A Honeymoon Weekend only 2 Hours from Home

Our son Russ, who is a senior in college, surprised us and booked a night at a Bed and Breakfast called Auberge du Chene Vert.  Russ told us not to worry about the animals as he would take care of milking the cows and goat and handle all other farm chores.  Well, the words were hardly out of his mouth and we both had huge grins on our faces!  Thank you, Russ!!

In English Auberge du Chene Vert means "Live Oak Inn."  It is aptly named as it is nestled under big live oak trees.  It is located within spitting distance of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans in a small town called Paulina.  Paulina is between Lutcher and Convent.  Check in time was 4 o'clock, so we had a little time to take in the sights along River Road.  On the opposite side of the river, we saw Laura Plantation, a Creole Plantation.

We jumped out of the car and snapped a selfie on the side of another very famous plantation home that I bet you'll guess the name of after viewing the picture right below this one.

Yep, you guessed it.  Oak Alley!  Wow, what an absolutely beautiful homeplace, framed perfectly by live oak trees.  It is quite a sight to behold.

Since it was about 3:45 at that point, we jumped in the car and drove back across the river and to our Bed and Breakfast.  Auberge du Chene Vert was built in the 1940's and is just a fantastic place.  It was old family land and the innkeeper and her husband purchased the home and turned it into a Bed and Breakfast.

The original owner's name was Christophe Roussel and he grew perique tobacco, which is only grown in St. James Parish. The home is elegantly furnished and the innkeeper, Mary, made us feel welcome and answered all of our many questions. She was such a gracious hostess, with a great big smile and a penchant for providing Southern Hospitality at its finest.  The home was comfortable, filled with antiques and the smell of wood floors that transports you immediately to a slower-paced, stress-free time.  Ahhhhh....
 

Here is my bride sitting in our bedroom.  Behind the curtains are french doors with screens that open to the spacious front porch.  The furniture was nice and the mattress very, very comfortable.  The bathroom has a HUGE shower.  With the mighty Mississippi River right outside, if you listened closely, you could hear the river traffic as ships from all over the world filled their holds with goods produced in Louisiana.

Scarlett???

In the front yard, you can see the levee.  Now I don't know when this levee was constructed, but it wasn't yesterday.  I read that the first levee was built around New Orleans in 1718.  Today there are over 3,600 miles of levees in the Mississippi River basin.

Bye, Bye Miss American Pie, I drove my Chevy to the levee and the levee was dry. Actually we walked across the road instead of driving.  While the levee itself was dry, the innkeepers' cows were grazing up on the levee.  We walked just a short bit and peered through the willows at Old Man River.

Shadows of My Honey and I on the Levee

When perique tobacco was being raised on the property, these barns were used to hang the tobacco from the rafters, drying the leaves.  Although perique tobacco is no longer grown here, the barn doesn't sit idle.  It is now River Road Distillery where local sugarcane is transformed into Kicking Mule Rum: Kicking Mule Rum

We walked around the property, looking at their bee boxes, fruit trees and Boston Ferns growing beneath the huge live oak trees.  Mary told us to be sure to take in the sunset from the table and chairs located on the front porch, right outside our bedroom.  We certainly weren't going to miss it.  The sun was on time and the sunset was nice.  Perfect weather.  Perfect surroundings.

"Quittin' Time!  I'm the foreman, I'z the one who sez when it's quittin' time."

Coffee was set out in the dining room at 8:00 am.  Good, strong, hot coffee.  Yes, we slept late!!  We were awakened to the sounds of breakfast being prepared.  As we walked into the dining room, Louis Armstrong softly serenaded us, setting a perfect mood for a breakfast prepared with many offerings produced right there on the grounds at Auberge du Chene Vert.  There were cut up grapefruit and satsumas, garnished with mint leaves, fresh-squeezed orange juice, bacon and Pain Perdu (lost bread). It was called such because as bread goes stale or gets hard, it gets 'lost' pretty quick.  Poor french families found that soaking the stale bread in milk and eggs before frying, rescued the "lost bread." You might call this French Toast. Whatever you call it, Mary did a good job with breakfast - Fantastic!

The table was set for three as we ate with another guest at the Inn - a lady from Germany who was touring the South.  She could speak English, German, French, Spanish, and Italian.  We stretched out breakfast for about two hours, enjoying good food and conversation.

Before checking out at 11 am and taking a leisurely drive down River Road to our home two hours north and west, we took the opportunity to soak in a few more minutes of a beautiful morning at a beautiful inn.

Farewell, Auberge du Chene Vert!  Unfortunately, reality calls.  We'll be back.  We highly recommend this place.  If you are in the area, check it out!  Oh, and stay tuned.  Tomorrow I want to share a neat tradition that occurs right around this spot.  I can't wait to tell you about it.