Martinique is the most enigmatic of the islands we have visited so far. The islands we visited so far are Dutch, French, US, or a mixture of these. They brag about of languages spoken and the nationalities of their residents. Not Martinique. They are stubbornly French. In other words, they can’t speak English unless they want something from you. I’m sure there are also many who just can’t speak English. And I did meet one delightful young woman who was kind enough to answer a few questions.

We decided to take a self-guided walking tour. When we got off the ship, we quickly found ourselves in the middle of a protest. France president Macron has increased the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. This protest was much like the student protests I used to see in Paris.

Our first tourist attraction was to be the St. Louis Fort. This was closed. Many other tourists were milling about looking for the fort entrance. There were plenty of signs pointing towards the fort museum. Part of the fort is a police facility. One couple asked and were rudely rebuffed. Is the museum permanently closed? Is is closed for today due to the protest? We will never know.

We found one museum that was open. The fee is 4 Euro (no US dollars, please). That wasn’t a problem for us. Danita knew all about this. She gave the non-English speaking attendant a 5 Euro note. I stood and waited while he searched for our change. There was an exhibit about Black musicians in French only. Upstairs, there was an exhibit about the French colonial period. Those had English translations, so we could be sure to understand how bad colonialism is.

The other, more important museum was closed due to “Extraordinary technical difficulties”. But we were able to see the cathedral. It is a magnificent building, well worth a visit.

Our topper was lunch aboard the ship. They were offering Key Lime pie. It was excellent. Both Danita and I had a slice, plus I got an extra slice for my imaginary friend.