Sunday was our last full day at GCBC, so we made it down day, not that it was any less active than up days. We had a leisurely lunch at a waterside table at Le Soleil enjoying their mahi mahi tartare and beef carpaccio. We had this combo numerous times on this trip and have yet to tire of it. Shirley ordered a BBC and they did have bananas, so could make it. Twice before, we couldn't get the drink due to no bananas, which, to me, is the equivalent on the island to Front Street being out of jewelry--unheard of. Dinner was 3 appetizers and creme brulee at Bistrot Cariabes with our Canadians friends. We were disappointed they were out of their excellent smoked salmon, but we endured the deprivation.

Monday was moving day, and I'd secured a 1 pm check-out, so the the pace was very relaxed, allowing us plenty of time for all our activities, especially a final swim in French waters. The clouds and rain had rolled in and would stay with us most of the time until we departed on Thursday. It's always sad leaving GCBC, but at least we were making a 3 night decompression stop at Mary's Boon. Three years ago, I was so laid back that I dawdled too much on the way to the airport that we missed our flight and had to spend the night at Mary's Boon. We've been spending time there ever since, even though I really don't care much for the Dutch Side in general or Simpson Bay in particular. But, we really like Simpson Beach and the hotel. Besides, there are cats there that we've befriended (fed). I'm slowly warming to the area.

Since we usually spend 20 nights at GCBC, palate fatigue has set in by the time we get here, so enjoyable dining becomes more of a challenge, but still achievable. One of the ironies of our dining while staying here, is that we patronize Marigot more, as it's a short 6 click shot across the causeway and up the International Freeway. We ate at Bistro Nu again on Monday as The Palms was closed. I had the conch fricassee, which was more of a very savory veggie soup and Shirley had the beef bourguignon. We wanted to also eat at Le Marrakech but they were closed until the 15th. Bummer. Tuesday evening, The Palms was open, so I had my go-to drunken ribs and Shirley, having a lesser appetite, decided on the buffalo wings. They now have a canopy on the patio, so we could eat outside in the rain. Wednesday's dinner needed to be cheap and fast, so we went to Pizza Galley, since Shirley will always do pizza. Meh, but it was quick and filling, and the BBC was good.

Aside from The Palms, there aren't many "local" places. But the few I've found are worth the trip. We had breakfast every morning at Hilma's Windsor Castle, a food truck with 4 barstools, enjoying the salt fish johnny cake sandwiches and patties, the obligatory Dutch Coffee (Shirley had the Bush Tea), and soup of the day. The first day was chicken, the second a wonderful callalou soup with conch, crab, octopus, a few other proteins and veggies, and finally an amazing smoked turkey neck soup. Plus talking to Hilma is such a treat. She really enjoys what she does and we enjoy what she does. Another place for local cuisine is Ital's Freedom Fighters place in Philipsburg. It's vegetarian, possibly even vegan, mostly with local grown product, and is cheap ($12 a plate), filling, and a welcome contrast to the excesses of French Side dining. There is only one plate served, which this day was black bean stew with cracked wheat, a salad of some green whose name I forgot, plantains, and avocado, washed down with an unsweetened passion fruit juice. And, like with Hilma, it's always a pleasure talking to Bushman.

And before we knew it, Thursday was upon us and we needed to prepare to leave. With a 2:17 PM departure, the morning needed to be planned to make sure we got in all our last minute activities, especially our final swim. Somehow, the sun came out and we really enjoyed her warmth in the almost calm waters. Me, I wanted to extend, but Shirley was content, and we had things to do at home, so headed off to the airport, but not before getting a final Ti Punch as Shirley drove to the rental car return.

The flights were uneventful, but long, finally getting home a touch before midnight, or 3:00 am AST. Our return trip was changed to a stop in CLT vs MIA, because a schedule change left us only 1:29 hour connect time in MIA. So, how much connect time did we have in CLT--yes, 1 hour 29 minutes! We have Global Entry, so it only took 22 minutes from the time we exited the plane until we cleared Immigration, Customs and Secondary, and rechecked the bags. For the second time this year, we stated that we had purchases in excess of the limit, and were waived through after a 1 minute diversion to Secondary Inspection without filling in any paperwork, or paying any duty.

So, another St. Martin vacation has come to an end, but I'll be reminded of it Dec 2 when the credit card bill is due. Ouch.