Tag: Pointe Des Galets

Where in the World Are We?

We are in Pointe Des Galets, Reunion.

POINTE DES GALETS, REUNION
The largest of the Mascarene Islands

Located about 480 miles east of Madagascar and 102 miles southwest of Mauritius, Réunion is the largest of the Mascarene Islands. The archipelago, consisting of Rodrigues, Mauritius, and Réunion, was named the Mascarenes following its discovery in 1512 by the Portuguese navigator Pedro de Mascarenhas. The French decided to settle Réunion in 1642, but no one actually lived there until four years later, when the French governor of Fort Dauphin in Madagascar exiled a dozen mutineers to the island. In 1649, the king of France officially took possession of Réunion and renamed the island Île de la Réunion. After the French Revolution, the island took back its original name. Since 1946, Réunion has been administered by France as an Overseas Department, with St. Denis as its capital. Facilities here are comparable to those of any major town in metropolitan France. St. Denis straddles the mouth of the St. Denis River and sweeps upward into the flanks of la Montagne, where modern apartment complexes and luxurious houses have replaced the shanty town of the post-war era.

Pointe des Galets is the principal port of Réunion, 30 minutes by car from the small capital, St. Denis. The island is best known for the rugged beauty of its interior. Major attractions include the fascinating, still-active volcano Piton de la Fournaise and three extinct craters known as cirques. Their forested slopes are dotted with isolated villages. Two-thirds of the western part of Réunion are covered by mountain ranges, with the 9,200-foot-high Piton des Neiges the highest point on the island.

The major source of income is agriculture, mainly sugarcane, vanilla, and geranium oil, used as a fixative in perfumes. Although the island has its share of beaches, most travelers arriving from France and South Africa come here for the stunning vistas of the interior. A taste of Créole-flavored French culture, transported to the tropical setting of Réunion, is also part of the appeal.

SIGHTS
• Piton de la Fournaise
• Vanilla Plantation
• Voile de la Mariée Waterfall
• Cirque de Salazie
• Geranium Distillery
• Marine Turtle Farm
• Saint Leu Historical Quarter
• Nez de Boeuf
• Pas de Bellcombe
• Cité du Volcan Museum

SHOPPING AND FOOD
Local handicrafts include embroideries, vanilla, spices, rum, and items made from seashells and plant fibers. Some souvenir shopping is available at the port terminal. The main shopping area is in St. Denis, where most shops close from noon to 4:00 p.m. for their lunch break.

At the small geranium distillery in La Petite France, visitors may purchase geranium essences as well as other essential oils and perfumes. Rose geranium essential oils are also believed to have beneficial medicinal properties.

Excursion – Cirque of Salazie & Vanilla Plantation

Hindu Temple

Vanilla Plantation
We drove to a vanilla plantation in St. Andre. It was at the turn of the 19th century that the Mexican orchid, vanilla planifolia, was introduced to Réunion Island. Used by the Aztecs to flavor their cups of cocoa, it was exported to Europe by Spanish conquistadors. The French decided to grow it on Reunion Island, then known as Bourbon Island.

The French initially named the island Bourbon Island to honor the fall of the House of Bourbon during the French Revolution. In this regard, vanilla produced here in the Indian Ocean has been known as Bourbon vanilla since 1964. Vanilla is by far the most-consumed flavor in ice cream. It is a key component in Coca-Cola and is widely used in baking, perfumes, and aromas. 75% of the world’s vanilla production comes from Madagascar and Réunion, especially bourbon vanilla. For more than 20 years, the vanilla creepers planted on Reunion remained infertile, with no insects or birds able to pollinate its flowers. In 1841, Edmond Albius, a slave and budding botanist, discovered the secret of manual fertility, using a pike to lift up the wall separating the flowers’ male and female organs. The global cultivation started in 1841.

Voile de la Mariée Waterfall
Also called the “Bridal Veil Falls,” it is located at approximately 500m in altitude along the mountainous rampart
that separates the cirque Salazie and the plateau forest Belouve. Legend states that the falls were formed from the tears of a father who lost his daughter down a deep precipice.

St. Denis

Dinner was in The Atlantide Restaurant