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EuroVicki
Today we took a taxi around Guadeloupe, which is still a part of France. We were told that one must use Euro here so we carried some that we had left from our last trip in Italy. Turns out most people don't mind USD as well. Basse terre is the volcanic island of the two islands that are connected by a bridge. Locals either work in sugar, banana, but tourism / hotel main occupations. It is currently the rainy season in Guadeloupe- bursts of rain followed by a few moments of clear skies. When skies cleared I was willing to get out of the vehicle - I know I won't melt - but I don't like feeling clammy... Sugar cane harvest is in spring, so we saw cane growing all over. Bamboo too. Alamander trees wee seen everywhere , and cotton was growing! The guide told us that the epidemic of Zika over end of October which was definitely encouraging- but we still wore our insect-repellent bands any time we were off the ship. We hit a torrential downpour on the way to the national rain forest so I didn't go walking to see the waterfall, but Joey did (if you want to see a photo of it contact him once we return to LA). I stayed in the little gift shop to keep dry; saw cur mosaic animals (thought of you, Lotte) egrets (thought of the three Dr. Ellis zoologists) passion fruit (I didn't know it grew on a vine), pineapples tulip trees (the only tulips I knew about were flowers from Holland...) Our driver stopped at the Hotel Fleur d'Epee for bathroom, water and a lovely view. After returning to the ship we had a shower, rest, and then headed to a Chefs Table dinner beginning with a prosecco toast and appetizers with the head chef (who harkened from Wales). He then took us to the galley for a tour and among other bits of information learned that they make 12,000 breadsticks a DAY and break 20,000 dishes a month! We then sat down for a five course meal with wine pairings (pix of just the first course to see the difference between my food and Joeys). Joey doesn't eat fish and I am gluten- and dairy- free so I have to say the meal wasn't as exciting as it has been in the past.. but the other couple who participated in the meal told me about an interesting app called Vivino to keep track of wines tried, notes about them and where you had the wine, actual price and where to buy. Sounds interesting- and more stuff to keep track of.. After dinner Joey and I managed to get back to the cabin and promptly fell asleep. No music ....
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