Martinique (island): description, photos and reviews of tourists about their vacation. Rum from the Antilles

There are words in the world that are understandable to everyone without exception. This is the Caribbean. You say “Caribbean” and everyone imagines paradise. But no matter how great and diverse it is, everyone will still have a favorite place in heaven. So it seemed to me that the island of Martinique in those parts is the best. And if I am ever asked to choose a Caribbean paradise for myself, I will not hesitate to point my finger at this point. Although, paradise, in my understanding, is generally on the other side of the planet, but today we are talking about the Caribbean!

Martinique, like the French part of the island of Saint Martin, is a French territory. When our cruise ship arrived at the port, we were met by a military ship. “So that’s where they are, the Mistrals,” I suddenly thought, “now they guard the Caribbean.”)))

Many Caribbean islands reminded me of Moscow Domodedovo Airport. And why? Yes, because when you go down the ramp to the ground, taxi drivers begin to surround you, ready to take you anywhere, any way, and most importantly, for as long as you want)).

Particularly enterprising Martinicans offer large minivans at a price of 30 or 40 euros per seat per person. This is completely inconvenient; it’s much more interesting to take a whole car for 150 euros and go wherever you want, without listening to anyone). So I did. I was lucky with the driver - Lucien not only had a beautiful name, but also spoke surprisingly good English.

Fort de France is the capital of Martinique and the most Big city on the island.

Near the port of arrival cruise ships there is an old fort, where those tourists usually go who feel sorry for the money for an excursion, who want to lie on beautiful beach. It’s just that the old fort is closer than the other “rookeries”, where you can roast in a relaxed manner like a pig on a spit and reflect the clouds.

Lucien drove an old car, and the price for sightseeing tour was at a discount. But his friend Franz, driving a BMW 5 Series in the back of an E60, asked for 50 euros more for the same excursion).

I decided to see everything significant places, and from Fort-de-France Lucien and I went deeper into the island.

When you drive through Martinique, you get the impression that you are driving through Alpine villages: the same serpentines, only under the bright Caribbean sun.
First stop - beautiful church Balata. Connoisseurs will easily recognize it as the Parisian Sacré-Coeur Basilica.

It’s probably bad not to understand the intricacies of the rules of conduct in churches of various faiths. But when visiting Catholic churches there are usually no problems: you do without the unnecessary attention of those present. But two weeks before this trip I had the opportunity to visit the Tula province. And in one of the Orthodox churches, a servant, seeing a camera on my neck, pounced and began to demand my mother’s blessing to take pictures.

I invited the lady to leave the temple and “discuss it in detail”: I really wanted to understand the reason. I tried to ask my interlocutor whether it is possible to order and receive Mother’s blessing online, and whether the permission is multiple, a kind of subscription), or whether it is only one-time. The servant was unable to answer, she became furious and walked away, taking with her in her hem my mood to enter the church again.

And in Catholic monasteries, take as many photographs as you like, no problems).

As soon as we drove from Fort-de-France into the mountains, our lungs immediately felt an influx of fresh air. In little Martinique, the Lord, it seems, tried to fit all his most important wealth. Snow-white beaches blue water coexist with jungles, mountain rivers and waterfalls. And not seeing this when you get here is probably a crime.

This is the small river Alma, the same name as the one that once played one of the decisive roles in the Russian-Turkish war.

Coconut coke seller next to observation deck on the Alma River. With the help of this machete, he earned his right to sell green nuts with rich milk on the road. The cold blade became his best friend and they are together forever

Our next stop is the Gendarme's Leap waterfall or Cascad de Saut Gendame.
After walking under the hot sun, it’s nice to cool off in the cool lake, after taking the Turbine flag with you.

The island of Martinique is of volcanic origin, and the most high mountain on the island is called Pele. Highway there is no way there, but there is an excellent hiking route. Of course, there was no time to get up - on cruises, alas, only a few hours are given to each island. But I stopped in a beautiful village at the foot of this mountain.

This is how people live next to a volcano. There is always a risk that he will wake up and hide a small settlement under a thick layer of ash.

Martinique, like many other Caribbean islands, was discovered by the famous Christopher Columbus. This happened back in 1502. At that time the island was inhabited by Indians - the Caribs. The Spaniards did not find gold here and did not show much interest in the island, and in 1635 the French came here. The French knew very well the ancient wisdom “A good Indian is a dead Indian,” so they quickly exterminated all the Caribs, and brought black slaves from Africa to work on the plantations.

Initially, cotton and tobacco were grown on the island, and then sugar cane and coffee.

Rum is made in Martinique. Our next stop was a demonstration factory where the pirate drink is made. I didn't even know that little Martinique produced something like this. great amount names of one of my favorite alcoholic “delicacies”.

Work is in full swing here. Tractors carry sugar cane almost continuously, and local “wizards” turn the plant into a “noble drink.” But rum connoisseurs, like your humble servant, are becoming fewer and fewer every day. Drinking alcohol is no longer fashionable. Young people are increasingly looking for their bodies, while away their time on treadmills in gyms, and taking selfies. Went to the gym - selfie, ate - selfie, drank tea - selfie.

American "telephone picture" servers are literally exploding with daily faces, breakfasts, dinners and everything else.))

And I love the “classics” - in the evening, with a glass of noble drink, write or read something on the Turbine).

So from this thick foam you get Hemingway’s strong, oily, throat-burning drink.))

Well, after this have a nice walk It’s impossible to walk into the factory and buy a couple of bottles of dark Martinique rum to take home. I still drink at home in the morning with a hangover mineral water from a glass of "Rhum Depaz". A very pleasant and worthy drink - I recommend it.

The next stop in Martinique was the town of Saint-Pierre. It is located in the north-west of the island, and once upon a time it was called the “Paris of America”. Saint-Pierre is located right at the foot of the aforementioned volcanic mountain Montagne Pelée ("bald mountain"). This volcano has always been restless. He was puffing all the time. And when he really woke up in April 1902, the city residents did not even think about fleeing.

The entire population remained in the city. And on May 8, a disaster occurred: a cloud of suffocating hot gases, stones and ash descended on Saint-Pierre and took the lives of almost 30 thousand people. The only survivor was the prisoner who was imprisoned in a deep basement.
Dima described this story in detail. I highly recommend reading it.

All that remains of the old city now are black, charred stones.

There are no plans to remove them. This is the memory of that distant tragedy.

103 years ago there was nothing here, but now here you are - a new Saint-Pierre. Everything is cyclical in this world, as in the classic song “Red red blood, in an hour it’s just earth, in two there are flowers and grass on it, in three it’s alive again...”

Amazing Martinique is one of the islands that are part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago, and it is under the jurisdiction of France, being its department. The island itself is not large and is divided into two parts: the southern - with plains and beaches, and the northern - the territory of volcanoes. One of the biggest active volcanoes north of Martinique - Montagne-Pelée. The coasts of Martinique are washed from the east by the Atlantic, and from the west by the Caribbean Sea.

Martinique is an amazing island - real paradise for vacationers. H. Columbus once said that Martinique is most beautiful country in the whole world! Now along the entire coast of the island there are several cities with amazing colonial-style architecture, and the largest of them is Fort-de-France. IN island capital a great many beautiful old mansions, churches and parks. There are business centers and office buildings here, surrounded by greenery - a truly incredible sight! There are also many small shops and cafes in the French style, where tourists are always fed with the delights of local cuisine.

By the way, speaking of cuisine, it is very diverse here! It combines the best culinary traditions of the Caribbean and France! Particular preference is given to seafood and fish. Also in great variety here are fruits: soursop, guava, tangerines and passion fruit - here you can try excellent freshly squeezed juices and cocktails made from them. They also make fresh sugar cane here! Martinique loves coffee - it is the best-selling drink here. But still, the main glory on this island is rum! Martinique rum is one of the best in the world, and one of the most expensive.

In addition to rum, Martinique is famous for its noisy carnivals, the number of which is by no means inferior to Brazil and Cuba. The largest festival is the five-day Mardi Gras festival. It is held in early March. Grand street processions, parades, dances - this festival is a tribute to local traditions, music and rituals.

People who prefer leisure- fly to Martinique for diving. Around the island, the bottom is strewn with the wreckage of many ships that once sank off Martinique. In addition, there are excursions on horseback or jeeps to northern part Martinique.

Souvenirs you can bring from the island include, for example, unique quilts made using the patchwork technique, spices, shells and local dolls. Here you can buy real French perfumes at an incomparably low price. But what you must bring from Martinique is rum!

This island is a real highlight of the Caribbean.

On small island Martinique in the Caribbean is home to several dozen rum factories and their slogan: “We will become the rum capital of the world!”

The Caribbean Sea is part of the Atlantic Ocean, named after the "Caribs" - the indigenous peoples who inhabited this territory before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors at the end of the 15th century. Since the introduction of European culture and mechanization, these lands have become a center for growing sugar cane And rum production .

The first mentions of rum date back to 1650 in documents found in Barbados. A little later, rum production appeared in Jamaica and France. Martinique . They quickly learned to produce this drink industrially, by distilling the fermented juice of sugar cane, the plantations of which were planted on these islands.

The island of Martinique is a French colony since 1635 , has an area of 1100 sq. km., and the population is about 450,000 people. This is one of the richest islands Caribbean, after the Cayman, Bahamas and Virgin Islands. Almost the entire population of Martinique works in tourism or rum production.

Interestingly, the island’s tourism activities are closely connected with the history of Roma. For example, one of the most popular excursions is a trip to Sainte-Marie , V Roma Museum located on a sugar plantation St. James .

Today, there are dozens of rum factories operating in Martinique, and the island’s slogan is: “We will become the rum capital of the world!”

Among the island's most famous rum productions are:

Distillerie Dillon Fort-de-France

Distillerie Depaz Saint-Pierre

Habitation Clement François

Trois-Rivières Sainte-Luce

La Mauny Riviere-Pilote

Rhum Neisson Le Carbet

St. James Rum Museum Sainte-Marie

Bally (Habitation Lajus) Le Carbet

Distillerie JM Macouba

Distillerie St.Etienne Gros-Morne

Distillerie La Favorite Lamentin

Due to the fact that Martinique is one of the departments of France, local rum is produced under very strict control. WITH 1996 Martinican rum awarded an honorary title A.O.S. It is awarded to rum if the entire production of the alcoholic beverage, from the moment the cane is grown to bottling, is carried out to the highest standards, and the distillate strength is at least 65-75 degrees.

Yuri Dymov
Especially for CIGARTIME ©

It is not difficult to understand the admiration of Columbus, who discovered this Caribbean island - a corner of Eden, framed by satin beaches, is buried in greenery and flowers. Modern tourists are attracted not only by the charm of Martinique; here they find everything they need for a rich and vibrant holiday.

Martinique on the map

Martinique island on the world map or detailed map The islands can be viewed using the navigation buttons (+/-). Caribbean islands on the map

Martinique is located in the central part of the Lesser Antilles ridge and is a French overseas possession. From above it is easy to see that Martinique is divided into two territories: the relatively flat south and the mountainous north. On the second is the notorious volcano Mont Pele (Bald Mountain), whose height reaches 1397 meters.

The island of flowers is washed by the Caribbean Sea from the west, majestic Atlantic Ocean- from the east. Martinique has four districts: Le Marin, Fort-de-France, Saint-Pierre, La Trinite. The size of the entire territory is almost 1130 km², the hospitable population is just under 400 thousand people, the capital is Fort-de-France.

capital – Fort-de-France

Travelers who choose Martinique can envy: developed infrastructure, gorgeous beaches, excellent roads, fantastic Caribbean Sea, fashionable resort areas, high-quality service, entertainment for the most demanding needs. It’s not for nothing that rich French citizens come here to relax in their own villas.

There is something for everyone, since on the island it is possible to combine solitude, extreme sports, promenades along numerous attractions, and explosive fun. French and Creole cuisine, culture, music, and traditions are surprisingly intertwined.

Aesthetes will not be disappointed in the spectacular performances and exhibitions; gourmets will appreciate the taste of tart rum and spicy dishes based on meat, seafood, and vegetables. Those who are eager for ecotourism will add to their collection of impressions with forays into nature, and they will put absolutely everything highest mark beach holiday, since marine leisure in Martinique is varied, rich, and of high quality.

Nature of Martinique

Judging by scientific descriptions, the flora and fauna in Martinique is not very rich, but the eyes refuse to believe it. The foam of the clouds in the endless blue of the sky is reflected in the bottomless surface of the sea, the vegetation glitters in all sorts of shades of green, the mountainous slopes of the volcanoes are covered with forests, flowering fruit trees exude a delightfully intoxicating aroma. Sugar, coffee, cotton plantations, flowers from tiny to giant, replace each other on the southern side, and they delight the eye not only in protected areas, but also in populated areas, near hotels, on beaches.

The rivers do not differ in depth and width, but this is compensated by their quantity. Moreover, not every Caribbean island boasts fresh water bodies, but Martinique also has waterfalls. Undersea world I definitely wouldn’t call him poor! You can easily verify this by renting equipment for diving and similar hobbies. For lovers wildlife you should be careful, since in tropical thickets it is possible to encounter snakes, but there are none in cities and towns.

Sights of Martinique

If we continue the conversation about nature, then it is considered one of the main attractions of the island. All you need to do is sign up for an excursion along the Route de la Traz route. The lucky ones admire the tropical shady bushes, real forests of tree-like spreading ferns, carved palm trees, walk through the fairy-tale botanical garden of Jardín-Balata, take photographs against the backdrop of waterfall cascades, and relax on the banks of the Alma River.

To complete the experience, it is advisable to dilute unity with nature with other excursions and entertainment, of which there are many offered in Martinique:

a functioning museum in the house of the first wife of Napoleon I;
Banana and Butterfly Museums;
climbs to Montagne Pelée and Pitons du Carbet;
festive processions marking the opening of the carnival season;
Bay of Fort-de-France;
Trabo, Noir and Dufour bays;
beaches of Anse Tartan, Salines; Enns Bonneville, Enns Létan;
sugar cane and coffee processing workshops;
salt lake Etang de Salines;
Chateau-Dubuque castle;
volcanic island of Rochers du Diamant.

Martinique- an overseas department of France, located on an island of the same name, which is part of the Lesser Antilles archipelago. The area of the island is 1128 square kilometers. Just like the rest of France, Martinique is part of the European Union. The island's currency is the euro.

The island of Martinique struck Columbus with its beauty so much that Columbus named it " the most beautiful place on the ground" There were sad pages in the history of the island, when not only European countries could not divide it among themselves, but also indigenous people- the Caribs - did not want to submit to their enslavers.

Residents of the island are proud that it was here, in Trois-Ilets, that Napoleon's future wife was born - Princess Josephine, who was predicted from birth to have a royal title.

Martinique is infamous violent eruption Montagne Pelee volcano, which occurred in 1902. The burning ash and poisonous gas that hit the city of Saint-Pierre were more destructive atomic bomb, dropped on Hiroshima. Of the 30 thousand residents of the city, only one person, who was in prison at that time, survived.

Saint-Pierre was rebuilt, but forever lost its status as the capital. 397,000 people live in Martinique. The overwhelming majority of Martinique's inhabitants are descendants of slaves brought from Africa to work on sugar plantations. About 90% are blacks and mulattoes, there are also Caribbean Indians and Chinese..

The white population on the island is approximately 5% The island is different from other islands Caribbean Sea

, high standard of living. Students go to study in Paris and then return back. Martniki flag with snakes
has no official status on the island. However, it appeared a very long time ago - according to the decree of August 4, 1766, according to which the ships of the French colonies of Martinique and Saint Lucia were to fly a flag that was a modification of the French banner. Then it depicted a white cross on a blue background, in each quarter of which there was a snake curved in the shape of the letter L (from Lucia).

And the snake itself is the so-called spear snake (Bothrops lanceolatus), which lives in Martinique.

It is believed that these snakes were released into the forests on the island so that runaway slaves would return in fear of the snakes crawling through the forests. So the snake became the symbol of the island.

The island is quite rich in wildlife - there are numerous species of lizards, opossums, mongooses and many species of snakes.

In the past, the island was covered with dense tropical forests. Now they are preserved only in some places on the mountain slopes.

In February and March, Martinique hosts a five-day Mardi Gras carnival with traditional island music, costume parades, dancing and rum. On May 8, Martinique celebrates Remembrance Day for the eruption of the Montagne Pelee volcano: processions with lit candles appear on the streets, and the sounds of a saxophone are heard everywhere. Martinique is a venue for quite large sporting events: bicycle racing in mid-July and a sailing regatta in early August. The island is also famous for its jazz and guitar festivals.

Martinique is an island that is famous for its coffee production. All coffee production Central America originates from Martinique. The first coffee tree was delivered by Captain Gabriel de Clieu, after which coffee trees were transported to both Haiti and Dominican Republic. However, coffee is not currently produced commercially in Martinique.

Martinique is now a part of France in Caribbean Islands. The island is only 65 km long and 20 km wide. In the south and west the island is washed by the Caribbean Sea, and in the north and east by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

All residents of Martinique are French citizens, a large outflow of population occurred in the 1970s. Almost the entire population of Martinique are descendants of slaves whom France brought to the island to work on sugar plantations. The population of Martinique has mixed roots; here you can trace the genes of the Indian population, Asians, Indians, Lebanese, and Chinese. Official language is French, but the entire population speaks Antillean Creole, many speak an African language with elements of English, Spanish and Portuguese. 90% of the population are Catholics.

You can get around Martinique by taxi, minibuses and ferries. Taxis and transport in general in Martinique are extremely expensive, and in general all prices for services here are off the charts.

GDP per capita in Martinique is 14,500 euros, (In Latvia for comparison 22.028 euros). 82% of GDP is the service sector and tourism, industry is represented at 8.6% of GDP and Agriculture 3.5%. Martinique's main exports are fruits, juices, and petroleum products. Imported to Martinique vehicles, furniture, medicines, crude oil. Throughout Martinique's centuries-old history, it relied on agriculture and sugarcane cultivation; in the mid-20th century, sugar prices began to fall sharply, and the local economy was refocused on tourism and oil. Martinique has a chronic trade deficit, Martinique supplies bananas to France, receives other food products and meat from France itself, in fact, Martinique is unprofitable for France, it is at the expense of France that beautiful island is still thriving and boasts higher social standards than the rest of the islands in the Caribbean.

Martinique is the most prosperous region in the Caribbean. The streets of the cities of Martinique have Parisian names, nothing indicates that their own population lives here, it is simply forgotten, but as a reward they enjoy a very high standard of living and even if they don’t like something, people can safely leave for Paris.

Average salaries in Martinique are under 1000 euros, the minimum money is 10 euros per hour.

Martinique has much in common with the independent state of Saint Lucia, as both islands long belonged to France and were called the overseas region of Saint Lucia-Martinique with a common flag. Saint Lucia gained independence, but Martinique remains French. Prices in Martinique and Saint Lucia, as you understand, are not the same, for example, bananas that grow in Martinique and Saint Lucia on both islands cost differently, on Martinique is becoming several orders of magnitude more expensive, so on weekends Martinique residents go shopping in Saint Lucia. But Martinique has its advantages, because local residents are legal EU garages.

Martinique poses a threat to foreign tourists, who at first are in a relaxed state, thinking that if this is the territory of France, then nothing threatens them like on other islands of the Caribbean. However, local thieves take advantage of this, they can snatch a bag or camera right out of their hands, attacks usually occur on European women, since they do not dare attack men, European men physically look more impressive than local males. Another danger in Martinique is the Mont Pele volcano, which in 1902 destroyed the entire island and almost its entire population; now the volcano is dormant.

Local real estate at a high level, There are no slums in Martinique at all. or favelas, it's hard to believe, but tourists can walk around the entire island and not find any signs of poverty. Prices for residential real estate in Martinique are very high, millionaires can afford housing, and there is almost no opportunity to obtain a residence permit by purchasing real estate.

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