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Fort-de-France is France — just with better weather and Creole cooking. Martinique is an overseas territory, which means Euro currency, French bakeries, and a cultural confidence that sets it apart from its neighbors. The city itself is colorful and a little chaotic in the best way, with a covered market full of spices, madras fabric, and local rum.
The afternoon moves to one of Martinique's beaches, where the sand shifts from white in the north to black volcanic in the south. Either way, the setting is striking.