After my quick peek at Gustavia at check in, I was quite
excited to have a look around the shops.
We headed over from Anse du Colombier in the dinghy and tied up at the
dock for the day. As we strolled
the main street and alleyways, it was immediately apparent that we were
underdressed. Some of the shop
names are common in the Caribbean - Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Bvlgari - but here
it seemed different. The shoppers
were not like in Charlotte Amalie or Philipsburg who are straight off the
cruise ship (fat, badly dressed and never without their fanny pack). The women in St Barts are tall, svelte,
and dressed in the latest designer threads. My jandals were frowned upon by the women passing by who all
wore high heels, or at the very least Louis Vuitton strappy flats. We continued to stroll around the township,
but didn’t dare walk into the designer shops, much to the relief of the
emaciated shop assistants.
The township is truly picturesque. The architecture is wonderfully French, and only the best of
the best materials have been used.
Even the old wrecks of houses here are beautiful.
The wealth began to make us feel uncomfortable. It is such a stark contrast from the
dying animals at Anegada or the fallen down houses of the locals throughout the
islands we have been to. Watching
the women totter along the lanes with their big sunglasses and even bigger
handbags was almost embarrassing.
We had lunch out at one of the more affordable looking
places. The cheapest item on the
menu was a burger at 20 Euro. We
had lunch regardless and tried to enjoy ourselves despite the price tag.
We made a few phone calls home from one of the public wifi
gazeboes that are studded along the waterfront, and finished our day out with a
coconut gelato.
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