Ste. Anne to St. Pierre

11.29.12

Dave seems to have the fishing luck, and though the fish are small, they are tasty.  Yesterday on our way from Ste. Anne to St. Pierre, luck struck again.  Because the wind had virtually died, we were motor sailing and were about three miles off of St. Pierre.  I’d just made our lunch as we would soon put down the sails and anchor.  Just after I’d brought up the sandwiches, Dave exclaimed, “Wow!  Looks like a school of tuna!”  Just off of our starboard were good-sized fish jumping.  Sure enough a few moments later, zing went the line.  Dave reeled in not a tuna but a small mahi mahi. 



St. Pierre from the anchorage

After we’d anchored, ate our sandwiches, cleaned the fish and the saltwater off of the portholes and hatches and covered the sails, Darrell and Anne picked us up in their dinghy to explore the town.  Several months back, they’d stopped here on their way south to clear in and had fallen in love with St. Pierre so were excited to show us the town.

A rare glimpse of Mt. Pelee unveiled

Throughout the nineteenth century, St. Pierre was a bustling, cultural center known as the Paris of the Caribbean, but in 1902, Mt. Pelee had other plans for the city that sat at her foot.  In February of that year, the mountain began rumbling and on various days rolled out molten lava flows that killed several in the outlying areas and even wiped out one of the most prominent plantations and its wealthy owners.  Years before, in 1658, as the white settlers annihilated the last of the Carib natives, the Caribs cursed their slayers requesting that Mt. Pelee shower the settlers with her wrath.  And, as things would happen “on island time,” a few hundred years later, Mt. Pelee granted the Caribs’ wish.  On May 8, Mt. Pelee unleashed her power.  Glowing red on her side, she exploded a mighty fireball of noxious gas over the town of St. Pierre killing all of its 30,000 residents but one – a prisoner in a stone cell, Cyparis, who later joined Barnum and Bailey’s circus.. 



Remains of the theater and...
 

Cyparis' cell where he survived the volcano

Out of the ash and destruction arose a new city built on the remnants of stone walls and foundations that survived.  Today St. Pierre recalls a French town of built during the 1920s.

 

Rodin's homage to the rebirth of St. Pierre

 

Lovely deco buildings and street lamps amongst the 18^th and 19^th century stone walls.  The backdrop is a steep cliff wall covered in lush greenery.  And beyond that, to the north, sits cloud-capped Mt. Pelee.  We’ve yet to see her peak.  Maybe she is now resting.  Let’s hope she does not awaken for some time.

A nice apartment building

A new wal built off of the old wall.  So much is preserved.

A new building modeled after the old building

The remodeled cathedral

As we walked through town, we came upon the ruins of Abby Gosse.  Darrell, a retired mason, particularly appreciated the handsome stone and brick work. 

Arches of Abbe Gosse

Darrell explains the masonry to Anne

We found a patisserie where we bought juice and baguettes then walked across the street where we rested on a shady step in front of the casket maker.  A very peaceful place to partake a snack.

Dave figuring out where he is