What a great day!

We woke up chipper and ready to go. After breakfast, we did the cultural stuff in Charlotte Amalie. The “Trail of 99 Steps” (meaning stairs) was calling. This led to Black Beard’s Castle at the top of a hill, which might not ever have housed the famous pirate, but now showed beautiful sculptures of a wide variety of possible pirates. The views of the bay and surrounding lands were spectacular!

And, around the castle.

Exploration continued at the bottom of the stairs, at an old fort with a long history. We had noticed the fort the first day we arrived, because the red walls with green shutters set a striking image.

The receptionist told us to start our self-guided tour in the dungeon —would we ever escape?

Although a lot of objects were exhibited, not much explanation was available. That was OK. It’s fun to explore a place built in 1671.

Next, we walked through the Emancipation Park, with its statues, monuments and Christmas decorations. Then a quick lunch, so we could get ready for our next adventure.

After lunch, we packed up our gear and hired a taxi, arriving in Sapphire Beach for a stay in a condominium. We set down our stuff and walked directly to the beach!

In this area, iguanas are as populous as the chickens were at the last town. Still quite a few chickens as well. Many iguanas were right outside our door, with some interesting color and size variations.

Our tiny room had two double beds rather than the queen size we were used to at home. Because we were so tired, we decided to use both beds. But in the middle of the night, Clare crept into Brian’s, and both of us slept better.

This day, Wednesday, we walked to Frenchtown eager to find the French Heritage Museum which was about a mile from our guesthouse. The automobile traffic was, and still is, a bit confusing. The Danish drove on the left when the United States bought the islands. Driving on the left remains, but now with U.S. vehicles that have left-side drivers. Weird, and happy to not have rented a car!

Near the museum was a large church. Unfortunately, it was closed.

Along the way, we found an egret wandering through some bushes.

In Frenchtown was a restaurant named for the French Quarter in New Orleans, where we had lunch. The photographs and decor were reminiscent of that famous musical city.

Dinner at a large restaurant on the waterfront include 2-for1 drinks!

Two geeks are heading to the Caribbean in January, this time visiting St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix with a planned day trip to Virgin Gorda.

The U.S. Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark in 1917. Part of the treaty documenting this transaction also recognizes Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland. A quote from the internet reads:

The 1916 Treaty of the Danish West Indies, through an accompanying American declaration, included a crucial mention of Greenland: the United States promised it would not object to Denmark extending its political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland. 

While the main convention focused on the sale of the islands (St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix) for $25 million in gold, the “Lansing Declaration” (signed by U.S. Secretary of State Robert Lansing) was a key condition demanded by Denmark. At the time, the U.S. had potential claims to parts of northern Greenland based on American expeditions, and the U.S. had previously applied the Monroe Doctrine to limit European colonial expansion in the Americas.

By issuing this declaration, the United States effectively:

• Renounced any potential American claims to Greenland.

• Recognized Denmark’s sovereignty over the entire island, paving the way for other nations to do the same. 

This agreement was integral to securing the transfer of the Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands) to American control in 1917, a move driven by U.S. strategic interests in protecting the Panama Canal during World War I. 

This is mentioned here in our blog only because of recent statements by some current U.S. government officials.

Our first (partial) day, wandering without much rest…

The best thing about our long travel day was a Clare side family Zoom at the airport in Denver. Clare heard news from siblings about themselves, our mom and lots of their grandchildren. The later plane, train and taxi rides were all fairly uneventful.

We arrived on St. Thomas Island in the afternoon at the town of Charlotte Amalie, which caters to tourist cruise ships. The taxis, which carry many people, call “Ship, ship!” whenever they saw us, giving people rides back to these giant ships.

Besides people, the most abundant species is chickens, uncaged, roaming the streets. Pretty feathers! Only one small chick.

We wandered around the town, getting a feel and finding possibilities for the next day. Our tiny room, at the top of three flights of stairs sported no microwave or refrigerator, and no restaurant was adjacent. So we needed to find a place to have breakfast.

We visited the Taphus, formerly the name for this entire area. Lots of tap beer at this hus! The buildings in the center of the town are made of stone and brick, dating from the 17th century.

We walked through tiny alleys and roads, noting that most of the shops sold – can you guess? Jewelry. People stood outside the shops, inviting tourists in with discounts or prizes depending on which cruise ship you were from.

We ate a lite, early dinner and stumbled back to our guest house. Sleeping 12 hours that night helped a lot.