The photo was taken from Fort Louis.
Some people have other means of transportation.
Chris sitting at the top of the Fort.
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Comments [4]
Miss hearing those dsc calls.
05/01/2012, Sint Maarten
A few photos showing the lovely boardwalk of Philipsburg.
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04/30/2012, Philipsburg,St Maarten
What a great day we have had, we left Marigot at 9am on the bus and went over to Philipsburg for the carnival parade. Technically we went from the French side of the Island to the Dutch side of the Island.The parade started at 10 am and by the time it got to front Street were we were sitting it was 3pm. You could rent a chair for 2 dollars, so we did. Booths selling beers and food were all along the street at great prices, but then some of the parade entries like corona were passing out free corona as they passed, nice and cold. The parade was fabulous. We did not sit all that time , we were exploring the area, walking the beautiful waterfront board walk they have in the community and checking out the duty free shopping. great costumes, as you can see in the photo.
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The smallest island in the world ever to have been partitioned between two different nations, St. Martin/St. Maarten has been shared by the French and the Dutch in a spirit of neighborly cooperation and mutual friendship for almost 350 years.
We are enjoying our time here, it is just the spot we needed to visit, lots of culture, the people are very friendly and helpful. Great bus service also. A lot of the stores are selling at par with the US dollar so we have not had to buy Euro. That is a great deal since the euro is worth 32 cents more.
The border is almost imperceptible. and people cross back and forth without ever realizing they are entering a new country. There are four boundries, Belle Vue / Cole Bay, French Quarter / Dutch Quarter, Low Lands / Copecoy and Oyster Pond, testifying to centuries of peaceful cohabitation and the treaty that made the arrangement possible.
All the same, each side has managed to retain much of the distinctiveness of its own national culture. The French tend to emphasize comfort and elegance. The beaches are secluded, the luxury resorts provide lavish accommodations, and the restaurants offer the finest dining experiences anywhere in the Caribbean. The latest French fashions can be found in many of the shops, and the smell of fresh croissants and pastries mixes everywhere with the spicy aromas of West Indian cooking. The smell of the croissants lead us to the Patissier fast. The chocolate croissants were delicious as per Chris. Each time you passed a bakery(Patissier) you wanted to stop, it was hard to keep moving. Small cafés and charming bistros add a decidedly Gaelic and cosmopolitan flair to the place. On the whole the atmosphere remains very relaxed. We ate dinner on Friday night at one of those charming bistro's, mussels were delicious.
The tax free shopping has been great and the selection of French wines,superb! Chris is temped to buy another watch, hehehe
On the other hand, St. Maarten with its busy cruise port and bustling commercial district, has long been an active center for trade and tourism. More developed and at the same time more informal, it is very Dutch in flavor and still has strong ties with fellow compatriots in the other Netherlands Antilles. Between the two different cultures in St. Martin and St. Maarten, vacationers will be able to find just about every kind of activity they might want for a perfect holiday in the sun.
Located midway through the chain of islands in the Caribbean, just as the Antilles begin to curve to the south, St. Martin is sunny and warm year-round, averaging 82 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and just 2 degrees cooler in winter. The island is buffeted by cooling trade winds that keep things temperate all year long. Average annual rainfall comes to about 45 inches, most of which occurs around late summer and early fall.
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04/26/2012, Saint Martin
We arrived at about noon and anchored in Marigot Bay(French Side of the Island). Chris put the dingy down right away and went in to Check in. An easy process. Chris got us a mooring ball in the lagoon for a week. Once we went thru the bridge which only opens three times a day for out bound and in bound traffic, we attached to the mooring ball, had a bit to eat then off to sleep. We had never been on a mooring where you tie both the bow and the stern to a mooring ball, fits more boats in for sure. This is a photo from the boat.
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04/25/2012, BVI's
We are on a mooring ball on Cooper Island, Manchioneel Bay. Cooper Island Beach Club the owners. We were invited to go into the beach Club last night by Ann & Ed's guests for a drink, their tab. We enjoyed meeting Kate and John who are leaving today for St Martin via flying from Tortola. We enjoyed the beach Club, nice atmosphere and when you have good company, hey,who could beat that.
it is early am on Wednesday and we decided after listening to the weather and asking Chris Parker, our weather guru about the passage from Virgin Gorda to St Martin, he said leave today, so Chris and I decided that later today at between 3 and 4 pm we would take the overnight passage of 80 miles to St Martin. Ed and Ann from Wind Swept dreams will leave the next day in early am(Thursday). They were busy doing laundry , filling up with water, fuel and getting their boat back in order after guests at the marina in Spanish Town, we stopped by to check out at Customs there and stopped to visit them briefly then off we went, on our way to St Martin.
The overnight was good , we motor sailed with our main up for most of the trip, taking it down for the last few hours. We enjoyed a starry night and seeing the bio-luminescents of the water. Made me think of you Gene.
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