Laissez les bons temps rouler!

This year I had the pleasure of participating in my first Mardi Gras celebration. One of my best friends, Andrew, is originally from Mobile so he was kind enough to act as tour guide for me and my husband. His parents even belonged to a Mardi Gras organization and his family rode in floats every year.  His inside perspective was very helpful.

I was surprised at what a beautiful city Mobile is! How is it possible that I have lived in Alabama for 12 years and never been? It was nothing like I expected. Thinking back on it now, it makes perfect sense that Mobile would have such a unique culture and history.

The first thing we explored was the Mobile Carnival Museum. It was a wonderful place to begin because we learned a lot of the history of Mardi Gras in Mobile. 

Outside the museum.

The museum is located in the historic Bernstein-Bush house. The house itself is breathtakingly beautiful.

One of the most surprising things to me was the rigorous selection of the king and queen of Mardi Gras. The queens must be from ages 21-26, unmarried, and from an old Mobile family. They are evaluated on their poise and communication skills. The queens’ dresses are Vera Wang wedding gowns that are then embellished to match their extravagant trains. 

Every queen designs her own train and outfit according to her taste. They are all handmade by only seven artisans in the Mobile area with real furs, luxurious fabrics, and swarovski crystals. They usually range from 20-30,000 dollars and can take up to a year to construct!

They are so elaborate that they can be difficult to carry. The heaviest in the museum was 85 pounds and worn by a very petite queen. This train was fitted with casters on the bottom so that she was able to walk.

The heaviest train the museum.

The following was my favorite train. The picture really does not do it justice. One of the museum guides showed us a small silk frog on one corner of the train and told us that this queen’s mother had always told her that if she kissed enough frogs eventually she would find her prince. That queen did end up marrying a Mardi Gras king!

My favorite.

My husband's favorite.

This one was designed to resemble a waterfall and the pool below it.

A float used in past parades, inside the Carnival Museum

Detail of a float.

If we were royalty....

Now for my favorite topic, food. Mobile really struck me as a foodie town. All the restaurants where we dined, even ones we just passed by, had unique and diverse menus. Being on the coast, seafood is prevalent. Even though I grew up on the beach, I was too picky to ever take advantage of the fresh seafood around me. Of course, I have become an adventurous eater but seafood was still an area where I felt uncomfortable.

My husband positively lusts after oysters so I decided that I would give them a try for the first time. We went to the Original Oyster House. We ordered oysters four different ways: steamed, baked, fried, and raw on the half-shell. The fried oysters were my favorite! They were so delicious. I still can’t believe I had such a favorable response. I even ate a raw one on a cracker with some lemon juice. It wasn’t bad. The taste is really amazing, you just have to get past the texture. I definitely plan on trying them again since they are definitely more of an acquired taste. I also had scallops and crab claws for the first time. I believe I have now developed a severe scallop addiction. The crab claws were also delicious. All in all, I loved everything I tried and I can’t believe that I have wasted so much of my life being scared of seafood!

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay for Mardi Gras and one of the days we were there was so rainy that the parades were cancelled. But we were able to see the parade on Joe Cain Day, a celebration completely unique to Mobile, that celebrates the man who brought Mardi Gras back to Mobile after World War II. The parade was a lot of fun. The floats were beautifully decorated and we had a great time catching beads, moon pies, and stuffed animals.

Celebrating Joe Cain Day.

Andrew, Daniel, and I.

French culture seemed to be all around us, in wrought-iron balconies, extravagant fountains, delicious food, and this wonderful celebratory tradition. We also visited the recently renovated and stunningly beautiful Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. This is truly a place worth visiting if only to stare slack-jawed at all of the incredible detail.

Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Mobile is truly a city where one can appreciate the rich history of this country. A history that sometimes gets lost in the suburbs I’ve inhabited. This country is so large and has been influenced by so many groups of peoples that traveling around it is sometimes like traveling the world.