Part 6 - Our last full day

lvbookworm

SBH Insider
It has taken almost the entire week, but we're finally starting to catch up with the four hour time difference. Too bad it's just in time to go home and readjust in reverse. We awoke early and made our way to Petite Columbe. By now the girls behind the counter recognized us and instinctively reached for the croissants and chouquettes.

Our plan for today was to spend as much time at the beach as possible, with a break in the middle for our do-over lunch at Nikki. After loading the car with chairs and umbrella we made a quick run into town to purchase a baseball cap my husband tried on the day before. I knew if we parked and started to walk around we'd get sidetracked and miss out on our beach time. So my husband dropped me off in front of the store, I ran in to buy the hat, and by the time I came out he was just finishing his trip around the block to pick me up. Perfect!

We found a spot to park right along the edge of the road just a short hop from the beach access next to Nikki. As we were walking away from the car with our over-abundance of beach accoutrements, we realized that we had been extremely lucky. There were three or four open spots when we parked, but a mere 60 seconds later they were all taken with traffic backed up as far as you could see.

Once on the sand we found a nice, quiet spot about 100 yards from the restaurant. It was a bit windy, and I was nervous about setting up our umbrella. I'm always afraid we'll be "that couple" which doesn't get it anchored deep enough in the ground. I have nightmares of chasing after it tumbling end over end down the beach. My husband was equal to the task of successful umbrella positioning, and I was thankful we weren't drawn into any lawsuits for impaling an innocent bystander.

With chairs positioned in shade and toes in the sand, it was time to fire up the Kindle and start a new book. I read a couple of chapters but I found myself being constantly distracted. By noisy beach-goers? Nope. By the construction at Eden Rock? Nope again. I was distracted because I couldn't take my eyes off the beautiful blue-green shades of the ocean and the white foam of the small waves lapping on shore. So many people post pictures of this view online, but it isn't until you're sitting right in front of it that you begin to appreciate the absolute beauty of it all. I was content to just sit and stare. I justified my lack of accomplishment by telling myself I could read anytime, but this view was definitely not going to last forever and I wanted to take in every last bit.

Eventually it was time for lunch, and after lowering our umbrella to a safe spot behind our chairs we made our way to the host stand. Whatever hand-signal had gone down the day before resulted in us being seated at the same perfect table.

The vibe today was much the same as yesterday, and we fell right into the groove by ordering a bottle of Léoube Rosé. Deciding what to order today was MUCH easier than yesterday, because for the past 24 hours the only thing both of us could talk about was how much we loved the scallop risotto. Usually my husband will order one thing and I'll order something different, but not today!

We started by sharing the Green Tuna Roll with asparagus, avocado and wasabi mayo. It was served with soy sauce and ginger, and it was pretty much what you'd expect. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but if you have a craving for a sushi roll it will definitely hit the spot.

We each ordered the scallops (because neither of us was willing to share), and split a simple side salad and a side of haricot vert. The serving size of the sides was the perfect amount for two people to share. The risotto was exactly as I had remembered from the day before, but my husband insisted that today's serving didn't have nearly as much of the truffle magic. I don't know which version is the norm, but if we were to return I'd be tempted to bribe the waiter to confiscate a little extra sauce from the chef. It really did take the dish from great to outstanding.

Eager to return to our chairs in the sand we finished our wine and paid the bill. Our waitress today wasn't nearly as attentive as our previous waiter and the exceptional service he provided. But we weren't in any hurry so in the grand scheme of things it really didn't matter. On the other hand, had this been our first visit and first impression I'm not sure I would have been quite as eager to go back the next day.

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching the ever-growing beach crowd, wading and swimming in the warm water, and walking up and down the beach.

That evening we didn't have any plans, but I knew I wanted to go back into town to get a gift for our daughter. Once that was finished, we wandered in to Le Bar de L'Oublis for a glass of wine. We had fun watching the world go by until my husband decided he wanted to find someplace for dinner. On our previous visit we enjoyed Le Repaire, so we decided to walk down the street to see if they had any open tables. Once we arrived, he changed his mind and said he'd rather go back to Les Bananiers for another pizza. YES! Great minds do indeed think alike.

This time I called in advance to make a reservation, and by the time we walked back to our car we had just enough time to get to the restaurant. The hostess recognized us and greeted us warmly, and she was more than willing to have a short discussion so I could practice my french.

We spent a few minutes looking over the menu, but it was an easy decision to split an order of escargot and another pizza campagnarde. Even though neither of us was very hungry, I regretted splitting the pizza because I knew there would be no leftovers for breakfast. It had been a long day, so back to the villa we went.

At the beginning of our week we had such visions of grandeur with the intent of visiting a different beach every day and conquering the list of restaurants as long as my arm. Part of me felt as if we should have made better use of our time, seeing and doing a wider variety of activities. But now that I'm home I know that I wouldn't have changed a single thing!

We have wonderful memories of our last full day, and it was sad turning off the light knowing that when we woke up our week would be over and it would be time to leave.
 
Sniff sniff. Sad to see this trip coming to a close, but so looking forward to the next time. Tell us when you knowyou are coming back to enjoy it all over again! And maybe more days and maybe more new spots to discover and write about.

Again, thanks for your fine reporting. For me, it never gets old.
 
Thanks so much for your daily posts. They have been fun to read - enjoying the island vicariously.
 
Ahhhh.....the melancholy of the last full day; we all know it well. Filling your memory bank with watching the multi-blue/greens of the Caribbean Sea was a wise choice, as was your wine choice (Leoube) at Nikki. I met the winemaker at a wine event (the name escapes me) on St Barth in 2016 and fell in love. With the wine, not the winemaker. :cool:

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us; it was just a lovely (vicarious) week.

As a wise fellow-forum friend shared historically: The only cure to the St Barth Departure Blues is knowing a future trip is already booked. From the contents of a separate thread, you are on that path!
 
I met the winemaker at a wine event (the name escapes me) on St Barth in 2016 and fell in love. With the wine, not the winemaker. :cool:

What a great experience to meet the winemaker! My husband and I are wine lovers, but we've never explored the world of Rosé. Trying as many as possible was one of our objectives for this trip, and I must say we achieved it with flying colors!
 
Definitely “fine reporting!” Great description & composition! I enjoyed every moment of your fun.
 
Can not thank you enough for providing such wonderful reading. Like others, looking forward to your next chapter
 
lvbookworm, my next trip is in November. Can you schedule a little time in mid-November to help me write my trip report!!!
So enjoyable reading your style. Although I'll admit that I was rooting for your husband to never remember what he ordered and was a little disappointed when he did.:biglaugh:
 
lvbookworm, Can you schedule a little time in mid-November to help me write my trip report!!!

Hey - great idea! We just put down a deposit for a villa in November. I'd be more than happy to write a combined trip report in exchange for drinks and meals. What do you think? HAHA!
 
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