It's too bad this is our last visit to St. Thomas on our cruise. We like it here, even more so today, since we were the only cruise ship in town. Unreal…..but nice. Considered America's paradise, the US Virgin Islands are located just 1000 miles away from southern Florida. There are three main islands that belong to the US Virgin Islands, and they are St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. Back on March 31, 1917, President Teddy Roosevelt purchased the islands for $25 million dollars, which these days, would be a mere drop in the bucket. For comparison, updating Veteran's Drive, a major thoroughfare, cost $42 million dollars a few years ago.
The N. Statendam arrived to the empty pier before 8am. Docking was easy as the ship nosed in to the closest slip to town and the Havensight Mall. It appeared that the weather was a mixed bag with cloudy skies that turned to frequent passing showers. A good sign of the rain was the appearance of a double rainbow as we sailed into the port.
Finishing up computer work, we stayed on the ship until 11am. By then, another crew drill had taken place, which is done often while in port. We had the best view of the "world cruising gypsies" in their yachts, catamarans, and sailboats that were moored in the bay. Regardless of the showers, many were busy at work maintaining their beautiful abodes. Also interesting was watching the many small zodiacs with the sailing folks coming to shore probably for necessary shopping like we do at home. No doubt, they are getting the price hikes here like the rest of the USA.
Our walk took us through the Yacht Haven Grande where we took pictures of the huge tarpon and smaller fish near the sushi café. There was no wind, so the water was much clearer than usual. Going all the way to the end of The Shops, we exited out a shortcut to Veteran's Drive. The showers held off until we reached the Legislature Building. Good thing we had brought the umbrellas. No one else had them that we saw, except locals. Bet we put them up and down at least a dozen times by the time we reached the bus depot and ferry landing.
On the hike back, we crossed the busy street at a crosswalk with a signal. You don't want to jay walk here, or you chance being the target of an aggressive driver. And there are many. At least we can say, there was no foul language from irate drivers heard here today. That is when the sky decided to open up and poured pretty good. With the sudden rain came a strong wind, so we ducked into the nearest store. They were selling souvenirs, but also jewelry. We weren't in there for two minutes, when a sales lady approached and offered help with anything we wished. Of course, we were just looking until the rain let up, but she did not take that as a "no" thanks. You know the drill is sizing you up according to the jewelry you are wearing. Today one of us had on small light blue pair of larimar earrings. Within seconds, she had a matching pendant in her hand to show me. Tempting, I already have one at home. Can't blame her for trying. The rain stopped and we left.
Making our way down a side alley, we found Dronningers Gade, the main street. This is where Diamonds International is located, and that's where we got a little charm that was a tiny purse for high-end shopping. Perfect for St. Thomas, since they are famous for the duty free bargains here. Across the road and near the post office, we saw the iconic 1829 Hotel, which appeared to be closed down. Heading towards the Vendor's Plaza, we walked through the Emancipation Garden, where slaves had been bought and sold. This garden is a monument to the freeing of the slaves in 1848. Strangely, the pedestal where a bronze bust of a slave blowing a conch shell was missing….sawed off. We wonder if that was a result of controversial statues being removed statewide? Surrounding the garden were two more monuments – one a bust of King Christian of Denmark, and the other a scaled-down version of the US Liberty Bell. Running around this garden were chickens, some with little babies. Guess we can call them spring chickens!
A quick pass through the Vendor's Plaza took us back to Veteran's Drive and the way back. It still rained a bit, and we were offered rides back to the ship in what they call safari buses. Those are the heavy duty pickup trucks with the extra- long beds with four rows of bench seating. We never panic when the rain starts…it's only water. For us, that's part of the fun.
Taking the shortcut back to Yacht Haven Grande, we skipped going to Havensight Mall. Those 60 shops are so small, we would not go inside any of them. Since masks are not required so much on the ship anymore, the passengers seem to think they are not needed once ashore. Not true. Signs were posted everywhere to wear masks inside, social distance, and wash hands/sanitize. Since our next test is tomorrow, we do not want to take any chances.
Back at the ship by 2pm, we stayed on the veranda and enjoyed room snacks. The dinner menu did not appeal to us in the dining room, so we made reservations in the Pinnacle Grill. Always nice to be good and hungry for that special meal. Also, while we were here, we traded 2 more bottles of the gifted bubbly wine for diet soda. With the addition of another delivery for President's Club for the following cruise, we should have enough to see us through to the end. Can't believe that is around the corner.
Checking our shipboard account, we discovered that a credit had been given for the loss of the internet while we were in Barbados. That was a nice gesture.
All aboard was 4:30pm, but Captain Eric came on early and delivered his short talk. We actually left at 4:30pm, and on the way out into the bay, another tail-end of a rainbow appeared. A very fitting way to remember our final visit to St. Thomas.
Dinner was nice as always in the Pinnacle Grill. We ordered the same dinners with wedge salads, clothesline bacon, 7 ounce filet mignons with onion rings and a baked potato. Starting with the warm baked bread and spreads, we were totally full. No dessert tonight. Not even the candies, as we seldom eat them.
Looking forward to a day at sea tomorrow.
Bill & Mary Ann
Friday, March 25, 2022
Report #97 Charlotte, Amalie, U. S. Virgin Islands Thursday-March 24, 2022 Rainy And Cloudy 78 Degrees
