Today's port of call was Castries, St. Lucia, which is also the capital of this island. The population of Castries is 4,173 people who speak a dialect of French Creole as well as English. Founded in the 1600's by the French, it eventually became a coal station for the Royal Navy. Major fires destroyed this city three times over the years, as recently as 1948. St. Lucia is a huge destination for tourism these days with lots of things to offer. Tours and duty free shopping come to mind.
The Amsterdam arrived to the bay around 7:30am to mixed weather. There was some sun, a lot of clouds, wind, and scattered showers. It was much more comfortable compared to yesterday's port of Roseau. And we had company. Across the bay at Port Carenage was the Carnival Fascination, ship launched in 1994. At 70,367 gross tons, she holds 2056 guests and 920 crew members. Then while we were having breakfast, the RCI Freedom of the Seas sailed within feet of the Amsterdam to squeeze into the berth next to us at Port Seraphine. She was launched in 2006, with 155,000 gross tons, holding 3634 passengers and 1300 crew. With these three ships in port, our numbers far exceeded the population of the capital. In fact, it is more than double. We have to say, the folks in Castries have the resources to absorb that number of people with no problem.
The secret is getting the guests to book tours. Shore excursions offered 15 of them today. Most all of the tours went out of town to beaches, boating, horseback riding, scenic rides, and island exploring. That eased the foot traffic for the rest of us that do not take tours or taxis. The town was full of shoppers and diners. One place of interest that St. Lucia is famous for is The Pitons, two mountainous volcanic spires that seem to rise out of the sea. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, these spectacular cones are the most photographed peaks on the island. At 743 to 752 feet in elevation, these pinnacles stand out. In the Sulfur Springs area, you can see the only volcano that can be driven into with a car. There are smelly sulfur springs with bubbling mud pools there as well.
After our breakfast in the dining room, where we all thought the Freedom might run into us, we stuck around until 10:30am before we headed off the ship. We have been here a few times, but we figured the last visit had to be in 2014. Once we walked through the terminal and the numerous duty free shops, it all came back to us. The walk around the waterfront took us past the fisheries, over a bridge, and right to a series of souvenir, produce, and meat markets. And they were very large markets with so much to see, it was overwhelming. Not really needing anything, we ended up purchasing a $2 bundle of cinnamon sticks, and eventually one "diamond"-studded silky top suitable for dinner time. Wandering through the fruit and veggie markets, we saw many locals doing their daily shopping. Some of the vendors were not particularly friendly, nor did they like their photos taken. Always good to ask first, although you might expect some of them to ask for money. Prices were quite high we thought, but the numbers of tourists passing through here daily, these vendors do well. We did hear a lot of bargaining.
We ended up at Port Carenage, where a duty free building houses the typical Caribbean high-end shops like Effy Jewelry, Diamonds International, Columbian Emeralds, and Tanzanite International to name a few. On the second floor, we remembered we had located pizza, so we headed there by noontime. The restaurant was called Chef Robby's, and is located facing the harbor. Usually there is a nice view looking across at the Amsterdam. But today, the Carnival Fascination was docked there, and it was like a building in the water. Blocked any view totally. The cheese pizza was not exactly like we recalled, but more of an appetizer. Now the beer was good….Piton, locally brewed, it was cold and reasonably priced. Something that was unique to this restaurant was the bowl of water with a small fish swimming in it. And right on our table. The poor little thing looked frantic as it swam in circles for an hour. Off the beaten track, this small bar and veranda seating was full of customers by the time we left.
Roaming around the shops below, we ran into Greg and Heo, who had walked like us to get some exercise. We ended up hiking back together, and even got caught in a sudden rain shower on the way. The umbrellas came out, but were not needed for long. We got back to the ship by 2pm, intending to have a salad in the Lido. But we never made it there, since we got caught up with room work instead.
The sail away gathering at the Seaview Pool began at 4:30pm. Captain Jonathon announced that the Carnival ship would leave first, making it easier for us to turn around to head out of the harbor. So the ship ended up leaving closer to 6pm, but the Captain did take us by the Pitons to get photos, even though the sun had set, unceremoniously, and darkness was settling in. By then, most everyone had left, and few of us got the pictures. Oh well. Could be due to the fact we had a sudden shower that sent everyone running.
The Captain had also mentioned during his talk, that the seas would become rough as we head towards Devil's Island. The swells increased , and by the time we went to dinner, the ship was rolling pretty good. That continued through the night, making walking difficult. Conditions on the Dolphin Deck were not so bad, but the higher we went in the ship, the worse it got. Better search for that meclizine…..
As you might guess by now, dinner was good. One of us had prime rib ( tender and delicious), and the other had the rainbow trout, which looked more like salmon. Also quite good with no smell and no bones. A KFC-type chicken dinner kept the fellows happy, while the ladies ordered the liver and onions. One dessert of panna cotta was not quite cooked properly, so that was a bust. But the strawberry frozen yogurt was perfect.
Jeff McBride, a mysterious magician, was the act this evening. Greg and Heo said the 7 instrument musician was also good last night. Normally by the time the rest of us leave the dining room, the show is over, since they begin at 9:30pm now. No big loss for the rest of our group, because we have seen most of the acts already over the years.
And speaking of magic…..most of the sunflower seeds we planted last week have emerged in the window garden. Hopefully, the rest of the seeds will sprout soon. All it took was a lot of light, good soil, water, warmth, and perhaps a green thumb.
The clocks had to go ahead one hour tonight, and none of us like that, especially the crew. Good thing we have a day at sea tomorrow.
Bill & Mary Ann
