US Virgin Islands - St Croix - in the Town of Christiansted - Day 3 of 8

 

On the fort in downtown
Christiansted

The Customs House - 
they brought the yellow bricks from Denmark


What is not to love about the US Virgin Islands. We are spending 8 days on St Croix. It is sort of an accidental trip. We were trying to book a flight to Miami to catch a cruise - but the prices were $800 each from Tallahassee to Miami - just for the plane. The next day Lulu found this flight to St Croix for $240 round trip each. Tallahassee thru Miami to St Croix. We read up about the Virgin Islands and changed our whole plan. 

The United States bought these islands for $25 million from Denmark in 1917. They wanted a presence here - and this was a bargain. This was the center of the Denmark West Indies Company. They dealt in sugar - rum - cotton - SLAVES. There is a national park right in downtown Christiansted of the fort - trade gate - customs house - and a 300 year old church. Funny - when we walked in - no one at the gate was there to see or collect tickets. We went in and self-toured. I could not imagine how slaves felt getting off the ships - whether they were happy to be on land - or concerned about their new labor situation. It gave the same feelings when we visited the leper colony on Molokai - such a beautiful place - but so isolated - and abandonment of hope - all ye who enter. 

Virgin Islands are tropical - which means - summer all year. Even the condo that we are in - only recently had air conditioning installed. There is a constant ocean breeze and 80s in the days - and 70s in the night. We crossed the Tropic of Cancer on the way here - so in the summer - the sun is directly overhead at noon - straight up. You feel like the French Fries at McDonalds. It is like Hawaii - except instead of being 10 hours away - it is 2.5 hours east of Miami. I am sitting on our balcony - because I can use really fast wifi from the adjacent swimming pool. About 10 float planes have landed or taken off while I am here. They go to the other Virgin Islands. We may take one to St Thomas. USA also got St John - St Thomas - in that $25 million in gold deal. 

Our condo is nice - right on the beach. The roads are not crowded at all. You drive on the left side of the road - but also sit on the left side to drive. That is different from England - New Zealand - Australia - where I recently drove. 

It is not crowded at all - which leads me to wonder - when is the busy time - if not spring break. 





Slaves came into the country and went right
by where this sign is today

This is our condo - right on the water - 
that is our car

We go down the steps -
out the gate to the beach

S tThomas is 40 mile north 

Roy Shartle Everhart died at this spot. 
His ship was sunk by a German U-Boat. 
July 4th - 1942. The USS Norlandia -
build in Manitowoc - Wisconsin



Our plane over the ship
sinking spot

Passing over a Bahama Island

Richard Nixon used to live on
Key Biscayne near Miami in 1972.
We visited it then. 

The white dome is the Florida Marlins stadium.
That is where the Orange Bowl was when 
Drew got his doctorate at University of Miami. 





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