Continuing the photo review of our Caribbean "Island holiday"--
this time we are traveling to the
beautiful island of St. Lucia~
It's miserable, cold and rainy
here today as I post these photos ---
sure makes me wish we were back
where the sun was shinning
and the breezes were
warm~
of all the Caribbean islands
that we have visited~
St. Lucia has one of the most
picturesque harbor views.
sailing into St.Lucia
is truly beautiful --
it's one of those places
that makes you want to go
snap, snap, snap
with your camera~
~we almost always have our island day activities
planned in advance,
but a necessary last minute change of plans
found us "seeking new adventures"...
hence...
our amazing day in
Pigeon Island National Park
~
we told our taxi driver-- "take us to a lovely beach,
someplace NOT crowded, someplace where all the other
cruise ship folks WON'T be" ~
Pigeon island is not really an "island"--
located at the tip of St. Lucia
it has the distinction of being unique in that
the rough and turbulent Atlantic ocean is on one side,
while the calm Caribbean ocean is on the other~
~
(click here for more info about
Pigeon Island)
There is a small entrance fee to the park--
(about $7 US)-- once you are inside you can walk
the grounds, visiting the incredible
ruins, walk along the beach,
snorkel, dive, and--
climb the hill to the fort
for the most amazing views ever!
Just saying the word "ruins"
makes my heart beat
faster!
~
these ruins dating back to the 1700's
are definitely worth
are few hours of your time~
there were some
amazing "Kodak" moments
everywhere you looked~
we spent about 2 hours walking around the ruins
and along the coastal road that leads
to the tip of the "island"
lots of history here in this little
place~
just another"Kodak" moment!
sigh~
I was so happy to be here among
this amazing history and stunning scenery ---
sometimes, things just work out for the best.
Our last minute change of plans
had brought us to a wonderful new place.
doesn't everyone take "silly selfies"?
~
that's the fort in the background --
come on,
we are going UP!
it's a bit of a climb--
and I'm wearing a sarong and flip flops--
should be interesting!
we'll start our climb here~
the climb gets steeper and steeper
and then---
yep---
we gotta climb that ladder.
in. my. flip flops.
it's an adventure -- right?
THIS-- is the view from the top!
worth the climb,
don't you think?
~and another beautiful view
just in case you want
to read a little history of
Fort Rodney~
we're smiling because
this has been THE most awesome day!
~
a little lesson in gravity--
"what goes up, must come down"
so, back down the ladder I go--
in. my. flip flops.
my reward for being such a good sport--
lunch!!
this quaint little restaurant
is at the very end of the beach
inside the National Park~
~
(just in case you are wondering--
I had the tomato lentil soup AND
the black cherry cream cake:)
and -- I earned every single bite
climbing up that ladder!
the view from our table~
after lunch--
a little beach time~
the water was crystal clear, and calm and
so warm!
and of course~
the pina colada boat
(2 for $5 -- just in case you want one!)
we were in port from 8 am-5 pm--
plenty of time to walk around the ruins,
climb to the fort, have a nice little lunch,
and finish the day off at the beach~
~
now,--
we are back on the ship
enjoying a beautiful sunset sail away~
a little glass of wine for the
beautiful sail away~
(don't laugh at our wine glasses--
its the best we could do!!)
my favorite sunset sail away picture~
and so ends our lovely, unplanned,
but totally wonderful,
day in St. Lucia
~~~~
Next up--the final post for the "Island holiday" series --- I'm taking you to beautiful St.Kitts. If you missed the first post in this series -- (Bonaire)-- you can find it here.
Some updates~
The deadline has passed and all the donations have been given for the "Josephine's" children charity project. Once again -- you have totally given of yourselves and exceeded every estimation that I had for this project. Here are YOUR totals --- $2011 in cash collected for these needy children. Almost all of the donations were small amounts --less than $10. That should give you an idea of how many wonderful generous folks donated to this amazing cause. Your Walmart gift card donations totaled just over $200. Add that to the already amazing totals!
Your craft donations -- OMG --- they just kept coming and coming and coming! Our plan was to fill one box -- now we are going to fill 3! My friend Sue is starting to make purchases for supplies and clothing for the children with your donated cash and Walmart gift cards. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have done for these children --- sometime later this year, I will share photos of the children opening their gifts. Josephine has promised to take photos the minute the gifts and supplies arrive in Uganda. My heart is so full of gratitude for the generous way that you have responded to the needs of these little ones --- bless you all for your kindness and generosity.
Love, love,love,
Vicki
PS--
~~ Don't forget ---- if you want to participate in the BIG party, the deadline to enter your blog is January 15. You can find all the info here.
