A Touch of St Thomas ---

I’m still going through cruise photos! Every port was a different adventure, how can I put it all into so few posts?

There is something other-worldly about going to sleep at sea, and waking in a different port each morning. I’ve also wanted to travel by train that way…with a sleeping car, something I’ve never done, but we’ll save that for another adventure.

As I awoke on this particular morning this was the view that awaited us outside our balcony door:

The sun was just shining on the water..the decks below were still empty of passengers. We got up about 6:30am each morning to go power walk the deck and plan our day ahead.

We could see land in the distance, but this morning was a later arrival, so we had time to do our “Thing” and get breakfast and shower before we reached port! I’d never been to a US Virgin Island before…and it seemed strange that this little piece of paradise IS part of the US! But even the license plates ((As shown above)) say so!

First on our agenda? A short hike into town to go buy our gondola tickets for a ride to the top of the mountain. Many were hiring taxis to drive them to the location where the gondola started, but heck…it wasn’t THAT far, was it?

This is from the top…..looking down on the gondola cars as they come up the hill..can you see our ship WAY down there? It was the perfect vantage point!

This was the view from our gondola window…climbing higher!

At the top…I had NO idea that St Thomas was so mountainous, or that there would be so many different coves and inlet/outlets. IN the far far background I think you can see the cove where Oasis of the Seas was anchored/docked/moored whatever you call it!

Lori at the top of the observation area…what a backdrop for a lovely lady!

Can you tell from my plastered sweaty hair and my drippy sweaty neck just how HOT it was already this morning?? But what a view!

Just LOOK at that water….and yes, it really WAS that color! If not even more vibrant in person.

Here I caught a b it of the tram wires, the ship, and the Ferris Wheel in the pic…..

From the tram, we hoofed it into town, in the heat…carrying our bags with our beach gear. We were bound and determined to spend some sand time, but we didn’t want to take an excursion with 3000 other people to a big fancy beach. We wanted local time….so we asked a guy at the local watering hole who was manning the bar ((He was originally from CT and had been there in the islands over 10 years and never missed being stateside!)) just WHERE would be the best place to go. He told us to take a taxi, it would run about $6 each, and to head for Lindbergh Beach. Near the airport. Lindbergh/airport..get it? I did!

But first..a bit of wandering around town. Some shopping, some lunch…and then we’d go!

Got your “Quilters Eyes” on? Look at the color in this pic of this interesting OLD OLD building. I have NO idea what this building was or what it was used for, but that vibrant red against the turquoise sky just does something, doesn’t it?

US Post Office! Look at the mailboxes, don’t they look familiar? But LOVE LOVE the mustard yellow building with the green shutters and white trim, and more of that blue blue sky.

Quilters Eyes Wide Open notice the FABRIC sign right off! But it took LORI to point out what was in “small print!”

It’s not what they call you, it’s what you answer to! LOL!! So what was inside??

UUUUmmmmm…claustrophobia!! And heaven forbid you don’t want the bottom bolt! There were not a lot of quilting cottons, but mostly dress making fabrics of the non-wrinkling slinky kind. Still fun to see though!

But this is what we wanted…to be away from town, to be away from tourists….and it only cost $6 bucks a piece to get there!

Further down the beach it was kind of resorty, but not as populated as the OTHER big beaches. And I really wouldn’t want to STAY here…because, as I said, it is VERY close to the airport….there were planes taking off and landing quite close by. But still….we even found SHADE…under a sea grape tree!

We don’t have sea grapes in North Carolina, at least not where I live! These things are huge, and really interesting looking.

See how large the leaves are? It was a boon to find this spot right under the tree and enjoy our beach time.

That little head in the center is Lori..LOL! It was shallow all the way out that far! And the water was cool and refreshing. We took turns so we could each stay with our “stuff”.

I wanted to get BOTH of our feet in there, but Lori said she does not DO feet and to keep her feet out of it…so here are mine, in the blue blue aquamarine water. BLISS!

When we’d had enough, we caught our taxi back to the yacht haven walk so we could walk our way back to the ship from there. It was a SUPER GREAT memorable day! And I know I’m leaving out parts…just trust me. GO!

And with that, I’m off to Wichita…catch you from there!