Next stop….St. Kitts and Nevis. View the YouTube video at \https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK30220Ythw In 1493, Christopher Columbus sailed by the island of St. Kitts. Although he named it Sant Jago (St. James), later Spanish explorers confused this island with another that Columbus named St. Christopher. As a result, the island became known as St. Christopher. The name St. Kitts was adapted from St. Christopher. Basseterre is the capital of the Confederation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the gateway to popular Saint Kitts beaches like South Friars Bay and Cockleshell Beach. In the heart of the city, Independence Square has an Italian-inspired fountain. Just off the Circus traffic circle, with its Victorian Berkeley Memorial Clock Tower, is the National Museum. In the stately Old Treasury Building, it explores the islands’ colonial past. And calling it Circus traffic circle is appropriate….it is a pretty crazy place! Actually, the name comes from England and is a reference to Piccadilly Circus in London. The clock tower was built in Glasgow and dedicated to the former President of the Legislative Council of St. Kitts, Thomas B. H. Berkeley, in 1883. Basseterre is one of the oldest cities in the eastern Caribbean. It was founded in 1627 by the French and served as capital of the French colony of Saint-Christophe. After a turbulent history involving both the British and the French, St. Kitts gained its independence from Britain in 1983. The city has one of the most tragic histories of any Caribbean capital, destroyed many times by colonial wars, fire, earthquakes, floods, riots, and hurricanes. Despite all of this, a considerable number of well-restored buildings still exist in downtown Basseterre. Port Zante is only used by cruise ships. There is a marina close by for other boats. The Port can accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world. It is built on a reclaimed 15 acre site and contains many shopping opportunities, including jewelry stores, clothing, rum and the St. Kitts Chocolate Factory. St. Kitts Chocolate Factory was started in 2007 and uses carefully selected superior organic ingredients to create handcrafted chocolates using the world’s finest Belgium chocolate, butter, purées, spices, and nuts. To say they are delicious is an understatement! http://www.stkittschocolatefactory.com We had a great time exploring St. Kitts. The city is easy to walk around. We got a great view of our ship from the top of the bell tower of St. George’s Anglican Parish Church, which was begun in 1856. The current building is the 3rd church built on this site, with the first being built in 1672 by Jesuit Fathers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._George%27s_Anglican_Church_(Basseterre) Surprises awaited around every corner…even a colorful donut shop! Right by the port, there was a cute red shack, selling wonderful smelling foods and local beers. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to explore the town and get to a beach, so I guess that will have to wait till next time!
Tag Archives: #CelebrityEquinox
St. Thomas, American Virgin Islands
I finally got the chance to visit St. Thomas…this has been on my bucket list for some time. Be sure to watch our video at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL_h2burcSo St. Thomas is the gateway isle of the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Caribbean and is known for beautiful beaches and snorkeling spots. Founded by the Danish in the 1600s, it is a busy cruise ship port. The British occupied the islands without a shot being fired. The British occupation lasted until April 1802 when the British returned the islands to Denmark-Norway. In December 1807, a British fleet again captured St Thomas and held onto it until November 1815, when Britain returned the islands to Denmark. In 1916, Denmark sold St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John to the United States and the island’s inhabitants were granted United States citizenship in 1927. We arrived on the Celebrity Equinox on March 27th in Charlotte Amalie. There are two docks for cruise ships at this port….Little Krum Bay and West Indian Company dock. We were at the one farthest from town…Little Krum Bay. It was a warm, humid day, which is to be expected….it is the Caribbean after all! Just beyond security, there were shops setting up for the day….one was a popcorn stand. These iguanas were making a beeline for them….guess they love popcorn too! They also love the rocks near the water….be careful while walking though….they can really run! Since we had not been to this island before, we took the shuttle into town. I think it was $3/person and they made us a deal, since we were a party of three. After climbing the 99 steps and visiting Blackbeard”s Castle, we happened upon Government House, a neoclassical, gracious three story white building with beautifully intricate ironwork along the balconies. Built between 1865 and 1867, it is a perfect example of the grandeur of official buildings during Danish colonial time. The guards allowed us access to the main lobby, which has display boards of the islands’ governors including Danish, Naval and Civilian; two small paintings by renowned Impressionist artist, Camille Pissarro; and three murals by Italian-American artist Peppino Margravite. My husband was very excited to learn that Camille Pissarro was born in Charolette Amalie, so off we set to find his home. It is now an art gallery, but worth a short visit. This is the hallway leading to the stairs. After our explorations, we were hot and tired, so headed back to the ship for a quick lunch, then off to the beach for some snorkeling. We decided to stay close to the ship. We grabbed a taxi for the short trip to Emerald Beach. This beach is right by the airport and we were treated to lots of planes taking off. The water was warm and wonderful. Near the rocks, we found lots of fish. We swam for about an hour or so, then went back to the ship to get ready for sail away. We had a wonderful visit to St. Thomas!