The Sweets Deep South Trip: Monday in Lafayette

We popped down to the local diner for breakie

A little piece of Americana

There is an Acadian village - not original but original buildings that have been moved here from all over the state

It showed how the original settlers to Louisiana lived and worked

The chap at the front of this picture actually was born in the house and lived in it till 1965 - he was a 5th generation Acadian and told us a little more about their history - in Canada they basically kept themselves to themselves during the French/British conflicts but things came to a head in the 1750s when the British wanted them to sign an oath of allegiance and also renounce their Roman Catholic faith. They refused and the British burnt their villages and seized their land. The Acadians fled the country by any means, some going back to France where they were considered to be outsiders and some turning up in England where they were interred - others headed by ship down towards New Orleans which was a Spanish port in those days. The spaniards made use of them for cheap labour and over the years they settled mainly to the west of NO in some rather uninhabited areas that have now become what is known as Cajun Country.