Tag: france

Martinique – French Caribbean Island – BEEN THERE GOT THE T-SHIRT

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Martinique is an island in the Lesser Antilles which is part of the French West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Its nearest neighbours are the island republics of Dominica 22 miles (35 km) to the northwest, and Saint Lucia 16 miles (26 km) to the south. Guadeloupe another part of overseas France, lies about 75 miles (120 km) to the north 

As an overseas region of France, its culture reflects a distinctive blend of French and West Indian influences. Its largest town, Fort-de-France, features steep hills, narrow streets and La Savane, a garden bordered by shops and cafes. In the garden is a statue of island native Joséphine de Beauharnais, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Martinique is in effect a dependant region of France and therefore enjoys the same European Union benefits as the French Mainland. Unlike a lot of Caribbean islands It has the same modern day infrastructure, education, health and welfare system as France. 

It’s a delightful island to visit. We have been fortunate enough to cruise into port here on several occasions. On one occasion we decided to explore the heart of the island in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle to the interior rainforest and backcountry.  Our tour took us passed banana and sugar cane plantations, fording streams and encountering all variety of vegetation en route to a river deep in the rainforest. Upon arrival, we experienced the peace and tranquility of a remote, hidden spot deep in the inner forest. 

We listened to the sounds of the jungle and observed nature’s beauty all around us.

We sat and relaxed in the inner forest area known as Coeur Bouliki. The rich volcanic soil nourishes banana plantations and pineapple fields as well as mangoes, papayas, lemons, limes, and West Indian cherries and we sat enjoying a fruit drink and eating fresh fruit off banana leaf platters. 

The only thing which impeded the peace and tranquility was a cat having an altercation with a cockerel ….Surprisingly the cockerel came off the best and the cat legged it …

Exploring the area by having a short walk to the river we saw some superb plants and magnificent flowers. We also saw land frogs and lizards

Your return drive took us on another route which took us through banana plantations.

We stopped at a Rum Distillery  and tasted some of the islands rums. They are known as some of the best rums in the world on the island of Martinique. Many have been bestowed with the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) award.

We continued our sightseeing on the way back to the Cruise Ship.

Monaco – BEEN THERE GOT THE T-SHIRT

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Monaco

It was in my teens when Monaco first fascinated me and it has been on my ‘bucket list’ ever since.
You see I was confused. My stamp album referred to it as the Principality of Monaco, and on asking the question of my father, he informed me ‘A Principality is a country ruled over by a Prince’. That raised a second question in my mind ‘well doesn’t our Queen rule over Wales, which I’ve often heard referred to as a Principality? Never mind, back to Monaco.
Then, in my working life, I was told that this small nation has more millionaires as a percentage of total population than any other country on earth (recently estimated at 30%). There was always a suspicion that this local wealth might be subjected to what we would today probably call money laundering.
Incidentally, if you fancy a little piece of this nation’s real estate, then expect to pay in the region of 50,000 US dollars per square metre (YES!- that’s per square METRE!)
The country has, in fact, a population of just under 40,000. It is the second-smallest state in the world, behind Vatican City, and is also the most densely populated with these residents squeezed into just 2 square kilometres, bordered by France and Italy today. Once a colony of Genoa, Monaco has been ruled over by the Grimaldi family for centuries, with Prince Albert II currently the country’s Sovereign Prince as head of state.

So, fast forward to April 2016 and our Mediterranean cruise ship was booked to call at the French Riviera resort of Cannes. It was a ‘no brainer’ with Monaco just over thirty miles from the port, a day in the Principality was too good to resist. As they said in that 1969 movie it was ‘Monte Carlo or bust!’
Arriving in Monaco, we could see that the preparations were well advanced for the famous Grand Prix event, for which the country takes six weeks to set up and a further three weeks to disassemble.
Our whistle stop tour took us, first, to watch the ‘Changing of the Guard’ at the Prince’s Palace in Palace Square, similar to our own ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Then it was on to the cathedral of St. Mary the Immaculate, a view of the Marina with surely one of the world’s most impressive collections of super yachts, and a chance to admire the magnificent floral displays in the Principality.

Our final stop was at the Hotel de Paris and the world famous Casino.

We resisted a flutter and soon came back down to earth and met up with our coach to take us back to Cannes and our cruise ship. But we had, for just a few hours, stepped into a different world.