Survived volcano, joined the circus

"Babette" and "Fatuhiva", two captains, two first mates are packed tightly into a little white rental-peugot (naturally) and off we go. Captains in front, mates in back (naturally).
We drive by Schoelcher. Victor Schoelcher championed the abolitionist cause qnd helped to outlaw slavery. In 1848 in the French colonies. Of course, by then the French Revolution was over ages ago. And even the English had abolished slavery back in 1830. Still Scholcher has a library and enumerous streets with his name on them. Better late than never.
A little stop in Le Carbet on the coast: Paul Gauguin, the expressionist painter, stopped here. He painted in the Caribbean before sailing on to Tahiti to make his fame with his Polynesian women in flat bright-colored forms.

Then on to St. Pierre. Just a shadow of itself. This "Caribbean Paris" with the crystal, china qnd latest fashions of Paris was destroyed in one day. May 8th, 1902. Mt. Pelèe exploded sending fiery poisonous gas clouds and burning volcanic bombs over the city: Almost 30,000 died.
One man survived. He was behind thick stone jail walls, drunk. The prisoner, Cyparis,was badly burned, but alive. He went on to join the Barnum Circus sideshow, in a mock jail-cell, telling his tale.

Mt. Pelèe is sleeping now. So we decide to hike up it. It's a steep walk from the road to the crater. At one point the mountain was up at 1600m, the volcanic "plug" 800m high. It then collapsed, leaving just 1,397m to climb. Rolling green hills; red-roofed villages. Are ze in Southern France?
"Fatuhiva's" Bjarne strides by and we meet him on his way down from the foggy crater wall at the top. So we all walk down into the sunshine again. And the beautiful view of the French valleys below.