We awoke to a beautiful, clear day and regretted not being able to spend more time in this charming village. We had to get going early as there was a long day’s driving ahead, many sites to visit along the way, and our car had to be returned by 4pm.
In April 1977, Piton Sainte-Rose was devastated by a lava flow from the Piton de la Fournaise, the active volcano of the island, and one of the most active volcanoes on the planet. The village church was partly invaded by the lava flow but not destroyed, resulting in locals viewing this as divine intervention. The church was subsequently restored and renamed Notre Dame des Laves (Our Lady of the Lava).
Next we drove along the volcanic rift on the east side of the island. The Grand Brûlé is Piton de la Fournaise’s lava spillway, which means that lava flows occasionally block the N.2 main road which runs along the sea. For every major eruption, which occurs every 10 to 20 years, a portion of the road disappears under the molten rock and is rebuilt as soon as the lava has solidified. Minor eruptions which occur annually are mostly not serious. The whole area looks like a lunar landscape, and it was interesting to observe how the rock differs, based on the apparent temperature of the flow.
We stopped at Saint-Pierre’s Beachfront for lunch. It was so crowded that is was hard to believe it was a weekday. Lunch consisted of whole, organic food and fresh coffee; really good.
We arrived at our destination for the day, L’Ermitage in Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, in the mid-afternoon and checked in at the hotel Alamanda. It was with great relief (mostly Roger’s) that we handed our car back to Hertz, undamaged. At least that was one stressor out of the way…
Reunion Island does not have much wildlife but we spotted this beautiful gecko on our patio at the hotel.
We spent the rest of the afternoon checking and packing our backpacks. The luggage we did not need would be delivered to us 2 days later so we did not need to carry everything. Still, we probably packed too much, not knowing exactly what to expect at the Gîtes (mountain huts).
Once we were satisfied with our packs we went in search of a restaurant for dinner. After walking around town for a long time we eventually settled for the Italian Restaurant, Casa Cosi, attached to our hotel. What a good decision; it was probably the best pizzas we have had to date. We promised ourselves we will be back for more after our hike.
We went to bed anxiously wondering what the next 5 days held in store for us…