A place of rain forests, uncrowded beaches, historic ruins, and long dormant volcanoes, describes St. Kitts and sister island, Nevis. Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts, has a population of 14,000 residents and is one of the oldest cities in the Eastern Caribbean. In the past, it had been destroyed by colonial wars, fires, floods, earthquakes, riots, and hurricanes. Re-built more than once, today you can find resorts and hotels such as the Marriott in Basseterre, or the Four Seasons Resort in Nevis. Although Basseterre is charming, it is described as dilapidated. You would never know that if you never left Port Zante, where we docked today. Built on landfill in 1995, this 27 acre parcel houses 25 shops, bars, cafes, and arts & craft stalls.
The N. Statendam was not alone in port today. There was the RCI Rhapsody of the Seas at anchor, and another RCI Grandeur of the Seas across from us. It was a surprise to see Regent's Seven Seas Explorer in another slip, and a smaller vessel, the Spirit of Discovery, a Saga Ocean Cruise ship sitting off of the shoreline. That is a heck of a lot of passengers here. We know one thing. Very few people from the ships were in town, although a lot of them were in Port Zante. Shore excursions must have taken many guests to other parts of the island for a bus tour, or swimming at a beach, and a sugar train ride.
By the time we left the ship at 11am, the skies were dark and cloudy, but still warm. By the time we walked through the shops, it began to drizzle. Naturally, we had no umbrellas with us, so we waited out the rain. It stopped within minutes. Liquid sunshine, as they call it in Hawaii. Turning left out of the terminal area, we walked as far as a World War One monument, dedicated to those who died in that war from here between 1914 and 1918. Back to town, we hiked up Fort St. to a structure called the Circus, built in 1883. This is a monument that resembles the Piccadilly Circus in London. This one has a drinking fountain at the base and is placed in the center of a roundabout. Turning right from here, we headed towards Independence Square, the site of the slave market centuries ago. In the center is a large fountain. And there are many benches under the mature trees. Always a plus. Facing this park, was The Co-Cathedral, closed up tight.
Time to go back, we entered Port Zante and to the ship. This whole area was full of passengers from all of the ships. If these ships were full, we don't know how this area could handle it. We had some room snacks, then went to lunch in the Lido for a salad around 2:30pm. Later on, we went to deck 11 to get more panoramic photos of the city and the surrounds. That's when we saw the Spirit of Discovery pull into the bay, but not actually dock.
Before the sun set, we went back to deck 11 to discover the Regent ship had left. The folks on the Grandeur were having a fine time while dancing below the big screen on their pool deck. Must be a younger crowd there. By 6pm, the Grandeur left, leaving us all alone. We pulled away around 7pm, and then there were none.
Tomorrow's port will be St. Thomas. This port was skipped the last time we were due to the fact the Captain refused to Covid test everyone onboard. At least that is what we understood. Good news is that tomorrow's newsletter does not show any restrictions. We shall see………
Bill & Mary Ann
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Report #54 Basseterre, St. Kitts Wednesday - February 9, 2022 Mostly cloudy & passing showers
