February 11, 2015

At 6:50 a.m., the temperature was 24 C, with a moderate wind of 12 knots south and a blue sky with a ring of thin fluffy clouds around the horizon, thicker and grayer, so low that the clouds are covering the top of St. Kitts highest point.  The waves were a gentle ripple as we approached Basseterre harbour.  The Thomson Mein Schiff is already docked. We are waiting for the Carnival Conquest ship to dock for our turn. We docked in Basseterre, St. Kitts harbour as we ate breakfast in the Oceanview Café on Deck 14. 

Basseterre is the capital of St. Kitts. Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD) is the currency, the Exchange Rate  $1.00 USD = 2.70 XCD. St. Kitts and Nevis are volcanic islands with tropical vegetation. The islands were some of many West Indies islands fought over by the colonial French, England and Dutch armies.  St. Kitts' pre-Columbian Carib inhabitants knew their island as Liamuiga, or "fertile land," a reference to the island's rich and productive volcanic soil. Today that name graces St. Kitts' central peak, a 3,792-foot extinct volcano.

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At breakfast, we watched our ship make the final maneuver to dock alongside the Carnival Conquest.  We were looking forward to the 8:30 am departure for a ride on the narrow gauge St. Kitts Scenic Railway Tour which offers a journey on a train built between 1912 and 1926 to deliver sugar cane from the fields to the Basseterre sugar mill and now gives a tour of part of the island of St. Kitts. However, due to a last minute malfunction, after waiting an extra 30 minutes in the theatre, the announcement was made that it would be cancelled.  Passengers were advised that the excursion cost would be refunded to their account and could book any of the other available tours. Fortunately, after a 10 minute wait in line with up to five shore excursion staff assisting with re-bookings, we choose the 9:30 Essential St. Kitts and managed to get on the same 12 person mini-bus as Brendene, Brian, Elaine and Rod.  Steps were 4405.

We drove on the left side of the road mostly one way each direction on good road until we turned off the highway to get to the sites. We started driving through Basseterre (Bass Tare on the English side) and our driver gave us some history of buildings and places and pointed out many trees and flowers that grow on the island. Including The Treasury Building, or customs house, the domed colonial building that stands right on the waterfront is a reminder of the value of these islands as sugar colonies; Independence Square, built in 1790, for slave auctions and council meetings, this public square was officially named in 1983 to commemorate the independence of the island Federation of St. Christopher (Kitts) and Nevis from Great Britain. The centerpiece of the city's Georgian architecture is its Circus, a roundabout modeled on London’s Piccadilly Circus. In the centre of the Circus stands the Berkeley Memorial Clock which has four clock faces, on its bright green bronze tower.

At a viewpoint there was a view of the harbour, next, we saw a nesting place for birds with many of them in a collection of bushes and passed several ruins of former sugar cane plantations or factories. As we left Basseterre we passed an area of government houses for low income people and then a small ravine known as Bloody Point. By 1626 both the British and the French settlements were expanding at such a rate that the native Carib community began to perceive a threat to its very existence on the island. Joining forces with Caribs from a number of other islands, Chief Tegremare prepared to attack the European settlements. In the meanwhile, despite growing animosity between the French and the British, the two communities put aside their differences in order to mount a combined, pre-emptive attack on the Carib.  At this spot the water turned red from the massacre of over 2,000 Carib Indians. The survivors fled to other islands. Next we passed a Methodist Church built of stone in the 1820s.

When we turned to go to our first stop we briefly stopped at the petroglyphs where ancestors of the Carib indians had painted on boulders not far from Bloody Point.

The first stop was Romney Manor, home of the famous Caribelle Batik, where you can watch a demonstration of the wax and dye process of batik making using local cotton fabric.  The gardens were lovely.  The stores had lots of colourful clothing, cushion covers, quilting squares and tablewear. I bought a light blue print dress, to match Larry’s print shirt that he bought in St. Lucia.

We passed through Half Way Tree Village where in the late1620s the British & French colonists chose the great tamarind tree in the village to mark the border between the French and British territories on St. Kitts.

Before our next stop we passed St. Thomas Church, where is buried, in 1648, the founder of the British colony, Sir Thomas Warner. He was also a friend of the great great-grandfather of first American Treasury President Alexander Hamilton, who is on the American $10 bill.  Alexander Hamilton having been born on the island of Nevis, even though he had many years of service to the U.S., could not run for president because he was not born in the United States.

The next stop was Brimstone Hill Fortress and National Park, now a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site. With its flourishing the sugar output, St. Kitts & Nevis were coveted by both France and Britain. It needed defending so the British built the enormous fortress of Brimstone Hill, a seemingly impregnable bastion situated over 250 meters above the Caribbean Sea with a commanding view of the area.  Brimstone Hill Fortress took over 100 years of slave labour to construct and has been restored to its former glory. It was constructed on different levels and has a road leading to it with several hairpin turns. It was defeated by a siege by the French. After 45 minutes we had to return to the bus for return to the ship.

We went to the Oceanview Café for lunch and looking for a seat to eat our lunch we spotted Brian and Brendene.  After lunch, Brendene and I went into the downtown area and walked around the stores gathering free gifts – some pendants, some earrings and a keyfob.  We each also found some things to purchase before returning to the ship.  In the meantime, Larry went into the town and took pictures to the building and monuments. When we got back we had IGLU frozen coffee beverage on the Deck 5 verandah in the shade, temperature 28 C mainly sunny sky, wind NW at 6 knots. Steps 11784.

The ship left port at 5 pm into waves about 1 to 2 meters high.  It was Hanu’s birthday today, so there was birthday cake with our dessert. For dinner appetizers we ordered cold strawberry soup and citrus civeche followed by Greek Salad. Entrées were baked flounder, Lamb Shank, Chicken Fuseli or Beef Strip Steak. Besides the birthday shortcake, there was chocolate mousse and chocolate banana Napoleon. The dining room is about a two minute walk from our room, on the same deck.  Steps 12030

After dinner, we went to the show, Ovations, a production show with the ship’s dancers and singers.  At 10 in the Grand Foyer was a Dancing with the Officers “judged” fun event that people could view from all the three levels of the Grand Foyer.   Temp at 10:30 pm was 25 with a wind of 13 knots SW.  Total Steps 12,490