St Maarten is not a country in its own right. One half is an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the other is French. The island has 110,000 people and 80 nationalities. Its highest elevation is 1,400 feet. You can snorkel, swim at beaches, go hang gliding, go in a glass bottom boat, or even take the zip line at Treetop Adventure.
Our driver, who sees all police as hypocrites and politicians as liars, drove us from Philipsburg on a short tour of the island. We passed Simpson Bay, the former capital of the Dutch side, and on to Marigot, the capital of the French side. On the French side, the people still speak French, but only some speak Dutch on the Dutch side. The driver also told us there is a nudist beach on St Maarten.
Our ship docked at Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side of St Maarten.
Left to right: Celebrity Eclipse, Regal Princess, Freedom of the Seas (Royal Caribbean), Celebrity Summit
The Dutch-French border. To the left is Dutch. The French side is to the right. The locals are citizens of either France or the Netherlands. The population intermarries, but a phone call from one side to the other is an international call. St Maarten is the smallest landmass in the world sharing an international border. Maarten in Dutch; Martin in French.
The kalibas is everywhere in the Caribbean.
This is Marigot (pronounced marry-go), the capital of French Saint Martin. Fort Louis is on the hill top.
The market at Marigot
On the French side, you can spend euros if you have them, but not on the Dutch side. US dollars is the way to go.
French lady of Liberty - before there were lighthouses, this lady would guide ships in with her torch. Wealthy people live in this area. Oprah Winfrey owns a home on the island.
Jean and I enjoyed the view of Philipsburg from the ship's Skylounge.
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