Here we are in the very French island of Martinique. The wet weather continues and we became totally soaked in our shoretime this morning. The temperature is reasonable, but certainly not hot, and the rain is the kind that just oozes out of the sky in a steady drip, eventually rendering us as wet as if we had been in the shower. It was a necessary condition to getting out and seeing something of Fort de France.
Nita and Janet spent a wad and went of a 4-wheel tour of the countryside. They had a wonderful time -- probably didn't get as wet as we did since they at least had a roof over their heads! Mary Ann and I strolled along the pier and into the city. We were struck immediately by the ease in which we could travel along -- sidewalks, crosswalks and traffic lights, all of which seemed to be acknowledged by drivers who drove at reasonable speeds and without leaning on the horn. The buildings are somewhat larger than those on the other islands and their style and condition made them stand out as being part of a more successful economy. Apparently, the first industry here is banana production. Tourism is second, and rum is third. Less dependence on tourism may be the reason for the lack of warmth we experienced in other islands. People were certainly not rude, but we saw little of the joy and fun we saw in St Lucia or Barbados. Since it is Sunday, almost all the businesses and stores are closed up tight. We enjoyed the opportunity to see the style of various buildings and to try to read the signs which are, of course, entirely in French. It certainly stretched our high school French vocabulary. I was looking for a book or something that I could take back to our French Immersion kids, but the only book I saw was so shop worn and expensive that I couldn't bring myself to buy it! We did wander into a local farmers' market and saw great bunches of bananas of various types -- big, little, fat, yellow, brown and green. It would have been fun to have someone explain banana culture, but, alas, another language barrier. On top of that, I neglected to get some Euros, and thus was unable to even buy a couple of bananas to taste. I guess some stores might take US dollars, but in one little shop that was open, the proprietor very politely told me that he would prefer I use VISA or MC. I did buy something in that shop and used his up-to-date reading technology.
We passed the famous cathedral in the city and stood in the doorway to listen in on a service in progress. The music was lovely and there was an air of worship. Nevertheless, I had a distinct impression that many were Noordam passengers ducking into church to get out of the unrelenting rain!
When we came back on board, we noticed a police car and ambulance parked at the foot of the gangway. Too bad if crew or passenger were ill or injured enough to require that kind of assistance. However, the infrastructure here or in Barbados would probably serve better than in a place like Nevis!
It's formal dress in the dining room tonight. Next time I come on a cruise, I would take more dress-up clothes, more capris or slacks, and fewer t-shirts. The other necessity is to have more than one sweater or jacket! Air conditioning makes many areas on board far too chilly to accommodate short sleeves.
We've spent the afternoon once again lazing around reading and doing very little, but after all, isn't that what cruising is all about?
Dominica tomorrow -- we have a tour booked but will have time to browse through the town of Roseau as well.
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