Baton Rouge, Louisiana (26th August)

A day in Baton Rouge. Our first stop is to see the Louisiana State University (LSU) football mascot, Mike the Tiger. He is actually Mike VI but there are people in his enclosure, so no Mike. Have to make do with a statue. Next is a self guided tour over the USS Kidd, a WW2 destroyer. We then move onto the old State Capitol building. A castle ... yes a castle that sits upon a ridge overlooking the Mississippi River. It is now a fantastic place for weddings or the odd product launch. Beautiful stained glass windows, a lovely wrought iron spiral staircase, plus a stained glass dome. This structure was built in 1847, destroyed by fire in 1862, rebuilt in 1882, abandoned in 1932 and restored back to its glory in the 1990s. It is just so out of left field. After lunch we move to the new / current State Capitol building. Built under controversial circumstances in a time of graft and corruption, it is the tallest building in Baton Rouge. There is an observation deck on the 27th floor. We had a treat for dinner, at the home of the mum of a Blues guitarist Noel Neal, we met in Sydney at The Basement. Research says that this family is a big part of the Blues scene in Louisiana and further afield. Shirl cooked us up a real Cajun meal and we had a great time.