good talk

Please don't do anything to her.  Flew to Guadeloupe, the biggest of the former Sugar Islands, basically 2 islands, Grand-Terre and Basse-Terre shoved into each other, 629 sq. mi, pop. 400 thou, Lesser Antilles, French Caribbean, a French Possession, Capitol Basse-Terre on Isl. of Basse-Terre.  Discovered by Columbus on his 2nd Voyage in 1493 (Columbus is credited with first European discovery of the Pineapple, here, was grown throughout the Caribbean and S. America, Hawaii had no Pineapples until 1900).  Arawaks first to inhabit around 300 A.D., conquered, killed and eaten by the Caribs during the 8th Century.  Caribs too tough for the Spanish, not so the French who came in 1635.  Big and Sugary, Guad. see-sawed between the French and British until the Treaty of Vienna in 1815.  I stayed at the nearest decent hotel of St. John-Perse from the airport in their biggest town of Pointe a Pitre.  They objected to how much I ate at their buffet breakfast, some hotels do, pound salt, I was paying 90 U.S. a nite (in Euros).  I went to their Musee St.-John Perse, dedicated to their Nobel Laureate, Alexis Leger (1887 to 1975), a Poet.  A really nice Black Girl, light, pretty, real well-dressed walked with me 12 blocks after I asked her where was the Musee Schoelcher.  I often depend on the kindness of strangers, this was really kind.  Victor Schoelcher was an abolitionist, much hated, the Slaves were freed in 1848, his art and artifacts are displayed.  The Cathedral de St.-Pierre et St. Paul, 1871, known as the "Iron Cathedral" due to its support of iron girders to ward off earthquakes and hurricanes, is real interesting.  I went by collectivo all the way down to the Capitol, Basse-Terre and looked around, rained like heck I was soaked, I like rain.  On a bright, sunny day, I went to the ultra-beautiful Beach at Pigeon, beach was big and full of Frenchies on vacation.  That reminds me, at night you hear this sort of a Roar when you'r outside, that's frogs rubbing their legs together.