Sailing back to Ft Lauderdale, we attended a lecture by a former high school history teacher. He said, “Let’s see, on this cruise we’ve been to San Juan, St. T-Shirt, and St. Jewelry.” Everyone laughed. Actually, both St. Martin and our last stop, St. Thomas, have a gracious plenty of souvenir/t-shirt stores and jewelry shops. As we were window shopping and occasionally going into the stores, much to my dismay, Bob seemed disinterested. I finally asked him why, and he said there is so much that it’s overwhelming. H-m-m-m, men!
St. Thomas, our last port. Now, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with St. John and St. Croix, it lies in the Greater Antilles some 1,000 miles from the southern tip of Florida. Its history started much the same as the other islands we visited. Those who first populated the islands were seagoing settlers who migrated north from South America and eastward from Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula.
Columbus came upon St. Croix on his second trip in 1493 and was greeted by arrows. He retreated and eventually claimed St. John, St. Thomas, and what are now the British Virgin Islands for Spain. Finding no priceless spices, he sailed off. The pirates arrived next. St. Thomas’ sheltered harbor became a favorite for Blackbeard, Bluebeard. and others. But in 1666, the Danes began colonizing the island and eventually named the harbor town (which we docked near) Charlotte Amalie, in honor of the wife of Danish King Christian V.
The Danes were the Switzerland of the Caribbean, maintaining neutrality during the European wars, and ruled St. Thomas mostly without interruption. Because of that and the perfect harbor, it became part of the triangular route that connected the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe in the trade of sugar, cotton, indigo and slaves. Slavery was finally abolished on July 3, 1848, now celebrated as Emancipation Day. Unlike other islands whose economies floundered with the introduction of the cheaper sugar beets, St. Thomas’ economy remained strong, leading to the development of shipyards, a good banking system, and a large merchant class. Charlotte Amalie had 101 large importing houses, owned by various countries, in 1845.
The United States showed interest in purchasing the islands from Denmark during the Civil War, as it wanted to establish a naval base there. The Danes finally agreed to a $2.5 million price for the three largest islands, and the transfer took place on March 31, 1917. Ten years later, the people were granted U.S. citizenship. The U.S. Virgin Islands today are an unincorporated territory--the people govern themselves and elect their own governor, but are not permitted to vote for our president or congressional representation.
Currently, about 60,000 people from 60 nations live on 32-square-mile St. Thomas, however, Virgin Islanders strive to maintain their “rich, spicy West Indian-African heritage.” Like the other islands, tourism rules the economy.
Our ship was docked too far from town for us to walk, but a mall had grown up within steps of the cruise ships and most stores were represented, so we took advantage of that in the morning.
In the afternoon we took an excursion to Magens Bay. On narrow switchback roads, our van climbed the interior mountain, and near the top we stopped to overlook the bay--just beautiful with the red-roofed houses and the turquoise waters. Of course there were some souvenirs for sale there as well as a small donkey named Monica Lewinsky with whom one could have photos…for a fee! When we came to the other side of the mountain, we stopped at another overlook to see the famous Magens Bay whose heart-shaped beach of white sand is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. At the park, we found the bay calm, and the bottom flat and sandy. It was perfect for playing in the water, walking the beach, and sunning with a book. I wore #75 sunscreen and, true to its claim, I didn’t look like I’d been out at all. We weren’t ready to leave and return to the ship. It was glorious, but we had 982 nautical miles (1.15 land miles equals 1 nautical mile) to cover to be back in Florida.
Our disembarkation was easy, and although the line through customs was long, it moved right along. We quickly found our ground transportation and were at the airport. Once again, going through security took hours of standing. It was a poorly organized system, and I thought several elderly people near us would collapse at any time. And again, there was not an empty seat on the airplane. There is no joy in air travel anymore. We are cattle, poked and prodded through the chute, after which we turn into sardines, to be packed body to body into a metal container. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could just blink and be at our destination!
I cannot end on that negative note, as there is such wonder to discover in seeing all the beauty that God has created. The geography of the world is as different and unique as its people. Traveling offers an amazing way to make history come to life and whets my curiosity to learn about many things. Perhaps best of all, by being introduced to people of other cultures, I can be more understanding of the challenges they face and less fearful of the differences between us. Mother Teresa gave us hope when she said, “Peace begins with a smile.” I try to sprinkle them everywhere.
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