretty well: "Like iced tea".  Though I thought it was good, I don't think I'll be purchasing an entire bottle of the gin-based liquor it's made with.  Leave it to the English to make even iced-tea alcoholic.

After lunch, we visited the Cabildo museum, which is one of my favorite (and one of the cheapest) places to visit.  It is the site of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase, served as a federal courthouse and jail at one point, and now is a state museum dedicated to New Orleans.  I liked the display about some of the cultural influences on local cuisine from the American Indians, Africans, French, and Spanish.

We tried to get to the Riverwalk at one point, but accidentally stumbled on a movie set that had closed off a portion of Decatur Street.  They were filming some sort of car wreck, as there was a lot of auto carnage and a huge green screen.  After a short detour, we made it to the river, where we saw the Natchez river boat and a guy feeding ravenous seagulls bits of bread.

Next, we went to the aquarium, which was a lot more impressive than I thought it would be.  One of the main attractions was a giant tank you can walk under, that had dozens of flapping stingrays that seemed to like skimming their bodies along the tunnel.  Because of the way their mouths are shaped they always seem to be smiling.  There were, of course, sharks, turtles, penguins, sea otters, alligators, catfish, barracudas, sea horses, and jellyfish, and much more.  The exhibit about Mississippi wildlife was really neat.  The one about Amazon rain forests felt a little out of place, but was still interesting.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a wonderfully-smelling candy store and bought freshly-made pralines, lemon meringue fudge (!), hand-made salt water taffy, and some French Market coffee.  Back at the hotel we rested a bit and got ready for dinner.

Dinner at Arnaud's was excellent.  Since our reservations were later in the evening, we arrived just as the dinner rush was ending, and the intimately-decorated dining room began to empty.

Hans started with a surprisingly woody pinot grigio, and I had a champagne cocktail called French 75.  For starters, Hans had some yummy baked mushroom caps, and I had half a dozen raw oysters with cocktail sauce just like my mom makes it.  After shrimp creole / baked trout entrees, our deserts were almost too much:  Caramel flan and bread pudding.  And of course the Birthday Boy had a glass of port.

A couple of hours later, Hans and I found our way back to Bourbon street, and sat on the patio at Pat O's for a few rounds.  Hans: Hurricane, Skylab, New Orleans Gin Fizz.  Me: Zombie, Rusty Nail, champagne.  And free popcorn!

At the end of the evening we stopped at Cafe du Monde for cafe au laits and beignets.  Poor Hans wound up with powdered sugar all over his tan-colored shorts.

We went to bed very full and very happy.