Today we spent some time walking around the island's two capital cities. In Marigot, capital of the French side, we had some fresh pastries at a pĆ¢tisserie ("pastry shop" looks/sounds fancier in French), explored some shops, and wandered through the food stands set up in the market on the waterfront.
Outside Philipsburg, capital of the Dutch side, we spent more time than anticipated at Parotte Ville, a bird sanctuary where we got to observe and feed--and get perched upon (and pooped on) by--many exotic breeds of tropical birds, including varieties of parakeets, cockatiels, and parrots. We didn't want to leave because it was fun to coax the birds to come and eat out of our hands and to watch them interact with each other.
In downtown Philipsburg, we ate at Marabou Creole, enjoying a Haitian meal that included an okra and goat stew, fried plantains, and potato salad with beets. Then we walked the boardwalk along the waterfront and soaked in the sun.
In the evening we had appetizers and cocktails at Bamboo House, a restaurant at the top of a hillside in Cole Bay (on the Dutch side). The place is a restored 19th-century colonial sugar mill with reflecting pools, a stage for live music, and dining tables all on an outdoor terrace that overlooks the lagoon in Simpson Bay below. The sun was just setting as we sat by the edge of the terrace, enjoying the views and the warm night.
Then we drove into Simpson Bay to have supper at Skip Jack's, a seafood restaurant on the opposite side of the lagoon from Bamboo House. Another delicious meal in a place set up for open-air dining, as are most places here. Temperatures drop from the mid-80s by day to the upper-70s by night, so it is quite a burden to be outdoors here in the evening. š
(Click on any photo to enlarge it.)
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment