St. Barts

There are certain things that spoil you in land life. The ability to just get up and go is one of them.

I like to take walks, along the beach, around the neighborhood, and hikes up the foothills by my home.

On my ship, this is just not as easy and walking out the door. But it offers something home can't.

Yesterday, the ship was in port from 8-6. I work until noon and have off until four. So at noon, I boarded a little tender boat for the twenty minute shuttle ride to the port.

Now what. Every day a new port. It is not like I can hike that trail I like so much. First I have to find a trail. And who knows if there are trails to be found?

So I walk around town. With an excellent feel for towns and their layouts, from many trips to many different cities, and with luck, I found myself, yesterday, on a steep road to the highest point of St. Barts.

St. Barts is like Santa Barbara, foothills by the sea, a lot of the same vegetation, but with more humidity, a quaint French corridor feel and wealth oozing from its perfectly sculpted, pampered, bronzed pores. You see small cars, smart cars, atvs and vespas sharing the roads. Restaurants with signs boasting interesting fusions, French BBQ and Santa Fe Caribbean.

I love the turquoise, pink, sky blue, earthy orange, mint green houses adorned with white shutters and terra cotta colored, slate-styled roofs. Bougainvillea of every color pops out through every adobe style fence, and doors are left wide open to revealing hearty style, slightly weathered wood furniture.

These are all thoughts I had this morning… and took absolutely no pictures of yesterday.

I sit here, in the Palm Court, deck 11, watching our slow arrival to St. Kitts, appreciating the sunrise and appreciating my sore legs from my walk to the top of St. Barts.

I miss being able to walk out my door at any time and just take a walk, like I can on land.

On the other hand, it is cool to step off the ship and have a walk I have never done before, just minutes away, with brand new sites to see.

That is my ship far away.



Cool: Brightly colored French-Corridor style homes facing a turquoise sea and a brand new walk, with new sites, just a minutes away from home.