Overnight
we arrived in the port of Castries, the capital and largest city on the island
of St. Lucia. 
St. Lucia Harbor
Our second most favorite island in the Caribbean, St. Lucia
covers a land area of 238 mi.² with a population of over 180,000. We have
always found St. Lucia to be the lushest and greenest of all of the
islands due to its tropical rain forest climate. 
Historic Home
Also, being close to the
equator the temperatures do not fluctuate much between summer and winter.
For
this visit we booked a shore excursion which was identical to the one we had
previously been on, but which would take us around the island with stops that
would highlight the island’s Creole culture. Our bus ascended 900 feet above
the harbor stopping at the home of a very prominent St. Lucian family who
contributed much to the island’s development and culture. 
Cocoa Pods and Beans
We toured the home
and had some fantastic views of the island and surrounding features from the
home’s porch. We next drove past the island’s governor’s home and then on past
a community college and a university. 
Nutmeg
Our final stop was at Howelton Estate, a
former working plantation established in 1896. Here we were told about Creole
farming traditions and shown some of the crops that were produced on the
plantation, including cinnamon, cocoa, and nutmeg. We were also given a demonstration
in the art of Batik, a cloth dying process originating in Indonesia. Next came
a demonstration of traditional Creole dance followed by refreshments of cassava
bread, fig jam, and punch. 
Jane and Her New Scarf
After the tour and demonstration we had some time to
peruse the gift shop, and Jane was able to find a dyed scarf that was calling
her name.
We return to our ship just as a deluge of rain was ending. We spent the afternoon relaxing and in the evening we had dinner at Caneletto’s Italian specialty restaurant.
Basseterre,
St. Kitts was our last port of call before returning to Fort Lauderdale. St. Kitts
and the neighboring island of Nevis constitute one country: the Federation of
St. Kitts and Nevis. 
Sunrise Over St. Kitts 
Welcome!
The land area of St. Kitts is 65 mi.² being approximately
18 miles long and 5 miles wide with a population of around 40,000.
Since
our last visit to St. Kitts, a new cruise ship pier had been built along with a
modern and expanded duty-free shopping area featuring an extensive selection of
shops. 
New Duty Free Area
We made our way off the ship and started to shop some of the gift shops.
Jane thought that a couple of the shops had some real bargains so that is where
she focused her energy. She made a couple of purchases and then we walked out
of the duty-free area and into the old town. 
Park and Catholic Church
We came upon Independence Park
which was located next to a Catholic church. It was Sunday and church was just
letting out, so we went inside to take some pictures. Over the rooftops we
could see the belltower of another church, so we ambled off in that direction.
Inside the Anglican Church
We arrived at the church, another Catholic Church turned Anglican by British
troops. This church was also just ending services so we were able to go inside
and capture the moment.
We made our way back to the duty-free area where Jane made a couple of additional purchases before heading back to the ship. We will spend the next two sea days attending some presentations, spending down our cabin credit, and thinking about packing and getting ready to disembark the ship. All in all it was a pretty enjoyable cruise and we wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
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