Ann's Blog
Bourg des Saintes, Les Iles des Saintes:
May 9, 2010
Breakfast delivered to our door
When I tell strangers that I live on a boat in the Caribbean for much of the year, they get a dreamy look and I know what they’re picturing: endless bikini-clad days spent relaxing on white-sand beaches, with palm trees rustling in the gentle breeze and an umbrella drink in hand. “It’s not like that,” I protest. “Living on a boat is hard work. Sailing is hard work. Really.”
Okay, okay – so there are moments of pure hedonism. Like this morning’s breakfast. Shortly after 7:30, a dinghy put-putted up to Receta, which is anchored off Bourg des Saintes, the main town in Les Iles des Saintes, a group of small islands that are just south (and part) of Guadeloupe. The dinghy carried the scent of fresh baking, and after an exchange of “Bonjours,” Fabrice, its driver, handed me a warm baguette and a couple of croissants and pain au chocolat from an artisanal boulangerie in town. (He had put-putted by at sunset last night to take my order.)
The baguette was crisp perfection, its interior correctly chewy, with a delicious, almost sourdough-like tang. The croissants and pain au chocolat left proper butterfat-saturated flakes in our cockpit. (They weren’t quite as heavenly as our hands-down favorites, from a boulangerie in Le Marin, Martinique, called Isle aux Pains. But, hey, getting those croissants requires a walk up a steep hill.)
The breeze was gentle, the sun was shining, the view from our cockpit was all sparkling water, palm trees, and picturesque red-roofed houses. And breakfast was delivered to my door. It doesn’t get any better than that.
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