Cyranno and Me

Different places work at different times in life it seems to me. I've been spending the past five days trying to discern why I like this island so much. I can only answer anecdotally. Like today, I went to Saline Beach for the day with my beach umbrella ( thanks to Pierre ), my water, sunscreen, hat--you know. After swimming across the bay ( still watching for Jaws ), I decided to have lunch at my favorite little beach spot within walking distance of the beach. OK, here's an example. Why is it my favorite? Well, the tuna tartare is superb, served with just enough greens to make it balanced; the sound system is good as is their mix of French and American contemporary music; and the rose is just a little bit better. And the view--it overlooks the salt pond, an enormous body of water nestled just a mile from the Atlantic.

But, Gran de Sel ( clever, huh, grain of salt? ) wasn't opened. Tomorrow is Carnivale and I think they decided to make it a two day holiday. Or who knows, maybe the cook was on strike. At any rate, it was a major crisis since I had been thinking of the tutn tartare the entire time I was doing laps. So, I drove down the lane toward St. Jean which is a lovely village with lots of shops and restaurants right on the sea. But before I got that far, I remembered Tamarind, just up the road from the beach.

Tamarind is "old St, Barth's" and was one of the first restaurants on the island. The setting is sort of Indonesian--lots of palms, hammocks, a large shaded deck where lunch and dinner are served--all part of a circle of buildings with a grassy area and garden in the center. There are a few shops tucked into the thatched roof buildings but nothing flashy. My favorite store on the island is there, Poupette's where a woman could spend a great deal of money on beautiful clothes that are made to move with the wind and with designs, colors and textures that beg you to own them--and I'm not a shopper. I buy when I need to, not as a passtime. And my friend, Martine, who manages the store was there as she is practically every day--as was the owner of Tamarind, a woman in her 50s who looks seasoned, I suspect a survivor as the island bacame more haute in the 1990s.
So, I had lunch at Tamarind. And that's where I met Cyranno. In this exotic open air restaurant, two beautiful scarlet parrots
( Cookie and Cyranno ) perched on chairbacks or window sills, never squawking but watching everything and everyone. Cyranno perched on a chair at my table and didn't leave. As I said goodbye to the owner and Claude, my waiter, I went to the car park. Serge, the valet, told me I had company--you can see the rest above. Somehow it's perfect that a bird named Cyranno wanted to come home with me. Undoubtedly, he is a true romantic.
There. You have two anecdotes that will serve temporarily as my rationale for loving this place. Today is Carnivale in Gustavia with a parade at 6 pm., just before sunset. I can't wait. In the meantime, I guess I'll go down the steep hill below my bungalow and swim in Marigot Bay.

M.C.