We have now reached the half-way point of this World Cruise. As we approach the African continent, we are preparing for many tours and many days of back-to-back sightseeing. Our last ports-of-call were Port Louis, Mauritius and La Possession, Reunion. Both of those islands are in the Indian Ocean. So is the island of Madagascar. We had looked forward to visiting Tolanaro, Madagascar following La Possession, but Cyclone Freddy put a stop to that!!! And that is so very disappointing because we have tried, before, to see Madagascar only to be disappointed by weather or national problems. Alas, we missed out once again and will have to hope for another opportunity someday!!!
So, let’s take a look at Port Louis, Mauritius…..
We arrived in Port Louis around sun-up. It was a lovely, early morning sail-in as we watched the mist burn off with the rising sun.While docking, we noticed our day’s planned destination across the harbor: The Caudan Waterfront.This is a lovely area filled with shopping and fine boutiques, restaurants, a couple of museums, artists and their galleries, a craft market, hotels, and even a casino!!!As we exited the ship, we were greeted with music and dance: always a festive start to the day!!!Roger’s first stop in the Caudan Waterfront is the Blue Penny Museum where he sets out to find his first geocache in this country!!!This museum is devoted to rare stamps and maps and provides hours of interesting history!!! And yes, if you are wondering, Roger was successful with his geocaching!!!The Orange Red and the Blue Penny Stamps are the stars of the museum, along with many other rare and valuable items. This is a fun place to visit and Sandy reports the gift shop is quite nice, also!!!As we wandered the waterfront, we came across an artist working on a project.His work is quite nice, isn’t it!!!Moving on, we passed art galleries…..…..fashion boutiques…..…..jewelers…..…..and entered the Caudan Umbrella Square. Isn’t this charming!!!We came across an outdoor market with statuary to make you smile!!!But honestly, all you need do is look up to bring a smile to your face!!!!
As we continued, we came upon this cute Dodo. Native to Mauritius, the Dodo became extinct because it was tasty–not only to people but also to other predators. The fact that a Dodo had short, stubby non-viable wings did not help. The poor Dodo disappeared in the 1600s!
As we continued, we came upon the Craft Market. This is Cocoland where the items are locally, hand-made by the proprietor and her husband. Not a single thing comes form China!!! They are very proud of that.
After all that shopping, we found ourselves in a lovely square at the waterfront. We found L’Artista, an Italian Restaurant above the Pizza Hut. Deciding that sounded better than fast food, up we went!!!
And we were glad we did!!! This pizza was delicious!!!It was made, proudly, by Chef Mateus and his staff.And, yes, of course we had a round of libations to go along with the tasty meal!!!From the restaurant, we could look across to the MS Zuiderdam. Thus reminding ourselves it might be time to head back to the ship!!!We were tempted to stop at the casino but decided to pass this time. Perhaps on our next visit????But tonight, we are moving on to La Possession, Reunion.
…..and here’s La Possession, Reunion:
We arrived in La Possession and immediately boarded a shuttle to the capital city of Saint- Denis.
Because we had been here before, we knew where we wanted to go. First, a stop at the old city fortification with its array of cannons.
Then, a stop at the monument to Roland Garros–a WWI aviation hero.
Followed by a walk along the seaside promenade…..…..where we admired the Saint-Denis Waterfront.Having fulfilled the sightseeing requirement, we headed to the Roland Garros Restaurant (yes, named for the aviation hero and directly behind his monument) for the afternoon libation.We don’t think they were ready for the busloads of tourists coming into town. The flow grew all afternoon!!! They called in more help and did manage to serve us all!!!The food is good. We shared a meat & cheese board.They brought bread…..…..and olives…..…..and fries!!!We ate well and enjoyed the lunch.
Capped off with water, wine and beer, we had a very pleasant afternoon.
Back on the shuttle, we settled in for the 20 minute ride back to the port.And sped along the new over-water road. The one we had admired in 2018 as we watched the complicated construction process.And we are off to Africa!!!
Now, with several sea days ahead of us, we are on our way to Maputo, Mozambique. This is another port we are looking forward to exploring. The last time we were here, we only passed thru on our way to Kruger National Park for what was a wonderful safari!!! At that time (in 2018) it looked like a nice place to visit; we’ll let you know how that turns out in our next post!!!
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