20 - November 19, 20, 21, 2016

A beautiful, sunny day in Martinique--very French and very hot. Our drive to the North took us to a cathedral high on a hill, through dense rainforest and numerous hills, returning to the ship along the coast. The town of Fort de France has some quite modern buildings, as well as a three-story giant supermarket and a university, while the outskirts away from town and the resorts are quiet.

View from the pier--apartments and and office tower.

Sacre Coeur Cathedral, 1/5 size copy of the original in Paris.

We tasted DePaz rum in a large factory (not running because the cane was not ready to be harvested; the company was established in 1651, but this facility seemed pretty new.

 Sugar cane grinder

The fishing village of Saint-Pierre, once a bustling capital of this outpost of France, was completely destroyed by the 1902 eruption of Mount Pelée in the background--not from lava flow but from gas and rocks--like Pompeii. The eruption killed 30,000 people--one man survived, a prisoner locked away in a dungeon not exposed to the toxic air.

In town, ruins are everywhere, as well as remnants of the old fort.

 Old ruins

New ruins

Cap's favorite bus seat

Sirena at Martinique

From Martinique we sailed to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, which was not nearly so interesting as the Bitter End side of the island, where we have been several times before. We tendered in for a brief stop ashore, admired the opportunities for another second home, then returned to the ship for a delightful supper served on our deck. The weather has moderated enough to be comfortable outside in the evening. 

Sirena's tenders had to skillfully maneuver around the renters of sailboats from The Moorings who had no business in a busy harbor.

Not much to do here

Location, location, location

Dinner on our deck

And, finally, tomorrow on to San Juan, where we just were in December.