Thursday, July 22, 2010

Martinique

Boy, are we behind on keeping up this blog thing!
Our friend Tim emailed us the other day and wrote, "Where the heck are you?  It's been over two weeks since you updated the blog."  So here's a quick update on our time in Martinique.

After a great sail from Dominica, the first order of business was get to a restaurant.  The French islands have such great food.  Here's Pat (S/V Songbird) and Jim enjoying a some cold beer in Le Corsaire restaurant in Anse Mitan.  Note to our cruising friends; you can now clear customs at the marina in Anse Mitan.

Anse Mitan is a pretty tourist area with lots of great restaurants and shops.  This sign caught our eye.  Anyone interested in some tripe in cider?  Blegh!

This resort is uniquely Martinique.  It and the adjoining beaches are set in a series of small coves with shallow, calm water, perfect for families.


We didn't get in much sightseeing while we were here.  You may remember when we visited Martinique in early 2009 the island was on strike.  Fort de France was a ghost town with the businesses all closed, no taxis or buses running.  This time we found a bustling city of a 120,000 people.
We wandered up along the river to see the fish market and stopped in a few shops along the way.
This beautiful building houses a theater.  Then it was off to a mall for some more shopping and lunch before catching the ferry back to Anse Mitan.  There would be many more pictures if I had remembered to charge the camera up before we left!  We didn't get any other sightseeing trips in. Been there, still didn't do that!

The weather was very unsettled while we were there.  This is one of the many storm systems moving through the area one night right at sunset.

But the clouds did provide for some great sunsets.
Next stop, St. Lucia