Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadaloupe

Guadeloupe is the southernmost of the Leeward Islands, just north of the Windward Islands, where Martinique is found. The island of Dominica separates the two cousin islands, but they are often thought of as neighbors and grouped together anyway. In reality, Guadeloupe is made up of two islands that are joined by a very narrow channel of water called the Riviere Salee. The western island, Basse-Terre, is more mountainous than its eastern sidekick, Grande-Terre. In fact, Basse-Terre is home to an active volcano, La Soufriere, that is 4,800 feet high.

The Arawaks were the original inhabitants of Guadeloupe, but, like many of their Caribbean neighbors, were eventually eliminated by the invading Carib tribe in the ninth century. It was the Caribs who encountered Christopher Columbus when he "discovered" Guadeloupe on November 3, 1493. The Spanish found the island fairly inhospitable, especially given the "welcome" of the hostile Caribs, and it was the French who eventually settled here in the 17th century.

Guadeloupe, like Martinique, belongs to France, not as a colony, but as a full-fledged region. That means that, although the island is separated from the Eiffel Tower by thousands of miles, the citizens of Guadeloupe are French, with the same rights afforded a Parisian. The French franc is the official currency, French stamps are used for postage, and the "language of love" is the official tongue.

Pointe-a-Pitre lies almost smack dab in the middle of the two islands, on the western side of Grande-Terre. The city is not quite as charming as Fort-de-France, Martinique, but it does have its own unique pleasures for those adventurous enough to seek them.

Guadeloupe is not an island for the timid. The best attractions are hidden, and take time and effort to unearth. A day spent only in Pointe-a-Pitre will do little to educate you on Guadeloupe's beauty. If you take the ferry trips to Guadeloupe's smaller satellite islands, Iles des Saintes and Marie-Gallante, you will be enchanted.