Martinique

On Wednesday we woke up in Martinique.  I remember stopping here when I was in 7th grade on a cruise with my dad and older sister, Suzette.  Probably the main reason I remember this stop is because all the beaches are topless.  But really what do you expect from a French island?  We didn't have a lot planned for this island because it was hard to find much information on line, so we planned to get cars and go on a hike that the Forstners had found.  The guys got off the boat at 8 to get cars and the girls met them at 8:30.  However, they quickly learned all the cars were rented and there was a strike going on due to gas so no one was really working.  So we took a ferry to a local beach.  We got to the beach and it wasn't really ideal.  Really, nothing was going to compete with Jolly Harbor from the day before.  Fortunately for us Mike spoke French so he was able to get us around.  There was a group from Tennessee who were tagging along with us because they couldn't communicate with anyone.  It's interesting because most places that speak another language you can still find people who speak English.  That wasn't really the case in Martinique, if you didn't speak French you were out of luck.  We decided we didn't want to hang out at that beach so we walked to the local tourist booth.  They were able to get us a taxi, that would show up in 30 min and then drive us 45 min to a really nice beach.  Or we could just walk 5 min down the road to a beach.  We chose to walk.  It wasn't the nicest beach ever, but it was still nice and relaxing.  We got chairs, umbrellas, pulled out our books and soaked in the rays.  Mike had fun scoping out the restaurants and talking to people in French.  He found a place that he thought would be good for lunch.  He was right.  It was the BEST food I ate the whole week and I think most of the group would agree.  We ate crepes and panini; they were awesome! After lunch we laid out some more, than took the ferry.  

I mean really, what am I complaining about?! This beach was nice.

The streets of Martinique

We did a little shopping and then got back on the boat.  Even though it wasn't the day we were planning, we still had a great day. 

So long Martinique

Group shot

Can't miss the gorgeous sunset.

Love this crazy, goofy, fun husband of mine!

The evening shows didn't look too exciting, so the Johnsons came and hung out on our balcony.  Then we went to the hot tub and got a midnight snack.  Chips, dip, and fruit, exactly what you need before bed.