Au Revoir St Barth, à l'année prochaine...
Noon-ish flight, so the morning was spent getting ready. First up was filling the Jimny with gas (not "Gazole" as I almost tried to - Nozzle doesn't fit, which was the first sign. The screaming clerk was the other). Next were croissants and pan au chocolate for breakfast from Choissy, then navigating through the construction maze. The traffic lights work really well (I like the timers), except when one enters in between where you can't see either. Quite the strategy trying figure who is stopped and who is not and then get going before your lane catches up to you. With the Oasis and Choissy here, we witnessed several miscalculations and fortunately no accidents.
Back in the villa, we finish the viennoiserie and remaining jar of "Bonne Maman Fraises" before the serious packing begins. Even with a third suitcase (awaiting us in San Juan), it is still a struggle getting everything in. Sixth visit and we still bring too many clothes (and too little money). RSB announces "Il est onze heures" and it's time to leave. Chat with Odile for a bit as she checks in the Jimny and then to the Tradewind counter with the bags. Have about an hour to kill, so we walk around the shopping areas by the Marché (love being at a real keyboard again so I can add the French "ALT+xxx" characters easily) before stopping at Maya's to go for a quick bite. No Wilfred, but our server from the previous night was behind the counter. Sandwiches pretty well cleared out, so we share the last chicken and peppers on ciabatta bread outside while watching the planes come and go as well as the fire truck periodically racing up and down the runway. Back at the terminal, can't resist the last opportunity for a Pati St Barth shirt, before seating ourselves in the departure area.
The takeoff is where I really notice the difference between Tradewind and SBC. The Pilatus is so much smoother and really climbs quickly. None of this leisurely sightseeing of all the places we visited the previous couple of weeks. Full flight and a little banter back and forth about our experiences before everyone settles in for the one hour-ish flight. We deplane on the tarmac and are bused to what feels like the back door of the customs area. Global Entry makes quick work of the process and we are soon off in search of our third bag. A bit confusing, as we and our bags were supposed to be reunited in the carrousel area, but as it turns out, the bag had passed through customs the previous day and was waiting for us in Tradewinds office. Probably stick to two bags of <50 lbs each next time. A final quirk of going through San Juan is that bags have to be cleared by the USDA before they can be checked, kind of like leaving Hawaii. Land in Houston around eight and are back in our own bed by eleven.
Overall a great trip. Two weeks just flew by (woke up this morning feeling like I dreamed it all up). The first couple of years, we focused on hitting all the major beaches and restaurants. The next couple of visits, we settled into a lunch-dinner rotation and other than a stop for more rosé, water and another t-shirt or two, spent the rest of the time in the villa. This time we did a bit of everything. Beaches (old and new), restaurants (old and new), hanging out in the villa, cooking in the villa, entertaining in the villa, wandering day and night in Gustavia, meeting old friends and making new ones. Curious what next year will be like....
Only one photo: