Column 21 - Martinique
Our time in the Caribbean led us to another island we fell in love with. The next island up the chain from St. Lucia is Martinique. It is a departement of France which is like a province rather than being a possession. Similar in topography to St. Lucia it boasts Mount Pelee, the volcano that killed 30,000 people in the capital at the time, St. Pierre, early in the twentieth century. It is quiet now and cloaked in rain forest.
Another major attribute of Martinique is the French. And, no, they are not haughty or rude. We found them to be very warm and welcoming and the women of Martinique are arguably the most beautiful in the world. When we were traveling around the island we found that it was impossible to sit by the road examining a map without someone stopping to help us find our way. The French do have an amusing little game they play with the English speakers. If you speak no French, then they speak no English. If you begin to speak even rudimentary French, you find that they often speak excellent English.
Martinique seems to be largely invisible to Americans. The cruise ships stop in the capital, Fort de France, where they shop. Unfortunately they rarely venture out into the main part of the island, the real Martinique.
St. Lucia has a strong French heritage and there is considerable traffic between the two islands. Our regard for Martinique as well as the shared heritage led us to weave it into our stories. The Demontagne family has close ties to relatives on Martinique since Clarisse’s sister married into a Beke family. The Beke are the descendants of the original French planter families. The aristocratic families in the Caribbean had very diverse fates during the French Revolution. In Guadeloupe, another French island, the aristocrats were slaughtered, on St. Lucia, as in our story, some of them suffered the same fate and some escaped. But on Martinique these families formed an alliance with the British and remained safe from the Terror.
Unlike St. Lucia, Martinique has generous flat lands in the south where they still grow sugar cane which yields their marvelous rum. The vieux (old) rhum is especially favored.
In A Dream Across Time it was to this island that Andre brought Jamie when they were free to begin their relationship. There was family to visit and the tranquil waters and small islands off the lower eastern shore. But when they wanted to be alone and together they travelled north to the magic of the small resort we called L’Habitation. The small resort we described is real. Its name is Habitation Lagrange and it is just as wondrously romantic as described. Off season we enjoyed the tranquility of the forest and fine meals virtually alone in the dining area. Each room has access to the terraces where the gentle chatter of the birds and the opalescent light can be savored.
There is so much history on Martinique. Some of the old plantation houses remain and touring is easy. Being a part of France, the roads are excellent and the replica French villages are charming. In our tours we came upon the Caravelle. It is a small peninsula which thrusts out into the Atlantic Ocean. In the second book, A Circle of Dreams, we have the Demontange family visit this site of the ruined Dubuc plantation where it is said the family made their living from farming, slave trafficking and a form of piracy. The stories about them include the belief that they lured passing ships onto the rocks where the hapless travelers were killed and the goods looted. In that place today’s Philippe experiences the terror of the night when the first Philippe was rescued from the foundering ship but lost to his family forever.
Once again, we have woven various elements of history into our stories. Other parts of our stories came from the Beke themselves. They became our friends and welcomed us into their homes where we conversed in Franglais as we intertwined the two languages to communicate. They feel a strong kinship with Americans since some of their number went to fight in the American Revolution. Many never returned.
At the beginning of A Dream Across Time Jean Claire du Diamant takes his wife, Anne-Cecile and their twin sons, to the docks in Nantes to begin their trip to Sainte Lucie. The port of Nantes was the one used to go to the Caribbean. Usually the ships went first to Africa for slaves but, from time to time, ships would go directly to the islands in the Caribbean.
The story of the lost child was partly inspired by conversations at a dinner hosted by Beke friends. One evening we were introduced to another couple from France. Our host had been walking on their former plantation in the north when he saw a man who looked familiar. It turned out that he was from a branch of their family lost to them during the French Revolution.
We wove the lost family together with a story from Mala’s family. When her father’s family entered the United States through Ellis Island from Germany they lost an eighteen month old boy who was never seen again. Thus, the lost child theme in our book. Occasionally people thought these themes were not credible. But, again, we found our inspiration in real people and real events.
Martinique enriched our imagination and we bring it repeatedly to our stories. The third book in the Demontagne Saga takes place largely on Martinique where the mystical elements of the islands lives as it does on St. Lucia and enhances our tales.
Visit us at www.annierogers.com
Our time in the Caribbean led us to another island we fell in love with. The next island up the chain from St. Lucia is Martinique. It is a departement of France which is like a province rather than being a possession. Similar in topography to St. Lucia it boasts Mount Pelee, the volcano that killed 30,000 people in the capital at the time, St. Pierre, early in the twentieth century. It is quiet now and cloaked in rain forest.
Another major attribute of Martinique is the French. And, no, they are not haughty or rude. We found them to be very warm and welcoming and the women of Martinique are arguably the most beautiful in the world. When we were traveling around the island we found that it was impossible to sit by the road examining a map without someone stopping to help us find our way. The French do have an amusing little game they play with the English speakers. If you speak no French, then they speak no English. If you begin to speak even rudimentary French, you find that they often speak excellent English.
Martinique seems to be largely invisible to Americans. The cruise ships stop in the capital, Fort de France, where they shop. Unfortunately they rarely venture out into the main part of the island, the real Martinique.
St. Lucia has a strong French heritage and there is considerable traffic between the two islands. Our regard for Martinique as well as the shared heritage led us to weave it into our stories. The Demontagne family has close ties to relatives on Martinique since Clarisse’s sister married into a Beke family. The Beke are the descendants of the original French planter families. The aristocratic families in the Caribbean had very diverse fates during the French Revolution. In Guadeloupe, another French island, the aristocrats were slaughtered, on St. Lucia, as in our story, some of them suffered the same fate and some escaped. But on Martinique these families formed an alliance with the British and remained safe from the Terror.
Unlike St. Lucia, Martinique has generous flat lands in the south where they still grow sugar cane which yields their marvelous rum. The vieux (old) rhum is especially favored.
In A Dream Across Time it was to this island that Andre brought Jamie when they were free to begin their relationship. There was family to visit and the tranquil waters and small islands off the lower eastern shore. But when they wanted to be alone and together they travelled north to the magic of the small resort we called L’Habitation. The small resort we described is real. Its name is Habitation Lagrange and it is just as wondrously romantic as described. Off season we enjoyed the tranquility of the forest and fine meals virtually alone in the dining area. Each room has access to the terraces where the gentle chatter of the birds and the opalescent light can be savored.
There is so much history on Martinique. Some of the old plantation houses remain and touring is easy. Being a part of France, the roads are excellent and the replica French villages are charming. In our tours we came upon the Caravelle. It is a small peninsula which thrusts out into the Atlantic Ocean. In the second book, A Circle of Dreams, we have the Demontange family visit this site of the ruined Dubuc plantation where it is said the family made their living from farming, slave trafficking and a form of piracy. The stories about them include the belief that they lured passing ships onto the rocks where the hapless travelers were killed and the goods looted. In that place today’s Philippe experiences the terror of the night when the first Philippe was rescued from the foundering ship but lost to his family forever.
Once again, we have woven various elements of history into our stories. Other parts of our stories came from the Beke themselves. They became our friends and welcomed us into their homes where we conversed in Franglais as we intertwined the two languages to communicate. They feel a strong kinship with Americans since some of their number went to fight in the American Revolution. Many never returned.
At the beginning of A Dream Across Time Jean Claire du Diamant takes his wife, Anne-Cecile and their twin sons, to the docks in Nantes to begin their trip to Sainte Lucie. The port of Nantes was the one used to go to the Caribbean. Usually the ships went first to Africa for slaves but, from time to time, ships would go directly to the islands in the Caribbean.
The story of the lost child was partly inspired by conversations at a dinner hosted by Beke friends. One evening we were introduced to another couple from France. Our host had been walking on their former plantation in the north when he saw a man who looked familiar. It turned out that he was from a branch of their family lost to them during the French Revolution.
We wove the lost family together with a story from Mala’s family. When her father’s family entered the United States through Ellis Island from Germany they lost an eighteen month old boy who was never seen again. Thus, the lost child theme in our book. Occasionally people thought these themes were not credible. But, again, we found our inspiration in real people and real events.
Martinique enriched our imagination and we bring it repeatedly to our stories. The third book in the Demontagne Saga takes place largely on Martinique where the mystical elements of the islands lives as it does on St. Lucia and enhances our tales.
Visit us at www.annierogers.com
posted by Roger | 10:31 AM
