Dear NEXT TRAVELER to St Croix!
Highlights/Recommendations:
1. visit the ruins at Ft Christiansted
2. buy a St Croix hook bracelet at Sonya’s
3. eat a burger at Shupes and enjoy the view of the boardwalk and beautiful water
4. Paradise Beach shells and sea glass and St Croix sign picture
NEXT Time: boat trip to Buck Island – snorkel National Monument, underwater guided trail
Our ship docked at Fredrickstand. The pier gate was slammed with locals offering tours and taxis. It was a bit overwhelming especially if you didn’t already have a plan or arrangements in place.
We walked a couple blocks along the shoreline and loved how beautiful the water and palm trees were. We ended up catching a local taxi van for $24 for 2 to Christandstand, on the other side of the island. It was a crazy taxi ride – the driver was flying and going 65 in a 30. He dropped us off in Christiansted in the shopping district.
We went to a large souvenir shop, walked the boardwalk, admired all the sailboats in the harbor, and the beautiful blue and green water. We walked a couple blocks to Fort Christiansted and met a local couple who took our picture and then recommended going through the fort and then buying a local St Croix bracelet from the original design jewelry shop, Sonya’s.
The fort was fascinating and the danish yellow exterior made it so tropical and beautiful.
The fort was constructed in 1738. The British occupied the colony in the early 1800s. The fort served as a colony jail and a notable inmate was the mother of Alexander Hamilton, Rachel Faucette because she refused to live with her husband any longer. she spent several months in a 10 x 13‘ so with one small window. Soon after being released, she fled to the British west Indies, where she met Alexander Hamilton’s father (wikipedia).
The fort ranger asked us if we had been down to the dungeon. When we told him we had not, he led us to that area of the fort. Once we went down into the dungeon and realized the conditions the prisoners had to be in for months and even years at a time, it became really sad. Then we started noticing each of the separate rooms and how they were actually cells and felt how isolating it would’ve been. We even went to where the original latrine was located.
At the top of the fort were the cannons and the overlook. We saw the room where the black powder was kept. It really was fascinating. We were very glad we took the time and made the effort to get there. After the fort, we walked a block up to the recommended jewelry shop, Sonya’s (2101 Company St Suite 1, Christiansted). Brad bought me a silver Saint Croix hook bracelet. The shop owner told us that it was designed by a lady who wanted to represent the culture in the area. It was stunning.
We walked back a couple blocks to where the taxi dropped us off and ate lunch at Shupes on the boardwalk. Shupes is a hamburger joint. It reminded us of a similar place on St. Thomas. They have menus on the table and you place your order on the menus. The burgers are amazing! Our waiter was a travel waiter from the mid-west and had just arrived at the island that day. He was planning to work for a few months and travel to all the surrounding islands. We loved the hour sitting on the upper deck and watching the ships in the harbor and enjoy the beautiful day.
We were having a hard time finding a taxi back to the ship port in Frederickstad. We ended up talking to a police officer and she showed us where the taxis park. We were really glad we had walked that way when we did because there weren’t any more taxis that came. A taxi driver that was already full promised he would be our backup if we didn’t find another way. Fortunately he helped us join on a bus from a private tour. Thank goodness for that! Lesson learned NEXT TRAVEL – make sure you have secured travel back.
When we got back to Frederickstad, we walked over to Paradise Beach and sat on the sand and admired the beautiful sunset and the ship at the dock. We couldn’t believe the shells, rocks and sea glass. It was unbelievable. The beach wasn’t that pretty, the sand was coarse, and dark, but the water was beautiful and the shells were unreal.
The island of St Croix was welcoming and friendly. We felt relaxed and enjoyed learning about the history of the island. On our NEXT TRAVEL to the island we want to visit Buck Island – Big Beards Adventure Tours seemed to be very popular.
Next Traveler 