kaödgiargandgfö

I had also booked a shore excursion here. We were welcomed by a steel band and took the bus into the hustle and bustle of the capital St.George's. We went through narrow streets, which often only had one lane, so we had to constantly deal with oncoming traffic, over mountains and valleys through lush vegetation to our first destination, a chocolate factory. There we learned how chocolate is made and were able to taste different types. After a visit to the factory shop, we continued to a waterfall, from the highest point of which daring locals plunged into the water in exchange for tips. There was also a shop with local products here. I couldn't resist nutmeg jam, pepper jelly, banana ketchup and more.

Afterwards I looked around a bit and discovered a cage in which a sad-looking monkey was sitting (I later discovered that there was a second monkey in the background). The monkey enjoyed my petting.

Grenada - the island of spices! Nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and many other spices are the second largest economic factor! In addition, there is cocoa and rum production! Tourism is at the forefront, thanks to its diversity with stunning waterfalls, tropical rainforests, extinct volcanoes, and dreamy beaches! The Grand Anse Beach is said to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean! The island stretches over 34 by 18 km!

Plan: From the cruise ship to the water taxi and then to one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean!

Greetings at 7 am with thick rain clouds over the island (Photo 1) - one hour later, see Photo 2)! We wanted to take a taxi ride to the rainforest with a hike to the 'Seven Sisters Waterfall' and a visit to Fort Frederick above the capital in the morning! At the exit, a couple from Kiel joined us and we paid $25 per person for a 3 1/2 hour excursion!

After the Kiel couple wanted to visit another waterfall further away, we set off half an hour later after the final decision, resulting in us running into 2 AIDA buses shortly after entering the waterfall and having difficulty passing by! The water from the rain, which had fortunately stopped, was brown and people were wading through mud....! But overall, it was a great landscape and we almost walked back alone! From there, we went to the fort with a great view and back to the AIDA! We then took the water taxi to the Grand Anse Beach, which was really great! A short rain shower (took shelter with some locals, then put our things under a tree to keep them dry, and went into the warm water - half an hour later, the sun came out! Unfortunately, we had to pack our suitcases when we returned to the ship, we could have stayed another week! For dinner at BellaDonna Restaurant, we happened to run into the people from Kiel again!

Today, with AIDAbella, we arrived at St. George's on the Caribbean island of Grenada. The capital city is known for its colorful houses. Inside, there are many small shops, a chocolate museum, and a market. Today, on Christmas Day, everything was closed. So, we decided to explore the island by minibus. Our first stop was at a rum distillery. Plenty of different varieties to taste. Afterwards, the owners told us how the sugarcane processing and rum production works. Interesting and very delicious. Luckily, we were covered because it suddenly poured down like buckets. Our next stop was at the herb garden. Grenada is known as the Spice Island, and we could see why in this garden. Here, cocoa, nutmeg, pepper, pineapple, chili, various herbs, and spices are grown. Even the paths are made of nutmeg shells. A beautiful establishment where we found some souvenirs for the kitchen. We continued to Fort Frederick. From here, we enjoyed a great view of the coast and the island's interior. And next, we took a closer look at it. We went to Annandale Waterfall. Small, but in a picturesque setting, and we had the waterfall all to ourselves. There was even more nature in the Grand Eagle National Park. In the middle of the national park is the lake of the same name. Swimming or fishing is not allowed here because the lake is one of the few fresh water reserves on the island. We were at an altitude of 550 meters here, and it was a bit chilly and windy. So, back to the car and a refreshment stop at a small kiosk in the national park. Behind the house, we spotted curious mona monkeys. Our last short stop was at a beach, and then it was time to return to the ship.

Island tour and beach..in between, tried the local spices..

Wednesday, 08.01.2020

The rest of the day was spent doing research for the next few days, and we booked a guesthouse for Nina, Simon, and me until Tuesday. Now it's official, the group will split up. Christoph is flying the day after tomorrow, Simon on Monday. Nina and I will probably take the cargo ship to Trinidad on Tuesday. On one hand, it's a shame because we have become a well-coordinated team, but on the other hand, I'm looking forward to more flexibility in a smaller group.

Thursday, 09.01.2020

Friday, 10.01.2020

Saturday, 11.01.2020

Sunday, 12.01.2020

Monday, 13.01.2020

Tuesday, 14.01.2020

Wednesday, 01.01.2020

A lot was done today. In the morning, I did laundry and yoga, then we precooked leftovers for the next few days (pasta, rice, lentils) and prepared the boat. I could barely fit my things in my backpack. I somehow have too much, but I don't know what I could leave behind. But all the warm and long clothes that I wore while traveling had to be packed as well. Afterwards, I took a shower along with the clothes I was wearing. Everything was sweaty. The shower here can only be on or off, all the same temperature: pleasantly cool. My shirt and pants were dry on my body within a short time. What I'm trying to say is: it's hot.

In the morning and evening, I always have a little bit of energy, but as soon as 9 o'clock is over, I just want to lie around in the windy shade. Mosquitoes and sand fleas also keep us busy. I do have expensive, good mosquito repellent with me, which should only be applied once a day (with 50% DEET), but after 1-2 hours, you can feel that the effect is already fading. Other than that, everything is relaxed, I don't think there is any other state here on the island.

Thursday, 02.01.2020

In the morning, there was still some hustle and bustle when Birgit, Luna, and Azzurra left. Shortly afterwards, Michi picked us up, whom we met through Angie, a friend of Birgit's. Actually, we were planning to take the ferry to Grenada tomorrow, but as luck would have it, Michi is sailing to Grenada tomorrow and still needs crew. Angie was supposed to help him, but she doesn't have time after all. So he picks us up with his huge dinghy and we have a place to sleep for the night and a ride. Michi's sailboat has a broken engine, and he will get a new one in Grenada. He also had two strokes, which he has recovered from very well, but he is still a bit limited. He is a super friendly, talkative guy from Munich, who has a lot of interesting stories to tell. His dog Gremlin is with him, always lying around relaxed and wanting to be scratched.

During the day, we went shopping with Michi and then prepared the ship and sails for tomorrow's departure. Michi's boat is a bit larger than Birgit's and much more spacious inside. It is designed for four people and is only used by one or two. It has a large kitchen with four burners, and it has everything from a printer to a wood stove to a washing machine. There are many corners and places where you can sit or lie down comfortably. I missed that on the Azzurra.

In the afternoon, Michi showed us the mangroves. Some of them were cut down for a new harbor, but there is still a large basin. The mangrove trees line a stretch of coastline, creating a kind of lake that you can sail into. There you are very well protected from wind and waves, which is why the boats are "parked" in the mangroves when there is a hurricane warning, for example. The water is completely calm between the light green trees, whose branches hang down into the water to form additional roots. We even got out and climbed on the roots for a while until we reached the open sea on the other side. This is another natural wonder. Unfortunately, no one had a camera with them.

In the evening, we went to the restaurant "Lambi Queen" and had pizza and other food with Angie and Gus. Lambi is the meat of the large conch, whose beautiful shells are either sold to tourists or used as building material. Angie, also from Munich, lives on her boat here, and Gus is from Dominica and Birgit's friend. There are several expats passing by who stay longer in the port, everyone knows each other. Most of them stop for a short chat. Usually, there is also a lot of beer and rum flowing here, but everyone is holding back because of tomorrow's departure.

Later, Nina and I went for a walk, and I enjoyed the quiet time very much. For me, it is very exhausting to constantly be around people and always have to listen to someone or tell something. It's fine with two people, we only talk when we feel like it, and sometimes we just stay silent. But as soon as there are more people, someone is always talking. There is no time left for thinking at all. And I notice that because I am totally inattentive. I sit slouched, overeat myself, and don't get enough exercise. But I usually only notice this when I get a little distance from the group. After all, I really want to use the journey for reflection and mindfulness, so I'm looking forward to arriving at a place where I can be alone sometimes.

Interestingly, I have found that life here on Carriacou would not be for me in the long run. Everything is slow and sluggish, hardly anyone has the energy to really tackle something, and therefore there is not much to do. You only do the necessary things, also because of the heat, and the rest of the time is spent waiting for something. At least I'm waiting, the others seem to have less of a problem with doing nothing. But I'm looking forward, for example, to a mountain village in the Andes or a farm, where there is always something to do. Life here is too inactive for me. I want to move on.

Friday, 03.01.2020

We had a very relaxed passage to Grenada with Michi, sailing only. In the ports, we were helped with maneuvering by many helpful people, most of whom are also expats. In the evening, we cooked leftovers together and enjoyed a nightcap while watching the beautiful sunset in Benji Bay. Before going to bed, we had a deep and meaningful conversation about life and the world. It was really a cool group with interesting, sometimes controversial opinions and lots of inspirations.

Saturday, 04.01.2020

After getting up, I jumped into the water and did some work. Michi is letting us stay here for free and driving us around, so we help out on the boat. I scrubbed algae and mussels off the swim ladder with a wire brush and a spatula, while the guys cleaned and tidied up on deck and Nina was below deck with Michi. Then I wanted to rinse off with salt water, but we actually emptied Michi's water tanks. It's a difference when you manage things alone or with five people. But thankfully, neighbors brought jerry cans during the morning, which we could fill up at the marina. We met these neighbors at the hash yesterday, they come from a town 10km from where I'm from. The world is big, and at the same time, very, very small.

In the afternoon, we took the dinghy to Hog Island, a small island that attracts fairly wealthy day-trippers or longer-term yachties. There was live music and cool locals who gave us some of their soup. Separate food was cooked for the tourists. In the evening, we had pasta with tomato sauce again and enjoyed a cozy movie night (actually Love).

I'm starting to feel a bit trapped and inflexible on the boat because I can't go on my own. I also want to reach a destination. So, on one hand, I long for my own home, but I also want to continue experiencing how other people live in different cultures. A little contradiction.

Sunday, 05.01.2020

After waking up, I jumped into the water again and did some work. Michi is letting us stay here for free and driving us around, so we help out on the boat. I scrubbed algae and mussels off the swim ladder with a wire brush and a spatula, while the guys cleaned and tidied up on deck and Nina was below deck with Michi. Then I wanted to rinse off with salt water, but we actually emptied Michi's water tanks. It's a difference when you manage things alone or with five people. But thankfully, neighbors brought jerry cans during the morning, which we could fill up at the marina. We met these neighbors at the hash yesterday, they come from a town 10km from where I'm from. The world is big, and at the same time, very, very small.

In the afternoon, we took the dinghy to Hog Island, a small island that attracts fairly wealthy day-trippers or longer-term yachties. There was live music and cool locals who gave us some of their soup. Separate food was cooked for the tourists. In the evening, we had pasta with tomato sauce again and enjoyed a cozy movie night (actually Love).

I'm starting to feel a bit trapped and inflexible on the boat because I can't go on my own. I also want to reach a destination. So, on one hand, I long for my own home, but I also want to continue experiencing how other people live in different cultures. A little contradiction.

Monday, 06.01.2020

In the morning, we went 'on the net,' which means we broadcasted a message over the local radio network about our search for a ride. Unfortunately, we didn't receive any feedback. We also haven't heard anything on Facebook, even though we posted in at least 5 groups.

Afterwards, Nina and I paddled to the dock in the dinghy and bought groceries and had breakfast on the boat. Then we went to see Mike and Julie, who live and work on the Flying Buzzard. It's an old, rusty tugboat from the 60s that they sailed over here from England. They showed us the ship, it was almost like a museum. Back with Michi, we cooked lunch and went back to Hog Island to take a walk with Gremlin. There are cows on the island, but we didn't see them.

Later, Michi took us to the dock with all our luggage in the big dinghy, and we took two buses to the city to Sarah's place in Grand Anse. She has a really beautiful apartment in a rather wealthy area, with a hammock on the terrace and a view of the sea for the sunset. Sarah is from Germany but has been living and working here on Grenada for over a year. She is extremely nice and welcomed us very warmly, we immediately felt at home. There was another couch surfer with the same travel route as us. However, she couldn't find a way to continue her journey by boat, so she's flying to South America tomorrow.

Tuesday, 07.01.2020

After breakfast, we all walked to the harbor and made posters along the way that we want to hang up in the marinas. At the end of the day, we only hung up two posters, but we spoke to a lot of people. We also visited all the harbor and tourist offices, the import/export stores, and the yacht club. It was quite exhausting. The conclusion is that we are in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, we found out that three cargo ships sail to Trinidad every Tuesday and could possibly take us along. But it's too spontaneous for today. To enter Trinidad, you need proof of departure, for example, a return flight ticket.

The rest of the day was filled with shopping, cooking, chatting, researching, and baking a cake. After that, everyone fell into bed or on the couch/air mattress, completely exhausted.

I am currently in a constant state of indulgence, I am always eating. It is surprisingly difficult to get local products here. Fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive and mostly flown in from far away, and most other things are imported as well. The cost of living seems to be relatively high. There is a big gap between locals and foreigners when it comes to salary and living standards. The university is the largest employer on the island, most of the professors are from outside.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

What luck. I slept like a baby. I dozed off in seconds and was motionless for 8 hours, practically in a coma. For breakfast, Simon and I went to the only open place, a very simple café / bar / internet café / copy shop. But since they're French, they had fresh, warm croissants to die for, and I treated myself to two of them.

Since Birgit didn't come up with a plan on how and when we should help her with the boat, I met Georg and Julia again at noon and we drove to the south to a beach. The first bay was long and quite nice, but very touristy, and the beach was a three-meter wide strip between the road and the sea. A few minutes further, we found a much nicer beach where we had a great shady spot and almost no one else around. We of course set up the hammock in the classical way and then went straight into the (not really) cool water. It was wonderfully beautiful. In the shade with the sea breeze, it was very pleasant, and when we got hungry, we walked to the touristy area and treated ourselves to a fresh coconut ice cream and some fries. Unfortunately, vegetarian food is really hard to come by in French cuisine, so yesterday we had the only dish without fish and meat on the menu: salad.

At 5 pm, I returned to the harbor, took a quick shower, and found Birgit in front of the open engine, knee-deep in oil. It took another 2 hours to clean up, and in the evening Simon cooked leftovers wraps for us. Today, no supermarkets are open and I didn't want salad or fries again.

Now that we are back among people, we quickly meet interesting characters. One of them is Lennart, an 18-year-old high school graduate who is traveling on an extremely low budget. He has been on the road for six months and has spent less than 1,500 euros so far. He is very frugal, often eats food from the trash or pasta with pesto, mostly sleeps outdoors, and has low expectations for his trip. He also has no problem asking for leftover food or a free ride/sleeping place, and he is very successful with it. It probably helps that he is a charismatic, charming, blond curly head. You immediately get into a pleasantly casual conversation and want to soak up some of this guy's carefree easiness. But the aimlessness would bother me in the long run. He also made the Atlantic crossing, with an even smaller sailboat and only three people, but he didn't find it as exhausting as the rest of us. However, on his boat, the course only had to be adjusted every half hour using the wind steering system, and he had a lot of time to read and get bored. That was not possible for us at all. I think there are really very different conditions under which you can make this big leap, and he is probably better able to handle it with his young age.

Thursday, December 26, 2019

We all got up relatively early and wanted to leave by 12 o'clock at the latest, but there was still a lot to do. Unfortunately, Birgit was still in a bad mood because she feels like she has to do everything herself and doesn't like to delegate tasks. But everyone pitched in, shopping, cleaning, and fixing the engine again, and shortly after noon, we set off again.

Our paths should have separated here on Martinique, but since Birgit is going further south anyway, she offered to let us come along for a cost contribution. Since all of us feel like experiencing a bit more Caribbean feeling after the tough journey, the crew will stay together until New Year's Eve. I think it's a good sign that we still enjoy each other's company enough to voluntarily spend more time together. However, a day away from the crew was really necessary and beautiful.

The trip from Martinique to St. Lucia takes about 6 hours and can be quite rough. We sailed pretty close to the wind, against the waves, and for the first half hour, I looked at my phone to use the internet. I immediately felt the bouncing on the waves and feared that I would now be permanently damaged by seasickness. But it was gone as soon as I stopped looking at my phone. The rest of the trip was pleasant rocking, and arriving in Rodney Bay at sunset was a dream. We quickly jumped into the water and now we are in the Caribbean lifestyle.

The next few days could be really nice if we don't get on each other's nerves. There is definitely tension in the air. I look forward to being alone again. Just for a few days, but I will need it soon.

Friday, December 27, 2019

We left before sunrise, shortly after 5 o'clock, to arrive at the next bay in time. Today we're heading to Wallilabou on St. Vincent, about 50 nautical miles or 10 hours away. This is where the beginning of Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed. Since this is one of the most dangerous areas in the Caribbean for sailing, especially near St. Vincent, Birgit was at the helm the whole time. But the trip was quite relaxed for us. Quite a bit of tilt, but still pleasant. We briefly saw the backs of a few brown whales, and there were many birds. We took the opportunity to write profiles for all crew members.

The island looks dreamy. Gentle green jungle hills, small black cliffs and bays, with a few colorful villages on top. At arrival in the afternoon, Alex, a local and a friend of Birgit's, helps us. We don't moor at a dock (there is none) but with an anchor and a shore line, so we have to go ashore (or swim) with the boat.

After disembarking, Alex takes us to the beach and to a nearby waterfall, less than half an hour away. On the way, he shows us all the fruits growing on the island's roadside - coconuts, cocoa, papaya, bananas, nutmeg, limes, oranges... everyone gets to try a star fruit. The sun is almost gone, and we swim alone in the cool pool of the waterfall for a while. On the way back, there is a bit of discontent in the group because while we knew we would give something to Alex for the trip, the price ended up surprising us, especially since we are traveling with different budgets. We will discuss it before the next time. However, Alex is a super friendly, funny local who could tell us many interesting things about the country and its people. Birgit was also surprised by the price when we told her about it.

I think you could spend quite some time on this island. Everything is still very original, there are not many tourists. The temperatures vary by +/- 5°C throughout the year. There are plots of land with simple huts on them for an affordable price (at least for us Europeans) and for two years now, there has even been an international airport. But for now, we will continue traveling.

In the evening, we had a barbecue on the boat. Afterwards, the guys and I paddled to the beach for some WiFi and had local sorrel juice at a restaurant, similar to hibiscus juice. The second and third was mixed with rum. Delicious!

Saturday, December 28, 2019

And here I am, 28 years old. This is a beautiful place to celebrate my birthday, even though it would be a bit nicer with my loved ones from home. But I'm not really a big celebrator, so in the morning I escaped to the beach with Nina for a yoga session. Afterwards, we sailed on for a relaxed six hours to the Tobago Cays Marine Park, a protected mini island group with turtles that we are excited about.

Nina outdid herself by baking three surprise cakes for me last night, one vegan and one with eggs. And that, even though we don't have any butter, baking powder, or regular flour left. We had the cakes after lunch at sea, and they were delicious. Afterwards, everyone was in a food coma for a while.

After anchoring between the small green islands, where no one lives and where you are not allowed to spend the night, Dwayne picked us up with his colorful wooden boat for a lobster BBQ. Our chef was Birgit's friend Randy, who also gave us homemade rum punch. The veggie options were also very tasty - well-seasoned carrot vegetables, vegetable rice, and potatoes. For dessert, we had fried bananas and banana bread. The whole thing was prepared and served directly on the beach in an open grill kitchen with colorful beer benches. String lights hung from the trees for lighting.

It was really a beautiful experience, but I have to look up the definition of 'touristy.' It wasn't crowded, about 100 guests and 25 cooks, but for me, I would define it as touristy when something wouldn't exist if there were no tourists who would pay for it. That makes the activity very touristy, since not a single local ate here. For me, on my trip, it will also be about seeing how the locals live and participating in it as much as possible.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

How can I describe this day? We woke up in paradise in the morning and fell asleep in the next paradise in the evening. We were anchored with about 20 other boats between the islands of the marine park and swam to the next island (Baradal) by SUP or simply swimming. The water was clear and blue, slightly green. There were spots with light sand underneath and a few reefs. Around the island, which is about 15 meters high and 250 meters wide, we snorkeled with fish and turtles. The turtles were up to a meter long and not shy, but beautiful as they surfaced and dived again and again. There were several, up to 1.50 meters long iguanas on the island through tropical, green growth. So we spent time there until noon.

Next, we sailed or rather motored a short distance and arrived at the next paradise - Sandy Beach - one hour before sunset. It is a 500-meter long and 50-meter wide, shallow sand strip in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, covered with palm trees. Fortunately, we got a buoy and we are close to the beach, so we can swim over in 5 minutes. We also had good luck with the current, we hardly drifted away. There are times when you can't swim these distances at all. Finally, everyone is relaxed and in a good mood, Birgit has arrived at her future home and is very happy with it. She is currently cooking for us, and we are staring at the incredibly beautiful sunset. The sunburn was definitely worth it.

After dinner together at an authentic, rather empty restaurant with simple but delicious food, we split up. Nina and I didn't feel like partying, and there wasn't much going on in town either. The party apparently started later, I listened to music until around five o'clock. I have to admit, I would have preferred to be with friends or family in a small, cozy circle. But this hustle and bustle around New Year's Eve in general doesn't really appeal to me.

Monday, December 30, 2019

Next dream day. After breakfast, I paddled to the beach with my SUP and my dry bag and walked up and down. There were five other people on the island. Then I sat in the shade of the palm trees and read. A few years ago, my dad told me about a book, 'The Angel Esmeralda.' I think he hasn't read it himself, but he got a recommendation, if I remember correctly. Since then, this book has been on my mental reading list. In La Línea, I bought it on my eBook reader due to a lack of exciting reading material, and today on the beach, I read the first short story. I didn't know anything about the book beforehand. As luck would have it, the story is set in the Caribbean, in the Tobago Cays, St. Vincent, Martinique... The nature, the people, and the relaxed way of life are also described. Unconsciously, I selected the right book at the right place at the right time. Can that be a coincidence?

In the afternoon, we continue on in a relaxed manner to Carriacou, Birgit's future home. We arrive in Tyrell Bay, a very cute, colorful, Caribbean village. I think that currently best reflects the authentic Caribbean that we all imagined. After a short meeting with Birgit's friends and a round of cold drinks, everyone goes their own way in the evening and arrives in their own way. Nina and I explore the village, then we cook together with the guys and exchange all the photos and videos of the past weeks.

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

After turning the boat at the jetty in the morning, we take the day extremely calmly. A bit of splashing around, using the internet and backing up photos, eating leftovers, and discussing the next few days. Today we will celebrate New Year's Eve together, and tomorrow the boat will be tidied up. Then our paths will, at least partially, separate.

Christoph has a tighter schedule and will continue traveling to South America rather quickly. Nina, Simon, and I have a similar route in mind and would like to continue traveling by sea or land. So we have researched ferries and buses. Sailing towards South America is not optimal at this time, and there will be few options. I shouldn't say this, but we are considering, the three of us, taking the ferry to Venezuela and then taking a fast, safe bus to Colombia together. We are busy researching whether and how this would be feasible. But if we do it, we will only do it together.

After having dinner together in an authentic, rather empty restaurant with simple but delicious food, we split up. Nina and I didn't feel like partying somehow, and there wasn't much going on in town. The party apparently started later, I listened to music until around five o'clock. I have to admit, I would have preferred to be with friends or family in a small, cozy circle. But this hustle and bustle around New Year's Eve in general doesn't really appeal to me.

After our hiking tour in Grenada was somewhat chaotically rescheduled (yesterday nobody showed up, today the driver was an hour early :-D), we went on a hiking tour with our guide Christopher along small roads on the east coast of the island. No matter what was happening on the road behind the shuttle - if there was an interesting plant, a church (there seem to be more denominations than inhabitants here) or any other remarkable building on the roadside, he would stop in the middle of the road, with a lot of honking, to explain things to us. So we got a lot of information, or we could have, if we had been able to handle the strong slang a little better. We also learned a lot despite communication difficulties. Looks have often spoken more than a thousand words on our route, as it was very obvious how much damage Hurricane Ivan caused on the island in 2004. Several partially decayed and overgrown house and church ruins adorned the roadside.

Our first stop took us through a plantation where we learned more about plants and then descended into the rainforest. There, with the help of good footwear, we went down muddy, more or less fortified slopes and steps, over rocks and small streams, to the St. Margret Falls, also known as the Seven Sister Falls. This is actually a seven-tier waterfall, but only the lower two falls can be reached without climbing. They offered a truly impressive sight, and unlike the Toraille Waterfalls in St. Lucia, we were alone for some time. So we took the opportunity to cool off in the pool of the second waterfall in wonderfully cool, clear water. For the sake of our health, we politely declined to jump into the waterfalls, as many locals do here.

After this wonderful nature experience, we hiked back through the lush green rainforest, thankfully equipped with hiking poles. Of course, we had to climb the entire way back up. For the first time, we were very glad that we had chosen a rather cloudy and rainy day and that the full force of the sun was not beating down on us during the ascent.

A few hundred meters further on, we reached the Grand Etang National Park. At this point, we need to explain a bit about the local slang. We don't know to what extent the pronunciation has anything to do with the creole dialect Patois spoken here. But various genuinely French place names from colonial times are better understood on paper if you want to grasp their meaning. There is no chance of guessing their pronunciation. Grand Etang is classic French for 'big lake'. But here, everyone talks about 'gränitäng', just as with the Grand Anse that exists on every island - French for 'big beach' - it is always pronounced as a quick, terse 'grändäns'. Other examples include 'grosilee', which corresponds to the town of Gros Islet in St. Lucia, and 'lassadschess' - or rather 'La Sagesse' - our place of accommodation.

After the little language lesson, let's get back to the hiking. Due to the muddy paths caused by the recent rain and the simply exhausting high humidity, we decided to take a short route through the national park. It led us to two viewpoints from which we could see the Atlantic Ocean and the 'big lake' that gives the national park its name behind the green jungle of the rainforest and the highest mountains on the island. We also descended to the lake, a crater lake. Just as we were on our way back, a few Mona Monkeys (that's really what they're called) discovered the bananas that our guide had been carrying the whole time.

But don't imagine that we were standing around with the bananas, calling and waiting to see if a few monkeys would show up. The monkeys simply discovered the bananas in Christopher's hand while we were walking and then jumped onto the path to snatch them out of his hand in the next moment. So two monkeys sat in front of us on the road, stuffing bananas into themselves in a very clichéd way (that's the only fitting description for what we saw, the word 'eating' or even 'devouring' would be grossly understated here!).

After the tour, Christopher dropped us off in the capital of Grenada, which we wanted to explore a bit. St. Georges (Seint Dschordschäs) is a town with flair, a beautiful harbor, a (unfortunately already half closed in the afternoon) market, and a fort that can look back on a very eventful history but is unfortunately not presented accordingly. After sweating our way up the hill to Fort George with our shopping bags full of souvenirs in the midday heat, a really run-down heap of semi-ruins awaited us instead of a museum. Only the old cannons were neatly polished and aligned. For example, one could have reported here that in the early 1980s, Prime Minister Maurice Bishop saw the future for his recently independent country more in the approach to communist Cuba than in a not very promising relationship with America. When the Cubans then built an airport with a large runway for him, the Americans felt so threatened in their sphere of influence that they illegally invaded Grenada and exerted a little control. Maurice Bishop and several of his followers were killed on Fort Georges (of course, not by Americans ;-)).

After this eventful hiking-shopping-sightseeing tour, a taxi took us back to the hotel, where we had a fantastic dinner as usual. The first thing we will try at home is definitely a Banana Flambé. More will not be revealed.

Tonight was gala evening, fitting for the sister-in-law's birthday. So we dressed up and went to dinner, where the waiters sang a song for the birthday child, brought cake and champagne. Gudrun and her husband (Nello) also waited for us today and were the last to leave the hall. We ended the evening with a nightcap.

Sometimes a time change can be very beneficial! After staying up until 10pm local time last night (which is 3am for you), we were bright and early for sunrise at 6am this morning. However, we can't see the sunrise here because we are in the west of Grenada. This is especially convenient because we are near the equator, where there is an equal amount of daylight and darkness. So the sun rises at 6am, but also sets at 6pm. Carpe Diem is the motto! And that's exactly what we did. The weather forecast was not promising and predicted rain all day. Luckily, that was completely wrong. With a beautiful temperature of 28 degrees and a pleasant breeze, we started the day with a walk on the beach. The Grand Anse Beach, where we are staying, is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Grenada. The sea is like a huge bathtub with an estimated water temperature of 30 degrees. Then we made ourselves comfortable at the impressive pool area, as we won't have one for the rest of our vacation. At lunchtime, we walked along the beach in search of a beach bar and stumbled upon a Caribbean-style open-air shopping center: a colorful collection of mini-shops selling spices, clothes, hats, hair braiding, and delicious, simple Creole dishes. We sat on one of the colorful benches and enjoyed lovingly prepared and very tasty fish or chicken sandwiches, all seasoned perfectly and grilled to perfection. The stray dogs would have liked some too. Afterwards, we bought a handmade hat from the nice Elsa. She has been making sun hats for 43 years and to prove her skill, she quickly braided a bookmark. Back at the pool, it started raining around 3pm and Tim enjoyed the downpour while swimming. Now we are going to have dinner and prepare for our journey to St. Lucia, which is tomorrow afternoon.

Already at the airport of Grenada (Maurice Bishop) we were confronted with Caribbean chilliness - we passengers were simply asked to walk across the entire airport area to the reception desk, while the employees sat off to the side in the shade on office chairs and scrutinized the newcomers with comments.

After a short taxi ride (about 8 minutes) we arrived safely at our first hotel - the Radisson Grenada Beach Resort. The room is really nice and the beach is huge. We are curious what it will look like tomorrow when you see more than just the sand at your feet.

After a tour of the hotel, we also consulted the supermarket across the street, so now we even have something to drink and something for breakfast, because 20 $ for a breakfast buffet is too much for us (for one person of course).

Finally, we had a Carib Beer in the bar, which tasted surprisingly good - very good indeed. And we both had Fish & Chips, with the fish fresh from the catch of the day - excellent!

Now we are proud to have lasted until shortly before 10pm local time. It is now 2:45am in Germany. Since we slept relatively little on the flight (Marina) or not at all (Tim), it is now time to turn off the lights. Tomorrow there will definitely be much more to report. On the agenda are, among other things, the creation of envy-inducing beach pictures ;.-)

Take care and see you tomorrow,

Maritim