Belgian couple discover Cajun Mardi Gras

A Belgian couple learned about a traditional Mardi Gras at the Experience Louisiana Festival and plan to return in February for the Eunice celebration.
Jules Bouteleux, 30, and Juliette Duchange, 29, of Brussels, Belgium, were browsing inside the LSU Eunice Education Building and viewed the Mardi Gras exhibit.
The couple is originally from France.
The couple are traveling parts of the United States, stating they left a month ago, on a vacation.
“We travel by train and rental car. Our first stop was Chicago.”
They arrived in Eunice on Friday, staying in a local hotel, and learned about the festival. Their next destinations will include, Jules, said, “Breaux Bridge, Grand Isle, New Orleans. We then plan to travel along the Mississippi River, Natchez, Vicksburg, Memphis. .. and so on.”
The couple said they enjoyed, “The food. We ate gumbo, shrimp, boudin, and beignets.”
They plan to taste cracklins and tasso.
The couple’s travels have included San Francisco, Oakland, California, Grand Canyon, Arizona, and Big Bend, Texas. “These were some of our favorite stops,” Jules said.
Jules is employed as an artist and works in the movie industry, while Juliette is a city planner, landscaper and an architect.
Jules said, “I’m in between jobs as I can travel .”
The couple also watched the mini Mardi Gras at the festival Saturday.
“Fascinating, interesting, and entertaining,” they said of the run. They were unsure about the chicken chase.
They said they were “blown-away” by the Mardi Gras masked runners extending their hands out, asking, “Sinq Sous.”