Martinique

Since we were still exhausted from our trip last night, we are only writing the corresponding report today. But to avoid any further delays, we are writing in parallel - one on the phone, the other on the laptop. I am curious if you can figure out who is writing which report. But I believe that can be quickly recognized by the style ;-)

But now we are really starting. The journey to Martinique began with a dangerously steep descent, as you know it from the Alps. For us, the slope is called 'road' and we had to overcome it until we reached the main intersection where the bus drives along. This could be successfully mastered. As soon as our shoe tips protruded into the visible area of the main road, we were honked at - the bus was there! So directly in and off to the marina (yes, Marina is actually the namesake of the local harbor). The ship was already at its dock and in front of it stood a folding table that was converted into an office. After a short check of our identity, our passports were taken from us because they were needed for the organization of Martinique immigration (a strange feeling to hand over our passports like that). Once on board, we found out that we were guests number 3 and 4, which was mainly due to our German punctuality - it was just after 7 a.m. and it was supposed to start at 7:30 a.m. After some time, however, we realized that boarding did not actually start until 7:30 a.m., because the ship did not leave until 8:30 a.m. Within this period, another 80 very international guests boarded our catamaran, so we were glad to have good seats.

Finally, we set off for Martinique shortly after 8:30 a.m. It was absolutely impressive how our vacation island behind us became smaller and the destination island became bigger and bigger. The waves were remarkable, but from the perspective of the responsible persons, they were not a concern. So the journey consisted of a constant up and down, sometimes with a free fall, which contributed to our amusement. The entire trip was carried out in an all-inclusive style. Despite the waves, the drinks bar was permanently occupied. And due to the 50% Swabian share of our mini-travel group, it had to be visited regularly. The problem, however, was that the bar was on the lower deck and we were on the upper deck. So artistic skills had to be applied to get down the ladder and, above all, to get back up with a full drink cup.

Shortly before Martinique, sudden calls rang out: A quite large whale appeared next to us and decided to entertain the crew with a few fin strikes. Unfortunately, this spectacle was quickly over, so there are no pictures of it.

After waiting and shopping in the duty-free harbor area - our immigration had to be approved after all - we were released into the capital Fort-de-France. Compared to all the cities in St. Lucia and Grenada, it is definitely considered a metropolis. There are high-rise buildings, organized city structures, and plenty of French-speaking people. If someone had been put into a coma from another corner of the world, dropped off in the middle of the city, and then awakened, this person would probably not have guessed that they were on a Caribbean island. The fact that the city is a French department made it particularly bizarre. So you can pay with euros there, buy typical French delicacies and clothing, and also make calls from there as if you were in another EU country. That's why the first minutes of our stay were used to make use of Tim's EU flat rate to call our families.

While strolling through the streets, we could admire plenty of interesting buildings such as the parliament, the town hall, the theater, the shopping center, or the market. We were constantly surprised by the prices - while almost everything is extremely expensive on Grenada or St. Lucia, Martinique actually has a French price level. Overall, the city can be summarized as excellent for shopping (explicit shopping trips from other Caribbean islands are offered there), but it is not extraordinarily beautiful or stylish. Nevertheless, the visit was a great experience.

After about 1.5 hours, we went back to the ship, which took us to a snorkeling bay. We all put on the equipment and then jumped into the warm Caribbean water one after the other like lemmings. Here too, we were able to observe beautiful corals and fish, as we only know them from the zoo. We were both surprised that you can actually see so much.

The return journey took us past 'Diamond Rock', which many consider to be the landmark of the Caribbean. It is estimated to be 2-3 kilometers off the coast of Martinique and looks like an oversized rock that someone threw into the water from the sky. Birds in particular love it, so they happily populate and defecate on it.

The rest of the return trip (the total distance is about 40 kilometers) was a bit rougher and can be described in all respects as wet and cheerful. Due to the good beer, the rum punch, the high waves, or a combination of all of them, some people felt a little sick, so some repositioning had to be done. Marina didn't look quite as relaxed at some point either, but we arrived safely back in the harbor.

Back in the apartment, Marina demonstrated her cooking skills and created a pasta salad with a supermarket sauce made in St. Lucia (but the pasta was excellently cooked and seasoned ;-)). After that, we went to bed pretty quickly and Tim had his most peaceful night in the apartment, which was not even interrupted by the dogs, crickets, roosters, or TVs.