St Maarten/St Martin - One Small Island, Two Great Countries

From my Norwegian Epic Cruise in Nov 2012

A beach off the Philipsburg Boardwalk

Today was a great day!  I started out the day by sleeping in until 8:15 am.  This was frustrating because I had been waking up a 5 am the  previous days and not able to fall back asleep.  On the day I wanted to wake up early to watch us pull into St Maarten, however, I had slept in and missed one of my favorite cruising delights.  I didn't let it bring me down though, because I did need the sleep to get over my stubborn cold.  Plus, with an entire day in St Maarten, I knew I still had plenty of time to explore. 

Marigot, on the French Side

I really wanted to check out Marigot on the French side because I didn't go there my first time in St Maarten.  I easily found a taxi stand at the ship pier and shared a cab with a nice couple from FL.  By sharing, my fare went from $18 to $8, score!  They talked my ear off on the way to Marigot so I didn't take in too many of the views but they were nice when I remembered to look.  On the radio was reggae Christmas music which I found to be nothing short of  awesome!  The driver pointed out the border and we seamlessly passed from the Dutch side to the French side.  We arrived in Marigot to crowded streets.  Somewhere I heard there are more cars than people in St Maarten, I believe it.  One street was so narrow that we had to stop and wait for a store to receive its drink delivery before we could move on.

Click Here for more pictures from my St Martin adventure!

View of Marigot from my walk

After about a half hour ride we arrived in downtown Marigot.  I, of course, headed straight for the water.  I started out walking to my right, not sure of directions on the island, and walked as far as I could along the water.  It wasn't designed for walking so I was walking through parking lots a lot of the time.  I didn't mind, it was still a nice walk.  St Martin is beautiful.  The water is a beautiful light blue with a hint of green.  The island is very mountainous and the mountains are covered in lush green vegetation.  So you have a blue green Caribbean Sea with a lush green mountain backdrop.  It's gorgeous!  

Pretty Marigot Corner Store

There was really no beach to speak of, instead it was a marina with sailboats and yachts parked at the docks.  There were a few boats out on the water but not many.  I only walked about 15 minutes before I ended at a road that would take me into a lush residential area.  It was tempting but I knew my time was limited so I turned back.  I walked as far as I could the other direction which wasn't very far so I headed into town.  The town was a mix of quaint colorful Caribbean style buildings and rundown abandoned buildings.  There was quite a bit of litter but overall it was a cute town and the people were really friendly.  The cars even stopped every time I arrived at a crosswalk which was refreshing!  

My View from the Cafe

I decided it was time to get a French pastry because you simply can't be on a French island and NOT have a French pastry!  I walked around looking for a place that looked just right and I ended up finding a delightful hidden marina.  I knew right away that I would have my pastry here.  After walking the length of the C shaped marina, I decided I couldn't go wrong with the restaurant that smelled the best.  I sat down with a view of the water, boats and the beautiful mountains and enjoyed an authentic European latte and a yummy French pastry.  My waitress was French and I heard her speaking French to the people at the table behind mine.  There was definitely a lot of French spoken on the French side and I noticed in the shops that prices were in Euros.  After a delicious snack with even better ambiance, I went back to the cab stand and headed back to Philipsburg on the Dutch side of the island.

I was dropped off downtown in the main shopping area and quickly realized that with four cruise ships in port, it was much too busy for this crowd-phobic gal to shop.  It was ok since I was there to explore and not shop anyway. I did brave Del Sol to buy my son a color changing Frisbee and slime and then bolted from the crowds. After leaving Del Sol I quickly saw an opening through the shops to the boardwalk on the water and I knew what was next on my agenda.

The Philipsburg Boardwalk

I spent the rest of my time on St Maarten at the boardwalk and had a very enjoyable afternoon.  At lunch I found a restaurant with wifi and got to FaceTime with my husband.  He was so excited to see me and I got to show him the gorgeous views of the Caribbean Sea from my lunch table.  After a tuna sandwich on the most delicious bread I think I've ever had, I went for a glorious swim in that beautiful water which was very pleasant in temperature.  It felt good to cool off on a hot humid day.  After my swim I walked up and down the boardwalk which was pavement but called a boardwalk nonetheless, took lots of beautiful pictures and soaked in the beauty.  I was able to find wifi again and almost as soon as I hooked up, Braden called!  My poor son had been trying to call me like crazy so I was really glad the timing was so good.  At 8 years old, he was not happy with mom out of the country.  We didn't talk long because there was a delay but it was great to hear his voice.  

Sailing Away from St Maarten

After a great day of walking and exploring, I headed back to the cruise ship.  I was going to take a water taxi but I saw a nice path for walking so I opted to use my God-given legs instead of taking the easy way (although I do love a good water taxi).  And then a great day was capped by an evening of awesome!  I went up to the top deck of the ship and found a full moon on one side of the bay and a beautiful colorful sunset on the other side.  I don't know which one was more beautiful.  As we slowly left St Maarten, I was blessed with a breathtaking parting view from my balcony.  The island was in silhouette with its lights on and I could see the Princess cruise ship still at dock all lit up and above all of this was the full moon shining down casting such beautiful light on the water.  What a gorgeous ending to a day filled with beautiful sights.  This is why I love to travel!

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