Guadeloupe, a French protectorate, consists of two large and several smaller islands. The two large islands, which form the general shape of a butterfly, are connected by two bridges.
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| Arriving in Pointe-a-Pitre |
We had initially signed up for another tour involving going to the butterfly's Basse-Terre side. For various things, including a waterfall. Rereading the tour description several days ago, we suddenly keyed on seeing the falls involved 400 steps down and 400 steps back up. If we could do it, it would take longer than the tour likely allowed, so we swapped it out for a less energetic one on the Grande-Terre side that involves considerable walking but on primarily flat terrain.
Our first stop was the aquarium. It was a nice display, but having been to other aquariums in the Caribbean and elsewhere, it was nothing special.
Our next stop was Fort Fleur d'Épée. Although a critical, fought-over fort during the time the British, French, and Spanish battled for supremacy in the Caribbean, it paled compared to the fort on Brimstone Hill in St Kitts (See March 7th post). Maybe that is why the fort in St Kitts was only captured twice, and this one was captured six times. Going into the underground bunker used by troops as living quarters and for protection during bombardments was interesting.
From the battlements, we could see the Island of Marie Galante. Locals call it the pancake because it is round and flat. We were told that on a crystal clear day, we would have been able to see more islands, but today's haze due to humidity canceled that possibility.
Back on the bus and rolling down the road, there was a quick photo stop in Gosier to see Islet de Gosier and its lighthouse a short distance offshore. Yawn.
We continue on to the town of Sainte Anne. This is a popular part of the island for tourists. If it is where Pam and I spent 10 days about 30 years ago. So much had changed. We did not spot a single landmark we remembered.
We wandered around for about an hour. We stopped at a beachfront bar where Pam had a pina colada, and I had what was billed as a non-alcoholic beer but tasted more like a dark ginger ale. Refreshed, we walked along the beach for ways, Pam wading in the water and me staying on the sand as we worked our way back towards the bus.
Having taken many tours over the years, on the return trip from St Anne, for the first time in our experience, there were two more passengers than we had when we left Gosier. We have occasionally seen a frantic search for missing passengers, but never one for extra passengers. Our guide tried to figure out who they were, but no one confessed. In the end, since our bus and the other bus were both headed back to the ship, it did not matter, and off we went.
Pam and I agreed that if you ever have the chance to take the Guadeloupe Highlights tour, by all means, don't. We saw some of the countryside, but the tour was generally dull.
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| The museum of the history of slavery on the islands. |
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| This wall and building just had a lot going on visually. |
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| I suspect this is a French 'Americas Cup' contender. |
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| Auf wiedersehen Mein Schiff #2 |
After leaving the Pointe-a-Pitre's harbor, the captain turned SIRENA east toward the Atlantic, passing over the top of Marie-Galante.
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