We docked in Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique at around 6am. It is a beautiful island that offers a taste of France, deep in the Caribbean, possessing an endearing West Indian warmth in its personality and a special Caribbean spice in its music, dance and cuisine.

Martinique is 425 square miles (50 miles long and 22 miles wide) which is just a little smaller than New York City.

Above was our view of the walkway from our balcony and the route we took into downtown Fort-de-France.

Within a few yards of the quayside is the Saint Louis Catholic Cathedral, shown above. The current construction was built in the late 19th century in the Romanesque Revival style. The original build began in the mid-17th century and it opened in 1657. Due to natural disasters that have hit Fort-de-France over the years, including fire and earthquakes, the current structure dates only to 1895. It was built with an iron frame in order to withstand any further such events. It is the seventh church to be erected on the site, built by Pierre-Henri Picq.

Just round the corner from the cathedral was another stunning iron structure, this time the Bibliothèque Schœlcher. Built in France in 1889, this library was shipped piece by piece to the island, where it stands today, a beautiful monument to slavery abolitionist Victor Schoelcher.

Our next stop was at the entrance to the Prefecture. Inscribed over the portico of Martinique’s Government House are the French words for “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.” Although the island was first populated by the Arawaks and then the Caribs before being discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, it has been predominately French since they first arrived in 1635. Today it is an overseas department of France. As a result, it is part of the European Union, its currency is the euro and its population of about 400,000 people speak primarily French but also Creole.

For those movie buffs, our next photograph is a view of our ship Arvia, towering in the backdrop of the view down Rue de la Liberté (it reminded us of Speed II).

On our route back to the ship, we noticed a number of Art Deco buildings, modernist architecture of the 1950s, which reminded us of our time spent in Miami. Facing La Savane Park, The Impératrice is a boutique hotel, where charm and character rhyme with elegance and Creole lifestyle.

Our final quayside image for today is of Saint-Louis Fort, a seaside fortress that is both a listed historical site and a fully operational naval base.

Our afternoon has been spent in the Retreat soaking up the sun and this evening we are dining in the Beach House. Next stop tomorrow is Saint Kitts and Nevis. Love to all, R&L xxx

Our cabin is shown within the red circle above.