Caroline and I had a girls’ day on the 23rd. We decided to hike the Canal de Beauregard. From All Trails:

“4.5-mile out-and-back trail near Fonds-Saint-Denis, Saint-Pierre. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 2 h 7 min to complete. Highlights include stunning views and a pleasant ambiance along the canal. Challenges are narrow paths and vertigo risk.”

Info from https://azmartinique.com/:

Built in 1760, it owes its name “Canal de Beauregard” to the man who conceived it, Mr. Beauregard. It was subsequently appointed “Canal des Esclaves” to honor the men who carried on their backs stone for its construction.

It was once a vestige of the economic life of the 18th century. Its main purpose was to supplement traditional energy sources. It was also used to carry water from the river Carbet to the houses of the Caribbean Coast and to irrigate crops.

The hike is not recommended for those prone to vertigo, as the coping (cemented band) of the channel is only 30 cm wide in some places and it overlooks ravines over 100 meters deep.

Here are some pictures of the path, the canal and views along the way:

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If you have been following this blog at all, you know that I love to visit gardens, especially botanical gardens. Caroline and Jim were also eager to see it. And, happily, the restaurant next door had excellent food for lunch after the visit! (Caroline’s favorite meal in Martinique, in fact.)

Jardin de Balata (aka Botanical Garden)

Here are some of the things said about the garden:

One of Martinique’s most famous sites, the Balata Gardens will let you know why this is “the Isle of Flowers.” This private botanical garden just outside Fort-de-France is home to a staggering number of begonias, bromeliads, bamboo and about 300 different types of palm trees.

The Balata Garden is the image of an earthly paradise. Bamboos crackling in the wind, dancing hummingbirds, shimmering tropical flowers, a refreshing pond, surprising exotic leaves, shady hills and views of the sea… Nothing is missing from this enchanting place of delights, colors and fragrances.

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One of my besties from junior high and her hubby were going to be joining us in Martinique for about nine days. I could not have been more excited! We had been talking about this for over two years.

Prior to their arrival, we took time to clean Seahike and eat out (once). Here are some pictures I took from my walk to and from the chandlery to buy deck cleaner:

This is where we had dinner. Weird, we didn’t see Pamela Anderson or Davis Hasselhoff. . . but they do have Heineken!

The food was yummy. Michael had a pizza with lots of toppings. I had a chicken, potato, squash, and apple salad.

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After visiting the Memorial ACTe Museum (see previous post), I stopped by the Cathedral de St-Pierre et St-Paul. Unfortunately all of the exterior doors were locked. Here are some pics of the exterior:

I don’t know who any of these folks are (below). I assume they are saints in the Catholic Church. They caught my eye because: 1) they are on the exterior of the building, and 2) they are each accompanied by something: a book, an eagle, a child, a lion . . .

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