Tuesday 7th November
Basse Terre
New territory for us now, we are heading for Basse Terre, on the west coast of Guadeloupe. We have been watching la Soufriere, towering over the island, the top mostly covered by clouds. We are stopping in Basse Terre to be in easy reach of the volcano we intend to climb, all of 1500m of it. We parked ourselves in the marina to make things easy. We’ll have to get off the boat early tomorrow morning to pick up the rental car and start the climb before the day gets too hot. So we have a free afternoon, dodging the rain, we walked to Basse Terre town, along the seaside. The first part of the beach has really been battered and the fish market has obviously been abandoned, but in the main, the long promenade with its slender and elegant lamp posts has been spared. The palm trees are still standing but some of the benches have been damaged and a few boulders from the wall are definitely not where they should be. It feels quite Mediterranean and it goes right into town, passing the wrought iron band stand with its vendors around it. The town itself is extremely pleasant. It is actually prettier than Pointe a Pitre with beautifully kept/restored old buildings complete with balconies and all the trimmings. Love the art deco government buildings set in grand gardens as befit the French republic. The meandering little streets are atmospheric and it really has the feel of the old French territory with a magnificent and imposing church. People are extremely friendly too; they just stop and chat with you even as we are standing to cross the road. Basse Terre really has good vibes about it and great shoe shops I am not allowed to enter.