The fifth day of our cruise was the port of St. Kitts. We enjoyed the St. Lucia excursion so much that we actually went the night before and added an excursion for St. Kitts. There were so many to choose from, but we ended up choosing the Fortress tour and I am so glad that we did. Just like the day before, we met our tour guide in the auditorium at 9:30 a.m. The tour lasted approximately five hours giving us two hours to shop and explore the city on our own. St. Kitts is a beautiful island with many similarities to the United States.
Welcome to St. Kitts!!!St. Kitts was originally named St. Christopher when Christopher Columbus first spotted the island in 1493; some natives still refer to the island as St. Christopher to this day. Nevis is an island two miles from St. Kitts and they were two separate entities until 1883, when they were forced together under one presidency. St. Kitts and Nevis gained its independence in 1983 from Great Britain and is now its own country in the Lesser Antilles.Our excursion started in Basseterre, the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis. As you can see the road is like the other islands, no yellow or white lines and they drive on the opposite side of the street and the driver’s side is on the opposite side.St. Kitts and Nevis depend on tourism as it is their only source of economic income. However, they are known for their medical and nursing schools and students come from all over the world to St. Kitts to attend college, many from the United States. College tuition revenue is over $5 million, which plays a huge part in the economic welfare.Driving north along the coast we came across a tree full of brown pelicans, which is the national bird of St. Kitts and Nevis.Bloody River is also known as Stone Fort River. This is where British Settlers violently massacred 2,000 Amerindian inhabitants in 1626. The name comes from the blood that ran down into the river for 3 days after the massacre.This is believed to the the only original structure remaining from when the Amerindians settled here in the 1500’s.Old Road Town was settled in 1624 and was the first capital of St. Kitts before being replaced by Basseterre in 1727.This is the “bottle tree” that is also known as the “drunk tree.” We passed by it on our way up the west coast.One of the places that we stopped on our tour was Romney Manor, which is an old sugar cane plantation that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson’s great-great-great grandfather. Now it is known as Caribelle Batik, which sells handmade wraps, dresses, and pictures.St Kitts and Nevis receives up to 50 inches of rain a year keeping all the plants so lush and green.This 350 year old saman tree is 24 foot in diameter and covers almost half an acre. It is one of the most popular sites at Romney Manor.This bench is made out of an original wagon that was used at Romney Manor. The ground is made up of 10 acres and has very a rich history, it is rumored that this was the village of the Carib Indian Chief. Later in the 17th century, the grounds were turned into a sugar cane plantation that ran until the 1920s.In 1974, Romney Manor produced its first Caribelle Batik. They use an ancient Indonesian method of resisting dye with wax. This is one of the workers demonstrating the process of putting wax on everything they do not want a certain color, then they dip it and let it dry. After it is dry, they remove the wax and start the process over again for another color. They entire process takes about nine days.Here are a few samples of the wall hangings that you can purchase. Everything from the stencil to the waxing is handmade, therefore no two pieces are identical.Seen here are some of the pieces drying outside.This is reminiscence of the sugar cane plantation. In 1834, Romney Manor became the first estate to declare their slaves free men. Also, the grounds have only been owned by six families since the 17th century.St. Thomas Anglican Church was built in the 17th century and was the first Anglican Church in the Eastern Caribbean. Samuel Jefferson, the great-great-great-grandfather of Thomas Jefferson is buried here along with Thomas Warner, the first governor of the West Indies.After we left Romney Manor to head further north up the west coast, the driver stopped to point out wild monkeys, as you can see in the bottom left corner. The population of St. Kitts is about 45,000 but there are over 80,000 monkeys on the island.This hill was first used in 1690 when the British mounted cannons to capture Fort Charles from the French. For 100 years after that Brimstone Hill Fortress was constructed. The fortress is built out of brimstone and limestone, therefore it is one of the best preserved historical fortifications in the Americas.Due to the fort’s steepness in height and seeming invulnerability it was known as “The Gibraltar of the West Indies.”In 1782, the French invaded the fort with 8,000 troops and “The Great Siege” last for the months of January and February. In the end, the British were forced to surrender to the French.In the visitor’s center there is a short ten minute video explaining the history of the fortress. Little miss couldn’t sit still for ten minutes, so Chris explored the grounds with her while we watched the video.A beautiful view from the first level of the fort.The fortress sits 800 feet above sea level, and you walk up a very steep walkway to get to it.Here we are walking through the entrance of the fortress.Pictured here is Anastasia island which is seen in the distanceA family picture looking out across the ocean at Anastasia Island.Brimstone Hill Fortress was returned to the British by the Treaty of Versailles in 1783.The fort was then abandoned in 1853 by the British and the structure gradually started to deteriorate.A photo opportunity on the main level of the fort. Restoration of the fort started in the early 1900s, however it wasn’t until 1973 that the first area was completely restored and reopened. Brimstone Hill Fortress was named a national park in 1987 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.The view from the top of the steep pathway. The fortress is open everyday with the exception of Christmas Day and Good Friday from 9:30-5:30. The cost is $10 in US Currency and children are half price.Located in the Frigate Bay area, Timothy Hill lookout has a view of the Caribbean Sea on the right and the Atlantic Ocean on the left. Here at Frigate Bay, it is the richest area on the island and it has the largest resort which is the Marriott. For $445,000 US dollars you can gain instant economic citizenship with a furnished house on the island of St. Kitts.At Timothy Hill lookout, you can get your picture made sitting on a donkey or holding a monkey for $5 US currency per photo.The tour ended in Basseterre where you can explore the capital or do some duty free shopping. At every port, there is duty free shopping and that means it is tax free when you show your ship Identification. Seen here are some native street performers in the shopping area.We decided to grab lunch at a local restaurant that was located in the center of Basseterre.This is the menu and it is updated daily.Chris had the chicken curry and rice, that is seen here.This is a Johnny Cake, which is a pulled chicken sandwich with lettuce. We also had the homemade lemonade; it was so delicious that we each had two glasses.A view of the ocean from Basseterre. Notice how dark the sand is on the beach.The “Circus” is a roundabout in the center of Basseterre that is modeled after Piccadilly Circus in London. In the center of the circus is Berkeley Memorial, which is a drinking fountain and a clock that has four sides. Each side faces one of the four streets entering the circus. The clock was erected in 1883 in memory of Thomas Berkeley, a former legislator and estate owner.This picture was taken in the hallway of the National Museum. The museum opened in 2002 and is located in the Old Treasury Building, which was built in 1894.Walking along the street, we seen a delivery truck parked on the side of the street and the entire back was filled with Coca-Cola bottles. However, we noticed that the bottles were labeled as Caribbean Classic Cola. When purchasing items in St. Kitts and Nevis always ask if the price is US currency because they use the Eastern Caribbean Dollar and the exchange rate is 2.7 ECD to 1 US dollar. So remember, if the price is $27 EDC, that is $10 in US currency.Independence Square was originally named Pall Mall Square and was a place for relaxation in the 1730’s. It then became a market place for selling and trading on Sundays. In 1792, a court house was built and the square became the center of the administration. Later, in 1983, this area was renamed Independence Square to commemorate the birth of a new nation.One of the oldest trees on the island located in Independence Square.The Basseterre Co-Cathedral of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church was originally built in 1706. After being demolished several times, the one seen today was built in 1927.Beginning in 1713 it was against the law for Catholics to worship in public. This law stayed in place until 1829, then in 1835 an influx of Portuguese migrated to St. Kitts and revived the practice of Roman Catholicism.There are nine parishes that make up St. Kitts. Each parish has two to three villages, as well as, their own church and school. St. Kitts and Nevis has a 95% literacy rate and everything on the island is imported.After exploring the capital, we decided to do a little duty-free shopping. This statue was located outside one the stores and little man was not excited about getting his picture made with it.We had to be back on the ship by 4:30p.m and after a long day of exploring, we went to the top deck and took a picture looking back on the city of Basseterre.That is where the shipped docked for us to get off at port. St. Kitts is a beautiful island with a lot of history and one that I would highly recommend visiting.
