We made a quick stop in St Barths the other day. It is off season there now as in the rest of the Caribbean. The high season being the contrary to the European one in terms of time of the year and therefore are all these cities and islands a bit more slumbering than the busy period between December-May. 

St Barths was very similar to our expectations. Felt very St Tropez in many respects. St Barts is the most Northern of the French West Indies, as blooming and colorful as the neighbors. What is unique to this island compared to the rest of the ones in the Caribbean, is that St Barths was never used as a plantation area which meant that very little slaves were brought to this volcanic land, and therefore is also the vast majority of the population today French. It definitely felt like we were back in France for a while, much was similar in architecture, culture and ambiance. Originally settled by the French, it was traded to Sweden in 1784 in exchange for port rights in Göteborg/Gothenburg. King Gustav III decided to call the capital of the island for Gustavia, a name which is still the official one for it, and he laid out and paved the streets, built three forts and turned the community into a prosperous free port. There are quite a few Scandinavian features remaining in town and all of the streets are still signed with antique Swedish plates. Sweden who got fed up with the island, sold it all back to France in 1878 for 320.000 Francs and ever since it has been the French island in the West Indies where the jet set crowd and yacht people from all over the world have gathered for world famous regattas, for luxurious retreats, stylish beach life and other entertainment. Much similar to what is offered in St Tropez like I mentioned.

We will for sure be back when the season begins again and I can't wait to have some of our European friends joining us for a week of party and play when the summer officially is over back home in Europe.

Until then...