After several days of big hikes, Mario and I decided to close out the year in style, and gift ourselves with one last day of ultimate relaxation. No alarm to wake us up this morning - we get up with the sun, hobble a little more slowly down the stairs to the kitchen, enjoy our coffee outside on the front deck in the warm sunlight. We have little in the way of plans. Tonight, it is New Year Eve, and though the bottle of Champagne has been chilling in the fridge for a couple of days, we do need a meal to accompany it. Nearby is a really great little take-out counter that specializes in traditional Guadeloupean, slow-cooked dishes, so we take a little walk around 10 to pick up our evening's meal, a Colombo de Cabri(goat simmered in curry spices).
 | Grande Anse Beach
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 | Arts & Crafts at the beach
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Back at the apartment, we take the time to have a second coffee, then throw a few things in a bag and head to the Grand Anse beach. A little sun, a little swimming, a little sand, a little napping, we just spend a few hours enjoying the beautiful black sand beach, which is remarkably quiet for a Sunday. Even the Sorbet Coco lady is absent. And even as we drive back into town, we notice all the shops closed, their windows shuttered up. Today is a family holiday - people will be gathered together, sharing lovingly-prepared meals and celebrating. We can hear them in the neighbouring homes as we pull into the garden of our Airbnb.
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| Pre-dinner snacks |
Our night is a quiet, relaxing one: We have a few snacks with our Ti'Punch, some Christmas Ham and Emmental cheese, while we coordinate departure times and and arrival times for tomorrow. But not yet - tonight we are still in relax mode. We tune into the French New Year's celebrations, trying to ring in 2024 with Paris, but then realize that the broadcast is being delayed to coincide with Guadeloupe's New Year, which is 1 hour ahead of home...suffice it to say that we toasted to the New Year 4 times by the time we collapsed into bed, not really sure if we made it to midnight, or even where.
 | Colombo de Cabri with red beans and rice
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 | Cheers to a Happy and Healthy New Year!
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 | Champagne to toast in the New Year
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 | Buche de Noel and the festivities in Paris
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Regardless, we'll see you all in 2024.
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