The dictionary describes “tour” as “a journey for pleasure in which several different places are visited.” What Kory and I did can certainly be called a “tour de Martinique” since we visited several places and enjoyed every ounce of our journey.
Our first stop was to The Cap 110 Memorial (aka Memorial Cap) in Le Diamont on the southwest side of Martinique. It was more of a solemn visit, but one every person on the island should visit. Memorial Cap is meant to pay homage to the victims of slavery who underwent horrendous conditions in the way they were deported and controlled.
In 1830, a tragedy struck Martinique as a ship coming from Africa, carrying African slaves, struck the rocks on the coast near the city of Le Diamont. The slaves’ conditions on the ship were utterly deplorable, with many being placed in the cramped, dirty, and stifling hold. On this dark and dreadful night, at least 214 African slaves died in the shipwreck, and only 86 barely survived.
In 1998, on the 150th anniversary of this devastation, the Cap 110 Memorial was built by Laurent Valère in honor of the senseless cruelty and fatality of these human souls. The memorial overlooks the sea and commemorates both the enslaved people who died in the shipwreck, and the thousands upon thousands of enslaved Africans who were taken to Martinique as part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
There are 15 stone figures arranged in a triangle, representing the triangle trade, all facing the water as a memorial of the senseless loss of life at sea. The figures were created symbolically and stripped of any real form, features, or individuality. Their faces show looks of despair, their eyes face downwards in defeat, and their mouths are open to express the screams these slaves must have cried. The artist chose to fashion the figures in white because white is the color that represents mourning in Martinique. It was a very sobering and moving display of human injustice, wickedness, and suffering as a result of great tribulation. It was fitting for us to visit this haunting memorial and pay tribute to the victims.
After visiting the memorial, we stopped at New Cap restaurant on the beach in Le Diamont for lunch. Our friends on Sea Breeze had recommended this place, and specifically encouraged us to try the hamburgers. The burgers were terrific, and the view was delightful overlooking the Caribbean Sea, but the smell of the sargassum (seaweed) was overbearing. We thought we were at Fisherman’s Wharf with the stench of fish permeating the air. If it weren’t for that, this place would be great.
On our drive, we passed through the cute little town of Le Diamant and drove along Marin Bay. We stopped at a scenic overlooked and tried to spot our boat across the bay, out in the distance.
Kory and I had spent time driving up and down the west coast of Martinique, but we hadn’t been on the east side. So one Sunday after church, we took a tour of the eastern side of the island. This turned out to be an amazing adventure! We drove past the natural beauty of Martinique’s coastline, up rocky crags and grassy hills covered with Brahman cattle, and into a vast tropical rainforest. As we climbed steep mountain roads in the misty rain, we gazed at towering mango and breadfruit trees, banana plantations, exotic flowers, colorful birds, and lush vegetation. It was incredible!
(we picked several to take home)
(these were too hard to pick without a machete)
While we were driving through the backroads of Martinique, we saw dozens of people riding bicycles high up in the mountains. I later learned that these cyclists were practicing for a bicycle race similar to the Tour de France, called Tour de Martinique, a multi-day road cycling race held on the island every July. Even though we will miss this event, it was exciting to watch the cyclists practice, while family and friends camped along the roads to cheer them on. Many of the cyclists got hit hard by the rain in this tropical forest, while we were dry and comfortable in our little Cleo rental car. What a feat for these athletes! It made us want to get out and hike around.
We came to love the island of Martinique. There is so much history to learn here, so much culture to engage in, so much delicious cuisine to consume, and so much life and natural beauty to behold. We look forward to returning to this fertile “island of flowers” on our way back north. Au revoir, Martinique!