Day Five – St. Martin/Maarten

Claire wins – this morning we awoke in St. Martin. The skies were blue, the water turquoise and the weather HOT. I like St. Martin better than St. Thomas, although both are beautiful in their own individual ways. We started our morning with breakfast in the dining room. They make the best French Toast … two big thick slices of fluffy, moist bread that has a finishing of cinnamon sugar all over it. After that, we gathered our things and headed off the ship.

A quick water taxi ride took us to the downtown shopping and beach area. Aside from being accosted by countless timeshare salespeople, the downtown was a bustling place filled with jewelry stores, touristy stuff, local restaurants, and even a Burger King. No matter how far you go, you’re never too far from one of the big fast food chains, it seems. Yesterday in St. Thomas, we saw both a Subway and KFC. We (okay, I) wanted to make sure to sample some local cuisine, and quickly found a place to eat right on the beach, the Barefoot Restaurant. They had conch fritters and salads, along with West Indian Roti wraps. I ended up getting the Potato Roti and it was quite tasty, coming with a shredded carrot salad with dressing on top. I like the idea of the shredded carrot salad, and will definitely be serving this one at home.

The downtown streets are one-car width, cobblestone and very clean. Restaurants and buildings are brightly painted and the water could not be more crystal clear. After a bit of shopping (more tie-dyed shirts for the tie-dyed-obsessed Nicholas), a quick dip in the water was in short order.

I think tonight has been the best night in the Dining Room for dinner so far, though the “themes” don’t make any sense. For example, tonight it was Italian Night, though some of the appetizer choices included Maryland Crab Cakes, New England Clam Chowder and Chilled Washington Apple Soup, none of which are particularly Italian. For an entree, I ordered the Cheese Tortellini, which was fantastic, although I couldn’t fit it another bite of food now if I tried. T-o-o f-u-l-l.

Alright, all for tonight. I’ll leave you with the clues for tomorrow’s destination. Until tomorrow… 

Tomorrow’s destination clues:
51 men started permanent settlement of the island
Rectangular shape
Over 200 miles of coastline with gorgeous beaches
Nearly 4 million people on island