The "Caribbean Town with Color" Story

It was an ordinary day. We are walking the streets of Philipsburg. Philipsburg is the capital of Dutch Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. St. Martin/Sint Maarten is the only sea island divided between two nations; France and the Netherland Antilles. Seems years ago a Frenchman and a Dutchman set out in opposite directions from the same point to see how far they could walk around the edge of the island. When they met, they would draw a line across the island to where they both reached and that would be how the island would be divided. Well, the Frenchman was drinking wine while the Dutchman was drinking beer, a much heavier beverage, so the French side of the island is larger. The Dutch accused the Frenchman of running, but the whole story is just folklore anyway. We cross over the border without any trouble since it is only marked in two places with a monument. Philipsburg is located near the cruise terminal and therefore is much busier on a day when cruise ships dock. Today is not one of them and the streets seem deserted. Great for us, but bad for the store owners. The town is located between a large salt pond which has large crystals of salt around the edges, and the ocean. It has two main streets, Front St. along the water and Back St. along the salt pond. A few years ago I filled a bag with the salt crystals to bring home. Carol was worried that going through security at the airport we would be stopped because they would think it was drugs. Hey, let them try the crystals and they'll know what they are. We park at the one end of Front St. and follow their new boardwalk along the water. Really made of concrete,
since a wooden boardwalk probably wouldn't withstand a hurricane. Beautiful white beach call Great Bay Beach lines the water. When we reach the end of the town we head back one block to Front St. and walk toward our car. Store after store of jewelry and t-shirts. A few casinos are spread along the way to help get rid of your money. Actually have a Subway and a McDonalds on the street. The street is line with concrete pavers of different colors and is really neat. We pass the Guavaberry Emporium where they sell flavored rum and was featured on an episode of Three Sheets. We pass the courthouse which for the first time, since we have been visiting, has the front door open. Naturally I have to walk in. Big sign inside the door proclaims, "This is not the postoffice", so we leave. We also pass a fantastic restaurant, painted with bright colors called l'escargot. Part way back we head back to the water to eat at The Barefoot Terrace. The smoothies really cooled us off. Had a Strawberry / Raspberry while Carol had the Coconut / Mango. We finally made our way back to the car and headed back for a cool, welcome dip in the pool at the villa. Great day in a truly Caribbean town. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Photos from the top are: beach chairs on Great Bay in Philipsburg, umbrellas on Great Bay beach, Guavaberry store on Front Street, Courthouse on Front Street, restaurant l'escargot and Barefoot Terrace restaurant on the boardwalk.