A long drive for food

 When you've travelled to a place a couple of times, you tend to accumulate favorites : favorite hikes, favorite apartments, favorite restaurants. We don't necessarily like the town of Saint-Francois, since it seems to have become a retirees paradise(it has a golf course and a casino), but we do like hiking at Pointe-des-Chateaux, and we REALLY like the beachside food truck, Soif les Bronzés. So, for the second day in a row, we make the long, LONG journey(all of 1 hour) across this side of the island to Saint-Francois, and the coast beyond. Of course, it's a late start, so by the time we arrive at Pointe-des-Chateaux the eastern-most point of mainland Guadeloupe, it's just about noon. Looks like we'll be eating pre-hike this time around! 

We are a little taken aback at the site of our beloved eatery : in the past 8 years, we've seen the place grow from a small wooden stall with a grill and a fryer planted in the sand, to double the size, with a palette wood flooring, to full counter space where there were piles of melamine dishes - you might be eating on a beach, but you can do it with proper dishware, thank you very much! From a couple of beaten up patio tables and an assortment of mismatched chairs, there were wooden picnic tables, tarped over roofs and beach parasols to provide more shade, a condiment counter, and a washing area when covid hit, completely with water tank wash basin since there is no water this far out. And the owner, who is also an artist, covered every surface with colour, signs showing the menu options, and quotes and sayings that were important to her. It was unique  in its ramshackle beauty, and we loved it all the more for its desire to be original. 

Well, turns out that Pointe-des-Chateaux is undergoing some restoration, including returning some of the more trampled areas back to nature, in an attempt to preserve the ecology of the area. Sadly, that means that a temporary-made-permanent snack bar is no longer welcome, and all those mismatched seating options have been torn out, replaced by a replanting of raisinier bord-de-mer saplings. There are still some patio tables and chairs, set up in the shade, but they can be easily moved out of the way now, and the food preparation is now done in a large trailer on the side of the road. From the point of view of someone who works in a restaurant kitchen, I would take the clean, stable, trailer kitchen over the wooden hut in the sand any day, but from the point of view of a tourist, I miss the charm of the mash-up of wooden structures. Thankfully, the food is just as good as I remember : the accras pillowy and extra good when dunked in the accompanying sauces, the bokit one of the most original and tasty on the island, a giant crisp bread folded over a generous amount of flavourful codfish and tons of thinly-sliced vegetables. We get a couple of the delicious cocktail santé, a homemade blend of fruit juices spiked with fresh ginger and turmeric. I swear I can feel the rest of my cold melting away with every sip. I hate to admit it, even though these are tasty, and will always be one of the top choices on the island, the accras from the woman in the garage in Port-Louis are just a tiny bit better.

Now, after all that, we have to hike on a very full stomach. Every step up to the cross atop the point feels heavy, and the fact that we are in full sun and dry air does nothing to help. Thankfully, it's not a long climb, and soon we are standing in the breeze blowing in from across the ocean, watching the waves crashing into the rocks below us. Beyond lies the tiny island of La Désirade, with its iguanas. 

Further, we carefully manoeuvre down and back up the limestone cliffs, out to some tidal pools where we discover a new blowhole has formed, and of course Mario has to throw rocks into it. We walk along a beach made only of water-beaten chunks of coral that crunch under our boots, and eventually dip back into the dry forest, dodging spikey plants as we go. Finally, the trail spits us out on the roadway leading back to the point, and we walk until we reach the car again. It's only a 1 hour hike, but it's a challenging one, and rewarding for it. And if you time it right, you can finish at the snack bar, then head for a swim in the bay across the road! 

We are skipping out of the post-hike swim this time, since it's New Year's Eve, and we have some shopping to do for tonight. First, a couple of stops at some of our favorite souvenir shops, in little artisanal villages. I pick out another art piece for home, from an artist who makes miniatures of the facade of creole homes, complete with corrugated tin siding, a bent nail here and there, the wild combination of bright paint colours, and the smattering of flyers pasted to the walls. They are beautiful and incredibly realistic in their details, and it was the one thing I wanted to get when coming back here. We also stop for some food for tonight's dinner, little bits and bites to snack on while watching the countdown festivities on TV. 

Insert here an intermission where we discover a bolt in one of the car's tires, and have to stop to change it. Thank goodness we are so handy, it takes all of 20 minutes, including putting air in the spare tire, and we are again on our way. It's lucky that we are returning the car tomorrow!

We pull into the driveway as the sun is beginning to set, so we grab swim suits and towels and just about run down to Souffleur Beach to get in one last swim of the year, and of the trip - we'll be moving on to another location tomorrow. We stand on the beach, dripping wet and wrapped in our towels, watching as the last rays of light slide behind the mountains of Basse-Terre across the bay. La Soufrière is still covered in clouds.

Tonight's events include a light cramming of stuff into suitcases, and maybe overflowing a little bit into a couple of extra duffles. There are a whole bunch of little puff pastry bites to be baked and eaten, and a bottle of Champagne to be popped open. We'll follow along with the countdown in France, which is usually a show full of music and really expressive dancing on stages around the Champs Elysées. It's also curious to watch, because the show runs live for New Year's in mainland France, which was 6 hours before Guadeloupe. We switch between the dancers and a French-dubbed version of Miyazaki's "Castle in the Sky". We also have a video chat with the family back home, a tradition started a couple of year's ago where we call from random places, usually in the middle of nowhere, to share the celebration across time zones. 

And at midnight, even though we are already in bed, we rush out to the balcony at the sound of fireworks. There's nothing official, but the sleepy town comes alive at the stroke of midnight, with families tucked into their house cheering and shouting, and the crackle and pop of fireworks going off from locations all around us. Even in the distance across the bay, we can see the pops of colour in all of the little communes, bright lights ringing in the New Year. And with that, we go back to sleep.

Happy 2026.

A quiet, but loud, day

 A little worn out from all that hiking yesterday, Mario and I decided to take it easy today. 

It began with a slow breakfast, listening to the birds squawking and darting around in the row of flowering shrubs across from our balcony.

It continued with a few lazy hours lounging on Plage du Souffleur, the waves crashing into the shore, the sand slowly slowly being filled in by other tourists, children shrieking and playing.  

It finished with a drive into Saint-Francois, a visit to the weekly night market, and dinner eaten out of containers on bench. There is no way I can make the slow-cooked local specialties that we get here, short of me taking an entire day and spending it in the kitchen. Plus, there's something about waiting in line to taste the dishes of the only vendor to draw a crowd, and his stewed tomatoey squid, mashed local pumpkin and spicy boudin noir(blood pudding), did not disappoint. 

Oh, and we threw in a night cap of planteurs (Planter's punch) at the local bar, Filet du Pecheur, where there is a live jam session every Tuesday night. We learned about this a couple of years ago, when we joined a Gwoka appreciation class through Airbnb, and I was happy to find out the live music is still a thing. The bar was crowded with locals and tourists alike, the drinks were strong and served with a stick of sugar cane to chew on, and the music was rhythmic, entertaining, and even a bit hypnotising.

Oh, and we have a new friend.

Littoral Hike, part 2

 

Another day, another hike. During one of our many conversations, I admit to Mario that I feel guilty for sleeping in, eating a slow breakfast, only starting the day's activities around 10:30. I feel I should be planning out my days, maximising the amount of activities I am doing, spending the least amount of time in the Airbnb. He reminds me, "This is our vacation. You're allowed to relax." ...He's right. Several years ago, we decided that every two years, our Christmas travelling would be back to Guadeloupe, a place that feels so comfortable to us, it can only be called our "relaxing" vacation. And so I need to get my mind into that "relaxing" mind set, and not feel guilty about starting my morning a little later, after enjoying my coffee in the sun.

Today, we hiked another littoral trail, this time heading north of town. We've followed this trail many times - it's the one that leads to all the quieter beaches a little further afield from the main tourist beach, Plage du Souffleur. Once upon a time, you could drive a car quite a ways along this path, following the very narrow, pothole-marked road across a bridge and along the edge of the mangrove forest. In an attempt to preserve the coastline, the bridge was replaced with a narrow wooden footbridge, effectively blocking the path to cars, and allowing nature to take over the shores again. Now the trail has become one third its original width, with trees encroaching on both sides, and the beach accesses more and more hidden from sight. It's happy and sad at the same time : The area will be more protected from erosion and storms now that the original ecology is rebalancing itself, but the area was once such a cheerful place, full of the joy of families gathering here, having picnics, swimming in the water.

Past the beaches, the trail winds its way along the coast until Anse-Bertrand, weaving into and out of the shade of the mangroves, dipping on the beaches and sometimes low enough that we had to dodge to sea lapping at our hiking boots. Sometime we miscalculated our crossing - sometimes the ocean caught our boots in its surf.

We got as far as Anse Colas, a little protected bay about an hour from Anse-Bertrand. The was the promise of a picnic table, long gone missing, and any flat spots to relax were at risk of getting flooded by the abnormally high tides. Which they did, I almost lost my water shoes in one such wave! So we ate, and then we left, heading back along the coast from whence we came. 

Our final stop was at one of those little hidden beaches. After a long hike, it's amazing how the salt water of the sea relaxes the muscles and restores our energy. I could *almost* start another hike after a swim like that! Almost - maybe it gave me just enough energy to make it back through town and to the Airbnb. After all, I think 16 km in a day is a pretty good hike, don't you?

Another side of Port-Louis

 

Stories from a seasoned traveller : 

Sometimes, you have to go out of your way to discover new sides of a familiar place. We've stayed in the town of Port-Louis 4 times now, and we have our habits around here : we walk down the road from the Airbnb, past the bakery, to the centre of town facing the water. We pass the church, the grocery store, some brightly-painted creole cottages, all before arriving at the Souffleur Beach, where all the tourists coming from Saint-Francois and Sainte-Anne spend the day. It's always this route we take, so when I found a hiking trail leaving from the south side of town, an area we have visited very little, I immediately added it to our lists of things to check out. This morning, we discovered a new side of Port-Louis.

The trail starts just past the marina, already somewhere we don't often visit. Port-Louis still has quite a few fisherman heading out every day, and there is a small market here, but it is basically for the locals. I'll admit, visiting a fish market is something I rarely do on vacation, given that I rarely have the tools or equipment in a rental to do justice in preparing a meal of freshly-caught fish. This morning, we slept through the alarm, so the fish market was long closed up by the time we pass by. We also pass through what seems like a field where old boats go to die before we spot a small opening in the trees which seems just inviting enough to be a trail head. There is no map, nor information panel here, and we are initially greeted by a rather sketchy scramble over eroded banks littered with chunks of broken asphalt and rusted twists of rebar. But make it past this point, and we discover the real trail.

The trail winds its way between the crashing of the waves against the sand on our right, and the wall of creeping, crawling mangrove trees on our left. Our trail is like a sandy border wall, holding back the mangrove lagoons from spilling out into the salty Atlantic ocean. It's quite the special trail, twisting and turning around the tree trunks, as we duck under low-lying branches, trying to avoid the dangling mangrove "tentacles" that reach out to grab at anything passing by.

Pipers looking for snacks in the lagoon

Reflections of trunks in the mangrove lagoon

Towards the end of the trail, we begin to spot little hidden beaches peaking out from between the trees. We also spot a boat anchored here and there in the distance, becoming more and more frequent as we walk along. Turns out, these little hidden bays are well-protected from waves and wind, and so make ideal hidden spots for tour boats to stop for lunch and a swim. We bail out before getting too close to the tours, and claim our own little piece of paradise. Under the shade of flowering catalpa trees, we lay out our towels and our picnic, and we spend a couple of hours just relaxing and soaking in the water.

The return to town is just as interesting : We listen to the waves of the ocean crashing beside us. We can hear the scrambling of the hermit crabs in the underbrush of the dry littoral forest. We smell the sulfur-like scent of the brackish waters in the mangrove lagoon. We laugh at the way the mangrove trees remind us of Ents, slowly crawling their way our of the water, across the trail and towards the ocean. We can almost hear the stretching of their rubbery branches, long fingers reaching down to scoop us up. Hiking is fun.

Our day ends with a repeat visit to the woman who sells accras, those pillowy fritters of codfish and vegetables, just spicy enough, and particularly crispy today. We take our portion, tucked into a rolled leaf from a raisinier bord de mer tree, and a bottle of orange-maracuja juice(a local passion fruit), across the street from the church, and enjoy our snack while watching the waves crash up the retaining wall. What a way to end a great hike.

 

Gotta catch'em all!

Stories from a seasoned traveller :

You know that feeling - the need to visit all of the top sights of a location when you travel. Like ticking all the boxes on a vacation. Sometimes, there are still some left on your return trip to a same place, and you count yourself lucky to have returned to see the rest. But what do you do when you return for a fifth time, besides revisiting some of the best spots? Well, you could do like us, and begin checking every last hiking trail off a list, to make sure we have not missed out on any hidden gems. 

Guadeloupe has a great network of hiking trails, in all different ecosystems, and of all different difficulty levels, and we have tried a LOT of them. Now, we are running low on trails we haven't tried in this area, but today's goal is to tick 3 more off the list. It's like a nature lover's Pokemon quest : Gotta catch'em all!

1 - Sentier de Pouzzole : The entrance is rather grown over, as are the few parking spots available, but the trail beyond this point is still maintained, and makes for a nice walk through the littoral forest. Along the way, information panels teach us about all the indigenous trees of this area, which is great because there are so few plants that are truly from Guadeloupe. It's fun to try and spot them, touch their bark, pick and smell their leaves (I'm looking at you, Cannelle à Puces). I would definitely hike this trail again, especially at its petite 30 minute length.

2 - Sentier de Gaschet : This place is more a picnic area that happens to also have a little hike going around it, next to the Gaschet Reservoir, which was made by damming the Gaschet river and to help the local farmers irrigate their fields. It's supposed to be a good place to see migratory birds passing through, but not today, and maybe not very often, given the amount of shotgun shells we spot along the banks of the reservoir! The views are minimal at best given the growth of the forests surrounding the body of water, and the sad state of the picnic shelters, tables and the bird observatory make the trail not very inviting for a first visit, let alone a second. I would give this one a miss.

3 - Sentier du Moulin de Poyen : This trail is in an area we have hiked - and visited - before, opposite the sentier de Beautiran. It starts from the Beauport train station, so parking is easy, and generous. The well-marked loop trail makes its way up the hill from here, leading to a large picnic area with tables and shelters overlooking the neighbouring farm fields. Next to it are the vestiges of the Poyen windmill and plantation. The ruins of the livestock shed and cistern can be seen alongside the windmill, covered in figuier maudit vines.

We happen upon a private tour in progress, where a small family in listening intently to the stories of a local guide who dressed in a long white robe with large wooden beads, and channeling the spirit of a slave from days past. The family is enraptured.

The rest of the hiking loop is just a walk along a cattle road, all rutted and often muddy, and not really interesting. I would recommend the visit to the windmill ruins, and plan a picnic to enjoy nearby, but I would give the rest of the loop trail a miss.

And then sometimes, we just have to take the same road we've taken a dozen times before, like the hiking trail along the littoral Port-Louis, that leads to the quiet beaches hidden away from all the car traffic. Strangely, we expected to relax this afternoon, but is seeking out the quietest spot, we end up hiking another 3.4 km. We balance this out with a good deal of snorkeling and lying in the sun. 

And that makes four more checks for the list!

It's not all cocktails and beautiful beaches.

Stories from a seasoned traveller: 

It's not all cocktails and beautiful beaches. When you are staying in the same location for a while, say a week, there are some housekeeping chores to take care of. This morning's task was a drive out to the large local grocery store to stock up on food for the next few days. Since we are staying in a fully kitted Airbnb, I can cook meals, but I also don't want to be spending all my time in the kitchen, so we favour things like frozen quiche, to which I add a side salad. We also pick up a few essentials that did not make it into our luggage due to liquid restrictions, like shampoo. I keep a running list in my journal. 

Beautiful beaches : 

We've learned in the past that attempting a big hike right after arriving in Guadeloupe is not a good idea. We need to "warm up" before attempting something super strenuous (see our hike of Chutes de Carbet on day 3 of our trip in 2023-4), and so we decide today is going to be nothing but a relaxing day. That means going to the beach and doing nothing but swimming, and tanning, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat. We take care with the sunscreen, and spend more time than necessary in the shade - this is our first exposure to the sun, and we want to build up layers, not scorch on the first day. Spending the rest of the week hiding under long sleeves and a wide-brimmed hat is no fun.

Cocktails: 

We make our way back through town from the beach, picking up a sorbet coco, with its notes of cinnamon and lime zest, from the beachside seller that I am sure has been taking up that same spot on the beach since we first started visiting Port-Louis in 2017. The very illegal two-storied Kabana Beach club has finally be razed to the ground, to the delight of our Airbnb host, and I have to say, it was an eyesore on the beach. We walk to the accras(fried codfish dumplings) vendor, who closes at 6, and so we've never had a chance to try her offering. They could be the best in Guadeloupe, and we've been missing out all these years  - but I have to check something first. I'll get back to you when I return to Pointe-des-Chateaux and try those ones again! We take them to go, and walk up the hill to the Airbnb, where we enjoy them with our quintessential rhum punch, a mix of 59% rhum agricole, guava juice, lime juice and cane sugar.  The accras are delicious, the punch strong, and the sunset as beautiful as any I've seen in Port-Louis.

So I guess I lied. It really IS all about cocktails and beautiful beaches!

Hello Guadeloupe!

It was just like coming home...which, I guess, is to be expected when you've travelled to a same location 5 times! Even through all the frosty green de-icer that caked the plane windows from Montreal all the way to Guadeloupe, I could just make out the edge of the lush green jungle and brilliant blue ocean. When we began to descend into the warmth of a tropical 28C climate, the window cleared and I saw Port-Louis, recognized the streets, imagined the route we would later drive in my head. Even with the stuffiness of this head cold that won't let me rest, arriving at our familiar Airbnb, chatting with Carole about the changes about town, unpacking my overstuffed suitcase, all of this made me feel as though I was breathing just a bit easier (even though I really wasn't. Stupid cold).

Did you know that most shops are not open on Christmas, even if you are on vacation? We never take this for granted, and always come prepared with a box of pasta and cans of tuna in olive oil. This has become our traditional Christmas dinner, even if we arrive to discover that a wonderful Airbnb host has taken pity on us, and stocked our fridge with a few essentials so we don't go hungry! Still, tonight we opted to enjoy our pasta, accompanied by a glass(or two) of the homemade rhum punch from Carole, laced with cinnamon and star anise, and tasting of Christmas in the tropics. It paired perfectly with our Christmas cookies and cherry loaf from home, too.

Now, it's time for a good, long sleep. Tomorrow, we'll get reacquainted with the town, buy our morning baguette and get some groceries for the week. Maybe we'll head down to the beach to dip our toes in the water, but really, we've got no plans. I guess we'll see where the day takes us.

Windows frosted with de-icing product

De-icing the plane in Montreal

 

Quintessential Dublin Experience

This morning, the weather is looking like the country of Ireland has caught the measles - there are spots of rain just about everywhere, but never at the same time, and with no chance of letting up. It's a good morning to drink, so off to the Guinness Storehouse we go!

Views up into the centre of the storehouse	Old barrels and fermenters
Mario poking at the yeast bubbles	Animated waterfall room

I think this is the number one attraction that you read about when planning a trip to Dublin. For a time, I was seriously thinking of giving it a miss. If it's this popular, it must be super-touristy, and therefore not for us, right? Yes, it is touristy, but in the best possible sense. It's a feast for the senses, a full 6 floors of audio-visual exhibitions perfectly wedged into the shell of one of the old warehouses, with most of its historical architecture and machinery intact. As we are walking through a round room where a fountain of water spells out how Guinness is made with 100% water from the nearby Wicklow Mountains, we are passing under solid steel beams, pipes that once brought water in to cool barley roasting tanks, past walls covered in centuries-old ceramic subway tiles, chips included. 

Tiny tasting glasses	Guinness airship advertisement
A seal balancing a Guinness	Classic Advertising artwork

Our attention is grabbed from the moment we enter the building, and is wound tight around every aspect of the making of Guinness, from the lease signed by Arthur Guinness for a period of 9000 years, to the partnership with barley farmers all over the country, to the copyright of the harp symbol that forced the REPUBLIC OF IRELAND to have to flip their National symbol, lest they get sued for infringement by a beer company! We smell the malt and the yeast and the roasted grain, we learn how to gulp and properly taste the beer, we see the menagerie of fantastically animals that starred in some of the most iconic advertising campaigns in history. Guinness, like Tabasco, gained in popularity through quality, but also through a stellar marketing scheme throughout its history.

Drinking Guinness on top of the world

View of Dublin from the Gravity Bar

Our final stop of the tour is on the top floor, at the Gravity bar, with the best views of Dublin, and get to enjoy a perfectly-poured, creamy rich glass of Guinness beer. They say it's the best in the world when served here - Mario is not convinced, and he's enjoyed a pint in a myriad of locations all around Ireland, and has enjoyed them all. I am not a fan, but was convinced by the bartender to try a "Black and Black", a Guinness with a dose of black currant cordial added in for sweetness. It also goes by the name "Lady Guinness" - regardless, I do enjoy it.

We pause a moment at the hotel so we can check in for our flight(yes, it's already that time), and find ourselves dashing through the streets of Dublin while eating take-out toasties so we can make it to our appointment at Trinity College. Even on the go, the toasted sandwiches from Griolladh, a spicy brisket with jalapeno and crisps tucked into malted sourdough for Mario, and roasted chicken, local ricotta, and honey on wholeseed sourdough for me, were absolutely delicious, as well as very portable!

Next up, we are visiting another of the top attractions in Dublin, the Book of Kells at Trinity College. You are probably asking the same question I was when planning for this trip: What exactly is the book of Kells, and why do I want to see it? Well, it's an illustrated manuscript of the four gospels of the New Testament, written in Latin, dating back some 1200 years. The artwork is exquisite, and heavily inspired by the Celtic arts. Only 2 pages are visible at a time, and the pages are turned every 12 weeks, so you see a new part of it with every return visit(plus it's good for the preservation of the book). You cannot photograph the book, but the entire thing has been digitally scanned, and is available online via Trinity college. These are the two pages Mario and I got to see today: 

Folio 202

Folio 203

Leading up to the visit, there is an exhibit explaining the origins of the book, as well as examples of other books found, believed to be works created at the same time. It gives us perspective on the complexity of the work involved, with each chapter beginning being illustrated, some index pages and such, how the scribes might have indicated errors made, or passages to be omitted. I think the better part came after, when we were released into the Old Library.

Bell tower in Trinity College	Spiral Staircase
Close-up of the shelves	Old Library and "Gaia" art installation

What an amazing, fantastical place - imagine the most magical, mystical old library you can, and that's what we walked into. Arched ceiling, spiral staircases, dark wood, marble busts, floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with thousands of leather-bound books...except they aren't full of books. Trinity College is doing a much-needed restoration of the Old Library, because it is old, but also still in use, and the whole place is in much need of some love. Only the first 4 bays are still full of tomes, the rest have been cleaned, catalogued and scanned into the digital library. The feel of being in such a historical place is something else - knowing so many literary personalities have walked these halls, sat in these bays, searched through these tomes...it's heavy.

After the Library, we tour a newly-opened audio-visual exhibit next door, on the renovations, the Library and the book of Kells. It's interesting, but in one area, some plaster busts of notable historic figures begin telling a story of the library, and the whole thing feels a little like the talking statues in Disney's Haunted Mansion ride. It's cheesy and unnecessary, if you ask me. We would easily give this portion of the visit a miss next time. The rain starts up when we finally exit the college, so besides a quick stop at the post office, we head straight to the hotel for an afternoon break and cup of tea.

This evening, our last in Dublin, and in Ireland, we head out to a pub on the outskirts of Temple Bar, the big touristy, bar district in the center of the city. Mario's hunted down a place that sounds good, with live music every night, great food reviews, and likely to have some space as they don't take reservations. So just before dark, we find ourselves pushing through the doors of Darkey Kelly's and hoping a table frees up so we can sit down and have a bite to eat. We grab a drink at the bar and, just like the night in Doolin, we barely have one sip and someone is coming to get us. He leads us to the table right next to the front door, but also right next to the live music! What luck! We toss comments back and forth with the Irish gentleman picking away at his guitar, Mario enjoying yet another Guinness, and I with my glass of Falling Apple Cider. I do so love that Ireland makes such great ciders, all crisp but not too dry, and that so many of them are avalable on tap, alongside the ales and stouts in the pubs. The musician plays Irish classics, and funnily enough, we recognize some of the music from the CDs we had playing on repeat in the Stonecutter's cottage in Doolin. 

Scene in the pub	Our dinners
Enjoying the music	Round two!

It doesn't take too long and our meals arrive, Mario ordering the lamb shank, and I get the bangers and mash. The food is hearty and comforting, and we eat while the next band is getting ready to start their set. Again, being right next to the band, we get an intimate view of the set-up process, trade banter with the fiddler as he waxes his bow - it's still probably a very touristy experience, as likely 90% of the people in here are, but somehow it feels just a bit more authentic. The music starts up again, and we bang the table in rhythm, or tap our toes to the beat or the lively music. Mario orders us another round, but we don't stay out too late. We are flying home tomorrow, after all, and there's always the issue of the last suitcase pack, when you finally realize just how much stuff you bought!