FORT-DE-FRANCE, MARTINIQUE WELCOMED US WITH WARMTH!

Thursday, January 22, 2026
Enchanted Princess/Fort de France, Martinique
85F, sunny-with some sprinkles

 

Fan Palm near park

Martinique is a rugged Caribbean island that’s part of the Lesser Antilles. An overseas region of France, its culture reflects a distinctive blend of French and West Indian influences. Its largest town is Fort de France. The island is 346 square miles and has a population of about 350,000 people, the majority of whom are Roman Catholic. What a pleasure to hear French being spoken! This is our third time in Fort-de-France, the last time was 2023. 

 TK and I strolled around the town on this hot and humid day. I hate to say that knowing that Erie’s temperature today is in the low 20sF and will continue to drop. Heavy snowfall is predicted, along with blizzard conditions, but we know that the weather people do not always know what will really happen.  We just want everyone to be safe.

 Not far from the ship there was a World War I Memorial dedicated to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War, and I wanted to see that.  About 240 souls from Martinque perished in that war. This memorial was erected in 1926 and features an allegorical figure of the French Republic, holding a flame aloft. This symbol, often found on war memorials, represents eternal remembrance and lasting respect for those who gave their lives for their country.

War Memorial honors those from 

Martinique who made the ultimate sacrifice

Martinique recognizes its sons

who died for France

Fort St. Louis

An active  naval base and

a historic site

Fort St. Louis, dating from 1638

Seemingly stray dogs -- not bothering anyone

Just chillin'

TK took this photo for Lawrence

Janie is welcomed to Martinique

From the park we sauntered to mid-town, which was bustling with people, not just cruisers.  The Patisserie was busy and the smell of baked goods was enticing. Later we said. Ha! When we returned my croissant was sold.

Mall that we found in 2023

Colorful street

Rue de la Republique

Market with all kinds of items, from

fruits, vegetables, spices, and towels

Anyway, we did a lot of walking, went to the mall and the wonderful market that abounds with colorful fresh vegetables and fruits, spices, and lots of people!  The heat and humidity got to us so we returned to the ship for lunch.

Fort St. Louis--while misting

I could see what looked like barracks

Only Brian and Nancy joined us for dinner, chicken parmesan, caprese salad—me, potato gnocchi for TK.

Back at the room after dinner—almost on the way to get help from Brian K with my DSLR and its Wi-Fi capabilities, I found the SD card scanner!

TK’s Takes:  His favorite cookies on the cruise are 1. Peanut Butter  2. Chocolate Chip  3. Oatmeal--but they are not as good as previous cruises.   It has rained 3 days in a row, very unusual for us.