Qualla: Saint Martin https://qualla.com/saint-martin en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:13 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_res/siteimages/rsslogo.png Qualla: Saint Martin https://qualla.com/saint-martin Saint Martin: Introduction https://qualla.com/saint-martin/ According to local legend, the border between the French and Dutch halves of Saint Martin was drawn by a walking contest. A Frenchman and a Dutchman started at the same point and walked in opposite directions around the island; where they met again, the line was drawn. The Frenchman got the larger share, supposedly because the Dutchman stopped to drink jenever along the way. Whether the story is true matters less than what it reveals: this is an island where international division has always been handled with more humor than hostility. For over 350 years, two European powers have shared 87 square kilometers of Caribbean coastline without a border fence, a checkpoint, or much of a fuss.

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/e/5/n/saint-martin-wk/de5n-saint-martin-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Saint Martin: One Island, Two Worlds https://qualla.com/saint-martin/ Cross from the Dutch side to the French side and the differences announce themselves quietly. The electrical current changes from 110 volts to 220. Prices shift from guilders to euros. The cuisine pivots from Indonesian-influenced rijsttafel and fried snacks to French patisserie ...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/e/5/n/saint-martin-wk/de5n-saint-martin-one-island-two-worlds.mp3 0:06 2 full Saint Martin: Salt, Sugar, and Empire https://qualla.com/saint-martin/ Saint Martin's colonial history is tangled even by Caribbean standards. Columbus sighted the island in 1493 and named it for Saint Martin of Tours, whose feast day it was. The Spanish showed little interest, and by the 1620s both the Dutch and French had established footholds, dr...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/e/5/n/saint-martin-wk/de5n-saint-martin-salt-sugar-and-empire.mp3 0:06 3 full Saint Martin: Maho Beach and the Jets https://qualla.com/saint-martin/ The Dutch side is home to one of the most photographed airport approaches in the world. Princess Juliana International Airport's runway begins just meters from Maho Beach, and arriving aircraft pass so low over sunbathers that the jet blast knocks people off their feet. Warning s...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/e/5/n/saint-martin-wk/de5n-saint-martin-maho-beach-and-the-jets.mp3 0:06 4 full Saint Martin: A Culture of Fusion https://qualla.com/saint-martin/ Saint Martin's population of roughly 75,000 speaks an astonishing range of languages. English dominates daily life on both sides despite the official languages being French and Dutch, and you will hear Spanish, Haitian Creole, Papiamento, and Portuguese on any given block. The Ca...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/e/5/n/saint-martin-wk/de5n-saint-martin-a-culture-of-fusion.mp3 0:06 5 full Saint Martin: After the Storm https://qualla.com/saint-martin/ In September 2017, Hurricane Irma struck Saint Martin as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds near 185 miles per hour. The damage was catastrophic on both sides of the border. Roughly 95 percent of structures on the French side were damaged or destroyed, and the Dutch side far...

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]]> Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/d/e/5/n/saint-martin-wk/de5n-saint-martin-after-the-storm.mp3 0:06 6 full