Wayne Baumgarten and Debbie Baumgarten
A Travel Blog
The North of Gaudeloupe is very quiet but has some really incredible beaches. I love the first photo, somehow for me it captures the people of guadeloupe and how they love their island. Port Louis is not a tourist town, it’s just a little out of the way small town, with a pretty nice view. Click a thumbnail to see the gallery.
Wowser! All the photos in this group were taken in a 30 minute period. There are about 40 shots in the group, I just included a few that I liked the most. This was one of those H*ly Sh*t moments – it lasted about 30 minutes. The difference in the shots are shooting East and West. The light in the sky is from the East as the sun set in the West. Camera used? iPhone 4S. Yes, I have a better camera, but it was not with me at the time. Pretty sad because there is some serious distortion in these images, but I would rather have them than not. Moral of the story? If you have a half way decent camera, never leave home without it. Click a thumbnail to see the slideshow.
Sainte-Anne is probably the single most beautiful beach front I have ever seen. I am including a small photo gallery but it is impossible to do justice to this small town. The unfortunate thing is that the village is very underdeveloped. With its spectacular beach front and vibrant promenade markets, it is a vacationers dream. But as soon as you step back from the beach side of the road to the store side, the shops are mostly old and run down and the village has an run down feel. So an incredible place to visit- but not necessarily the best spot to reside. It’s beauty however, cannot be denied. A photographer could spend months and not run out of breathtaking shots.
Basse-Terre – The Lower Land. Gaudeloupe is composed of two islands seperated by a river. They are called Grand Terre, the large land and Basse Terre, the Lower Land. Basse Terre is notable because it has a a mountainous region which is a natural preserve, complete with waterfalls and hiking trails. We had heard that the beaches were nicer on Grande Terre, where we are staying but Debbie and I wanted to at least get a glimpse of Basse Terre before we decided where we were going to get an apartment. Our day trip took us through what was without a shadow of doubt the most windy and hilly roads I have ever driven on. It was a motorcyclists or sports drivers dream. A special note for me was our stop in Sainte Rose where we ate at Restaurtant Clara. I had the special of the day – Beef Ragout. It was my first taste of creole cuisine and it was spectacular. One of the most delicious meals I ever ate. So between fun driving and great dining, I had a good time, and Debbie enjoyed the views – though not the driving whiplash.
Our first exloration was the Eastern-most tip of the Island. This is an incredible spit of land called Pointe des Châteaux. A road leads all the way out to a headland which has incredible views, including the island of La Désirade, which is about 5 miles offshore. The views are well worth the hike to top. And sure enough the beaches all along the peninsula are just unreal. There are many small beaches and again we saw several where the waves were breaking a short distance off shore, creating small protected coves ideal for swimming.