Like Guadalupe, everyone speaks French and we are really struggling. We dinghyed around Pointe du Bout to see the charming town of Trois Illets (three toilets) which was not under construction. The old simple church was where Marie Anoinette was baptized and is the towns claim to fame. On the trip back, we watched the kite boarders “flying by” at incredible speeds. For a thrill and our entertainment one Frenchmen approached popped off a wave and went sailing right over our heads in the dinghy much to the kids delight. Do it again, they yelled! Say how do you say that in French?
Ashore, there are several restaurants, pubs, apartments, and small hotels. We enjoyed some excellent French dining and strolling through the shops of Pointe du Bout. The best find was a woman selling unique stamped aluminum bracelets from India in a rainbow of colors. The vendor picked out a fabulous collection of complementary ones to be worn together for both Sabrina and Angie.
What America calls a “compact” car, the French would consider a limo. Amazingly, once inside our Renault shoe box, it was quite spacious even if my feet were resting on the front bumper. With Angie my navigator, we headed out on the perfectly fashioned roads, the best in the Caribbean.
Ashore, there are several restaurants, pubs, apartments, and small hotels. We enjoyed some excellent French dining and strolling through the shops of Pointe du Bout. The best find was a woman selling unique stamped aluminum bracelets from India in a rainbow of colors. The vendor picked out a fabulous collection of complementary ones to be worn together for both Sabrina and Angie.
What America calls a “compact” car, the French would consider a limo. Amazingly, once inside our Renault shoe box, it was quite spacious even if my feet were resting on the front bumper. With Angie my navigator, we headed out on the perfectly fashioned roads, the best in the Caribbean.
The north half of the island is peaked by spectacular lush mountains all part of Frances 6th largest nature preserve, Parc Regional de la Martinique.. The air was cool and damp as we climbed up into the rain forest. We hiked an interpretive trail (in French), saw waterfalls, and enjoyed breathtaking scenery. Along the Atlantic side we came across a local woman serving homemade ice cream out of the back of her truck. We could only understand 2 of the 8 flavors so she gave us samples of each. We would close our eyes and let the rich creamy creation melt over our taste buds in order to guess what it was.
Since we had the car until noon, why not do a Sunday morning rum tour instead of church! Rise and shine kids; we’re going to tie one on at the local rum factory! The Clements Rum Distilleryas that they had preserved and restored the original rum plantation with its old steam driven factory and gorgeous gardens. Old stories were also retold about life here back in the day. The aging areas were piled high with rum from their modern plant a short distance away. Best of all, it was self guided using multi lingual head sets including English and a childrens’ version! This ended up turning into an educational family field trip. We are all for furthering our kids’ education and sampling rum. Finally we ended up at the tasting room feeling rather parched. Clement Distillery produces several lines of prized rums that are to be sampled at room temperature to be appreciated. Ugh! No frozen Pina Colada machine, rum punch bowl or at least an ice cube! Before departing, we loaded up a bag of mangoes that would otherwise go to waste from the numerous trees along the driveway. Yumm!
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