5 Dec 2018
Our next
port was Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas. We decided on an historic tour of the
city and surrounding area. Its history
is steeped in the lore of the age of Caribbean pirates with Black Beard having
a castle on the heights above the city.
Today it is primarily a tourist destination known for its Danish
Colonial architecture. Because of
hurricane damage some of the sites were closed for repair but we did get to see
the view from Blackbeard’s castle.
Our last
stop on the tour proved to be the most interesting, the Pirates Treasure
Museum, near the waterfront. It has a
fantastic collection of pirate treasure and history. The staff of the museum
are the folks who found the ships and the treasure and have a vast knowledge of
the exhibits. One member was dressed in
a pirate costume I am sure everyone will recognize. We spent as long as we
could looking at the exhibits and talking with the staff, until we had to leave
to board the ship for departure. This is
a must see in Charlotte Amalie.
Our last
port was Philipsburg, St Marten. It also
has seen heavy damage from the hurricane season, but the waterfront was open
for business with some repairs still underway.
We just walked some of the shopping streets and enjoyed the scenery for
a couple of hours before heading back to the ship.