St. Croix

Today we had an earlier than usual excursion, a “Culture and Flavors of St. Croix” walking tour. We met our group at 8:30, then walked down a long pier to the starting point.


Our guide, Rao, told us his family has been here for seven generations! He left for college, but returned and is the executive chef at the country club. He explained the history of the island, with ownership changing from the Spanish (after Columbus) to France and England, back to Spain, and finally to Denmark.  Denmark was the first country to discover how to make the island profitable, from sugarcane, tobacco, and indigo.  They brought slaves to work on the plantations, but years before our Civil War, the slaves rebelled under the leadership of “General” Buddhoe. They gathered in the square outside the fort, armed with their farming tools, and the Danish governor quickly decided to announce their freedom from the roof of the fort. The second photo below shows an artist’s depiction of the bloodless rebellion.



Then we toured Fort Frederik, built by the slaves and now a museum.

View inside the fort

View of our ship from the roof of the fort

Illustrating the thickness of the walls, which have survived many hurricanes 

Upstairs we were able to see some of the beautiful mahogany furniture made from native trees. The wood is prized for durability and for resistance to termites and rot.  
Bed in officer’s quarters 

Mahogany commode

Planter’s chair, caned with husks of sugarcane 

Two cradles, one with mosquito netting 

The U.S purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917 for $25 million, and residents received U.S. citizenship in 1929.

By this point in the tour, we were really hot and tired, so we bowed out and returned to the ship. We missed sampling pastries at the art museum that was the final stop, but we were glad to get back and cool off.

Tomorrow we will be in Roseau, Dominica. Our excursion was canceled but Charlie found a good lunch spot, so we’ll walk around on our own. I will leave you with this beautiful rainbow photo taken from our balcony.



Comments

  1. RachelJanuary 13, 2026 at 11:19 AM

    Amazing rainbow shot! And love that mahogany furniture. I didn't know it was resistant to rot! I should get some for Houston.

    ReplyDelete

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