For the last day I spent on Martinique I originally planned to go to Les Salines beach and indeed I looked forward to that, because this beach seemed to be the worth the effort and hitch-hiking across the island. However, a couple of days earlier I received an email from Cendrine, the French woman I was introduced to by the landlady of the room I was renting, in which she invited me to a barbecue party she was organising with the other people who were renting their rooms at the same house as her. Although a day on the beach seemed very appealing, I concluded that it could be more fun and more interesting if I spent this time with people. And I never regretted it.
So, in the morning Cendrine came by car to pick me up, but we first went to buy fresh fruits and vegetables (the meat had already been bought and had been put into a marinade), and then we went to that house that was located on a hillock on the outskirts of village Petit-Bourg.
Already at the very beginning of my short stay on Martinique, together with Cendrine I also met Christelle and Silvane. I found being in their company pleasant and it seemed they all got along. However, when Cendrine and I got to the house it turned out that meanwhile there had been some major falling out between Silvane (who was in fact the sister of the owner of the house) and Christelle (who was one of the guests). In the end, Christelle packed up her things and moved out and apart from that I did not understand anything. Well, there’s a proof that it’s worth learning foreign languages lest one should be too confused.
Since there was not much for me to say, nor could I (bearing in mind my limited French), I just kept taking photos of the house and the surroundings. Looking at the sky that was rather cloudy, with occasional gusts of wind and drizzle, which all made me sure it would start pouring at some point, I thought that it was actually good that I did not go to the beach after all.
Pool in the yard of the house that had rooms to rent
Cloudy sky above Martinique
However, as I relaxed quite well later on, enjoying the company despite all linguistic limitations, I was not even aware of the weather nor did I care whether there was any sunshine or not. Apart from Steve, an American, who was also renting a room here, all others were French, whether they came from European France or were local. Some were guests and some were members of Silvane’s family. In other words, I could speak normally only with Steve since we, obviously, spoke in English. The rest of the time, I mostly uncommonly kept quiet, although I did occasionally manage to have some communication. Even though my knowledge of French was far from good and fluent, it did function solidly.
After the initial tension linked to the departure of Christelle, the preparations for the barbecue started. First Cendrine and I took from the car the fruits and vegetables we had bought. Among other items, there were also custard apples, a type of fruit that belongs to genus Annona. There are a few species of fruit that belong to this genus. In my earlier travel stories, I have already mentioned cherimoya (Annona cherimola) that I ate in Ecuador and Peru, and this here was a variation of the main theme and it is called soursop or graviola (Annona muricata).
Custard apple called graviola (in the foreground; in the back there is a papaya)
Then at some point we started to prepare the salad, while the grill was ready and the meat was put on to barbecue.
Barbecuing in Petit-Bourg
Barbecuing in Petit-Bourg
To accompany the meat, among other things, there was some ready-to-eat Creole sauce bought in a jar. I looked at the ingredients on the label. They were very simple: onions, sunflower oil, vinegar, habanero chilli peppers, salt and ascorbic acid. This is what it looked like when it was poured from the jar into a bowl:
Local sauce that goes well with barbecued meat
At some point, the meat was prepared, so we all sat at the table and enjoyed the food and the company.
A part of the company
During the day, we had different members of Silvane’s family coming. Among others, there was a man for whom I could not tell what his name was or who he actually was. He may have been Silvane’s brother, partner, cousin or a neighbour, but there was not much point in my prying. What was interesting, though, was that as a devoted Catholic he had visited a place that is comparatively very close to Serbia, so although he was from Martinique he knew exactly where I was from. (The place in question is Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina.)
Although the whole day was pleasant, at some point later in the afternoon I said to Cendrine that I should leave and it was important to say this precisely to her as she was the one to drive me back to Ducos. However, she proposed that I should wait a little longer and then we would first go to Sainte-Anne to take Steve there and then we would take care of me. Jokingly, I said that was perfect for we could also take a swim at Les Salines beach.
So, at some point we left. The Sun was getting ready to set, while Silvan, Silvane’s brother, who was actually driving, decided to take another road, not the main one, so that we could see a little bit more of the island. Cendrine and I were sitting in the back with the windows fully opened and each one of us was looking out of her window taking in as much of the sights as possible under the reduced sunlight. Occasionally we would turn to face each other, both with huge smiles on our faces and we reminded me of two happy puppies when they look out of the window of a moving car. I was exceptionally content and joyful.
When we dropped Steve off at Sainte-Anne, the three of us indeed went to a beach!!! It was already completely dark, i.e., the night had fallen, but Silvan said we would go to a beach that had some lighting on. This was the beach in a cove called Anse Figuier. The lighting came from the street lamps beside the parking lot where we left the car.
When I got in, the water was wonderfully warm and I was absolutely delighted with the experience, although it soon felt too fresh for my liking, so I got out. Luckily I had a microfiber towel with me, so I got dry quite quickly.
When the two of them also got out and got dressed, Silvan headed for the end of the beach and then he went along a path that led through some sparse vegetation, while the two of us followed him, since he was taking us to show us a tree he had taken a photo of before which he had actually shown to us when we were still at the house. I took this opportunity to take a photo of the two of them using a flash, which now serves as a memory of fantastic night swimming.
Visiting trees even after a night swim
Later I checked on the internet to see what this beach in Anse Figuier looked like during a day and I was thrilled by the colours. Maybe during my entire stay on Martinique I simply went to wrong places. Hmm?!
Then the three of us went back to the car and then they drove me to Ducos. This evening excursion was the perfect ending to my stay on Martinique and only added more beauty to the otherwise very positive general impression.
Once at Annie’s flat, I had a shower and washed my hair, checked my internet, ate fresh mango and packed up. Already the next morning I had a direct flight to New York. Still, before the story about my return to New York, let me just say that thanks to a great line of circumstances, my own flexibility, Annie’s resourcefulness, Cendrine’s kindness and our getting along splendidly, I actually visited Martinique quite nicely and thoroughly.
Although the outside morning temperature at the airport on Martinique was quite pleasant, they turned on the air-conditioning on the plane to the coolest probably to get us ready for the drop in temperature of 20+ degrees centigrade. I had a warm sweatshirt and a winter jacket in my backpack, so I was ready. While I was enjoying the warmth and the sun of Martinique, there was a lot of snow in New York. Still, before I got back, the snow was cleared off the streets and so I simply took a taxi from the airport to the house of my friends in Queens.
This time, I had a little less than a week in New York and I spent most of that time being with my friends.
Still, on a couple of occasions I went for some visits and/or walks. One day, I came up with an idea that I wanted to buy a spice that I could not find just about anywhere, but I had to go looking for a specialised shop with Indian spices. In fact, I only needed an excuse to go for a walk along the central parts of New York, admittedly on a very cold, but still also a very sunny day.
So, I walked again along Lexington Avenue and again I saw the Chrysler Building (see: https://www.svudapodji.com/en/new-york-martinique-1/).
Lexington Avenue and the Chrysler Building
I have probably said it that I really love walking in Manhattan and then I use different easily recognisable buildings as interesting benchmarks. One of them is the Citigroup Center Building (see: https://www.svudapodji.com/en/new-york-martinique-4/)
Citigroup Center Building – further down the street, with the sloping roof on top
And then I got to the 5th Avenue, where I headed in the direction of the Empire State Building (see: https://www.svudapodji.com/en/new-york-martinique-2/).
5th Avenue
Generally speaking, the Americans are great patriots and it seems to me that nowhere during my travels have I seen the national flags as often, as I have in the USA.
5th Avenue
Empire State Building
Usual crowds in the streets of New York
Empire State Building
The next day I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful, sunny weather again and visit something completely new for me. This was the famous Brooklyn Bridge. To start with, I got onto a subway (underground) line bound for Manhattan where I transferred onto another line in order to get to Brooklyn. Along the way, among other things, I watched the remains of the snow that had fallen the week before.
Surroundings of the subway line
When I got to Brooklyn, first I actually saw another bridge and that was the Manhattan Bridge. This is a 2-km long suspension bridge the construction of which was completed in 1909.
Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge, a detail with the Empire State Building in the distance
And then I headed for a park beside the East River from which there is a lovely view at the Brooklyn Bridge and far south section of Manhattan.
Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan
Although the day was perfectly sunny, it was very cold, so that apart from me there was nobody else in this park. Still, there was a warning sign – it was not allowed to bring dogs and furniture to this lawn. I wondered if anybody ever wanted to bring a cupboard here.
Warning sign – cupboards are fine, only chairs and armchairs are not allowed
Joking aside, from this park and from the shores of the East River, there is indeed a very fine view at the bridges and Manhattan.
Brooklyn Bridge to the left and the Manhattan Bridge to the right
Further to the north, it is also possible to see the Williamsburg Bridge from here.
Williamsburg Bridge seen in the distance below the Manhattan Bridge
But, let me go back to the topic of the Brooklyn Bridge which was the reason why I came here. All of the three bridges I have mentioned link Manhattan and New York borough of Brooklyn, but the Brooklyn Bridge is the oldest, i.e., it was the first one that established a fixed link between these two parts of the city. It was opened in May 1883.
Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan
Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan
Then I wanted to get onto the bridge and walk over it towards Manhattan, but in the beginning I wandered a little. Still, not too much and soon I got to the pedestrian path which is a part of the bridge.
Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge
Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge, a detail
Brooklyn Bridge, a detail
Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan
In addition to Manhattan, from the Brooklyn Bridge it is possible to see some other landmarks of New York, too. For instance, Liberty Island with the Statue of Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is a famous sculpture given by the French people to the people of the United States of America. The entire composition is 93 metres tall (from the ground to the top of the torch), the sculpture of the Roman goddess Libertas made of bronze is 46 m tall, while all of that was installed on Liberty Island in 1886. As a matter of fact, this tiny island held a different name at the time, but it got its current name in 1956.
Liberty Island with the Statue of Liberty
Liberty Island and Manhattan
And, of course, there were landmarks to see on the other side as well.
Manhattan Bridge to the right and the Empire State Building in the distance to the left
Several of the famous New York buildings may be seen here, but I have already written about them
When I reached Manhattan on foot, I walked a little around that area, but then I got onto a subway line and returned to my New York home.
The following day, first I kept Milana company while she was finishing some chores in the neighbourhood where they live and then I packed my things, for this was the day when I was returning to my home. In the afternoon, together with Mitar, we went to pick up the children at school and then we took them to their home for lunch. Afterwards the children had some other obligations and there we accompanied them before Velislav “took them over.” What I want to say was that I spent the last day intensively in the company of my friends and I enjoyed it greatly. Later, these friends took me to the airport.
The time I spent as a guest at my friends’ was absolutely divine and this time seemed to have flown. Whenever I enjoy being in some place, I always think that there are no reasons for me not to go there more often and yet, again, several years have passed and I haven’t seen my friends in person. Still, this does not diminish in any way my closeness with them, as well as my love for them and the desire that they always thrive. Always!