Thursday, December 26, 2019

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Tonight's picture was taken on December 10, 2008. Mattie was admitted to the hospital because he was running a fever and feeling awful. You will notice there was a pillow in front of Mattie. He literally took his head off the pillow for a few minutes to greet Santa and Mrs. Claus. I snapped this photo and Mattie's head went right back down. Santa brought Mattie several of his favorite toys (with coaching from Mattie's child life specialist), which you can see sitting in front of Mattie.  







Quote of the day: The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails. ~ William Arthur Ward

We celebrated Christmas in the Coral Dining room. Our two wait staff are from South Africa (Danielle and Lezann). Danielle snapped this photo of us. Ironically she takes a better photo than one of the ship's photographer. 

Peter captured the three of us. There are three formal nights on this cruise, and Christmas was our second formal night. 

This morning we watched our ship come into the port of Barbados. Our ship docked in a completely different location from where we have been in the past. Given where we were located it required about a "20" minute walk from the ship to the port building. Peter decided to take a selfie of us walking today. I thought it was absolutely hysterical that able bodied people were taking the free shuttle from the ship to the port. It truly was a very easy walk and given we are cooped up on the ship, stretching one's legs is important.

My mom and I posed by the Barbados greeting sign! 

I am not sure why I did not recognize Barbados today, but I didn't. It is true that it is the day after Christmas and a lot of the stores were closed, yet even with that I honestly did not remember how impoverished the neighborhoods looked.

We snapped a few photos of some of the neighborhoods we passed to give you a better idea of what we observed. 

Just like in Antigua and St. Kitts, in Barbados, people drive on the opposite side of the road from us! Given that the British were the first settlers on this island in 1627, you can still see many of the British influences. 

The island was decorated for Christmas!

This is the George Washington House in Barbados. It is a historic house where the future first U.S. President George Washington visited, in 1751. He was 19 years old at the time and traveling with his ailing older half-brother Lawrence Washington, who had fallen victim to tuberculosis. It was thought that the warmer air would be therapeutic for Lawrence. 

Lawrence's wife had family living on Barbados. However, his wife was unable to travel with him to the island, so George decided to accompany his older brother instead. George Washington's visit to the island was purely by chance (his brother getting sick, and his brother having in-laws living on the island). However, his 6 weeks on the island proved to be informative and ultimately gave him the insights and leadership to defeat the British and gain independence for the USA.

Back then the house was known as the Bush Hill House, a former plantation house, appropriately titled due to the fact that it was located on Bush Hill, which is a stone's throw away from the Garrison (fortress) Savannah. In 2011, the property was designated as a UNESCO protected property within the World Heritage Site of Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison area.

Historians have deliberated over the exact location of the house in which George and Lawrence stayed, however careful examination of George’s diaries from that period have confirmed Bush Hill House as the correct site.

Though this large table did not exist during the time George Washington visited this home, the table is now used to host dinners with a mock George Washington every month or so. Guests can dine with George and learn all about his life over dinner. 

During his time in Barbados, George Washington contracted smallpox but in time healed and gained immunity from the virus. Immunity which saved his life years later during the American War of Independence in the USA. While his troops were falling ill around him, Washington was able to continue leading his armies to victory. Having immunity from smallpox, would never have happened for him if he hadn't visited Barbados and contracted the disease in the first place. It is said that Washington's trip to Barbados was fortuitous for him. 

The second way his trip to Barbados was fortuitous for him, was he gained knowledge regarding the success of the sugar trade on the island with England. He knew the British would protect this trade at all costs. So during the American Revolution, it is said that George Washington, diverted the attention of the British troops from the United States to Barbados. As he brought the French into the conflict and the French wanted to eliminate the British from their hold over the sugar trade in the West Indies. In any case, the British landed up sending a large portion of their troops to Barbados and in the process, this enabled George Washington to gain a strong hold on the British and win the American Revolution. I was very intrigued by how ONE trip and experience truly altered the course of George Washington's life! 

This was the room George Washington literally slept in when he visited the island with his brother.  

This was his brother, Lawrence's room. Because Lawrence was so ill from tuberculosis, he rarely left the house. However, George was only 19 and was a surveyor by trade. He spent a lot of time visiting people and learning about the island.

On the outside of the home, we found this gigantic caterpillar. He actually had many friends all around him. I can't imagine the huge butterfly this fellow produces! If Mattie were with us, I know he would have wanted to take one of these creatures home with us. 

After walking through where George and his brother stayed, we then went to check out the tunnels. Accessible only from George Washington House, these tunnels were re-discovered purely by chance in June 2011. They were built sometime during the 1820’s and they are soon to be 200 years old.

Originally constructed to provide drainage to the area (the first such system in Barbados; since the island had a significant yellow fever and malaria problem from standing water), oral history has indicated that they were adopted for use as ‘escape routes’ for the Garrison (fortress) troops, should the area have ever been invaded.

These tunnels are not great for anyone who maybe claustrophobic. They are dark, extremely narrow and at times it felt like the ceiling was closing in on us. What made it manageable was the simple fact that we weren't down there for very long. 

Unchanged for 200 years, the arched roof of the Garrison Tunnels was carved through limestone rock. They say the way that the tunnels were engineered was so well thought out that when it rains, it actually cleans out the tunnels.

The Barbados Garrison, largest in the British Colonies during the 18th and 19th centuries, is of great historic interest.  It was established in 1780 as the military headquarters for the Imperial Forces stationed here until 1905/6.  

Today it is the home of the Barbados Defense Force including the Barbados Coast Guard Force. 

While at the armory, we were treated to a cup of Sorrel. Sorrel is consumed as part of a Christmas tradition in Barbados although you can drink it all year round. Bajans love to drink sorrel as it is said to kill certain types of cancer cells. 

My mom and me outside the Armory. 

Our tour guide, Peter, took us into the armory museum. Where he literally had about 30 of us sitting on cannons while he lectured us. I am all for a good lecture, but his talk put 3/4 of the group to sleep. I can attest to the fact .........that YES it is possible to sleep on top of cannon.

Peter and I in front of the Caribbean Princess. 

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Tonight's picture was taken on Christmas of 2008, our last Christmas with Mattie. Friends had dropped off these cute hats, noses, and headbands. Peter was working hard to get Mattie laughing and trying to divert his attention from pain and fear. As you can see Peter was successful, but this moment was fleeting. Christmas 2008 was a very difficult time, as it was around that point that Mattie had all his limb salvaging surgeries completed and as a result of treatment and surgeries developed medical traumatic stress. We kept reporting his symptoms but his medical team kept telling us that it was Mattie's reaction to the pain meds. NOT TRUE, it wasn't medical, it was a psychosocial response to enduring cancer treatment and living 24/7 in a hospital. 

Quote of the day: For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

The ship docked on the island of St. Kitts today. St. Kitts has a sister island, Nevis. Not unlike Antigua, who sister island is Barbuda. Though St. Kitts has more infrastructure than Antigua, it has only 51,000 inhabitants on the island. 

St. Kitts and Nevis became independent from England in 1983, however, back in 1623, St. Kitts was divided. Half of it was owned by France and the other half by Britain. 

Check out what was hanging out in the trees! Ibis, a large sized white bird. There were hundreds of them in these prickly trees. Smart birds as these trees protect them from predators. 

We saw chickens, dogs, and even lambs roaming around freely! Our guide, "Sir Winston," told us that you can easily distinguish a lamb from a goat! Lambs have tails down and goats have tails up!

Sir Winston told us that you can drive the WHOLE island of St. Kitts in 30 minutes. Perhaps, but I assure you it wouldn't be an easy drive. The roads are VERY windy and narrow. It is hard to imagine that these roads accept two way traffic. Clearly you have to have some knowledge of the terrain so you don't drive right off the road.

Our first stop was to Romney Manor and the Caribelle Batik Shop. Romney Manor is the oldest sugar plantation on St. Kitts. It was once owned by Sam Jefferson II, an ancestor of President Thomas Jefferson. 

On this property you can find the Batik Shop. Batik is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to whole cloth. This technique originated from Indonesia. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool or by printing the resist with a copper stamp called a cap. 

There are artisans on hand to walk you through the process of how these beautiful pieces are created (many of which take days to produce by hand) and then an amazing store filled with all sorts of items. Everyone working in the store is very knowledgeable and super helpful. 

My mom and I outside the shop! Can you see the big tapestries of Batik behind us?

We then toured Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park. The majestic fortress, is also known as "The Gibraltar of the West Indies." Recognized by UNESCO as an "outstanding, well-preserved example of 17th and 18th century military architecture," the fort is a monument to the ingenuity of the British military engineers who designed it and to the skill, strength and endurance of the African slaves who built and maintained it.

The engineers, who designed the fort, made use of the natural topography of this double-peaked, steep volcanic hill rising 754 feet. They say that you have to walk up 50 steps to get to the top of the fortress. That maybe true, but these were not easy steps. One woman fell on the steps while climbing up, as the incline is deceptive.

St. Kitts was the first West Indian Island to be colonized by Europeans, specifically the French and English, was the scene of many battles in the struggle for dominance in this region. The earliest use of Brimstone Hill for European military purposes was in 1690 when the British installed a canon to drive out the French. The fortress evolved over the next century and served until 1853 when the British military abandoned it and dismantled many of the buildings.

This photo was taken from where the bus left us off. We walked from the bus all the way up to the fortress.  Do you see a wall curving up the hill? Behind that wall are the 50 steps! 

This is what you see at the top! The center of this fortress is called the citadel! What you may not be able to determine from seeing this photo was that there were NO handrails anywhere. So if I walked a couple of feet forward, there would be nothing stopping me from falling hundreds of feet below.  

A couple took a photo of the three of us at the top of the fortress. Honestly the walk up in the heat was so intense that many people rang the bell as a reward for their accomplishment. 


















On top of this fortress is an 800-foot-high plateau which offers sweeping views of forested mountains, cultivated fields, the historical township of Sandy Point, and the neighboring Dutch, English and French islands across the Caribbean Sea.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Tuesday, December 24, 2019 -- Mattie died 534 weeks ago today. 

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2007. Mattie was five and half years old and pictured with his Christmas sweater and his faithful train. This photo was on the cover of our 2007 Christmas card. 





Quote of the day: At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much. ~ Robin Lee Graham

This was the sight I saw right outside our window this morning! This was a AIDA ship, based out of Germany. We could hear their morning announcements delivered in English, German, and French. 

We arrived in Antigua this morning and the steel drum band was playing Christmas music. Literally passengers from the AIDA ship were dancing and taking all sorts of photos with the band. It was adorable.  

The front of the AIDA ship. 

My mom and I in front of our ship. 

We visited Dow's Hill Interpretation Center. The Center was originally an 18th-century residence for the General Officer Commanding of the British Navy. The cultural center retains its sense of history and utilized the original stonework during its restoration. The star attraction is a state-of-the-art multimedia exhibition that moves through a timeline of the island and introduces prominent figures from both the past and present that have influenced Antigua's development. I snapped this photo as the presentation was transpiring. Basically you sit on swivel seats, so you can view the presentation in 360 degrees. 

Right outside the Center was this incredible view of Antigua. Around 60% of Antigua's economy is from tourism and every spring is Antigua's Sailing Week. It is the longest running sailing regatta in the Caribbean and is still one of the best loved races worldwide.

We visited Block House, the remains of a former armory and arsenal.  The views from there are extraordinary and you can see both the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean. The pinkish roofs  dotting the cliffs in this photo belong to Eric Clapton. He has his home here as well as established a recovery center for alcohol and drug abuse. 

On Blockhouse, this armory building has stood for centuries and has survived many hurricanes.

Our third stop was to Shirley Heights Lookout. Here is the perfect place to take photos. The body of water with all the sailboats is Nelson's Dockyard National Park and the English Harbor. Shirley Heights was the lookout once used as a signal station to warn those in the dockyard of approaching ships. In fact, the island at one time had 40 lookout stations, which were used by the British to signal any threats to the island. Flags would be raised at these lookout points, and within minutes this important message could be transported around the entire island. 

On a clear day, you can see all the way to Montserrat from Shirley Heights Lookout. Can you see it? 

Our last stop on our tour was to Nelson's Dockyard. The beautiful harbor area with the sailboats pictured above. Nelson's Dockyard is the only Georgian naval dock in the world and a unique Antiguan landmark. Although this is the Caribbean's premier example of a British naval yard, it was actually constructed by Antiguans. Nestled in the cone of a dormant volcano, the dockyard has been well protected for over 500 years from the hurricanes that frequent the area. Built in 1725, the dockyard served as the base for the English naval squadron patrolling the West Indies.

Today I learned about the term conscription. Conscription, sometimes called the draft, is the compulsory enlistment of people in a national service, most often a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names.

Basically the story told to us today was that MEN in England were treated to alcohol, they got drunk, and then basically captured and put on ships bound for Antigua. Once they got to Antigua these men were conscripted to work from sunrise to sunset 365 days a year. They worked at Nelson's Dockyard processing sugarcane from the Island. They guarded the sugarcane and made sure it was traded to countries approved by the British. A non-approved Country at the time was America by the way. Note that NO WOMEN, I mean NONE, were allowed at Nelson's Dockyard. Women were considered disease bearing, corrupt, and a major distraction. The funny part about all of this is a woman now owns and oversees Nelson's Dockyard.

Nelson's Dockyard treated all of us to a rum punch. I took about three sips and realized that was all I could take! It was super strong! Our tour guide (Nordia) and bus driver (Charles) were a great duo. They presented us with facts about the island, some traditions, and a lot of humor. They heavily promoted their rum and they joked that when we all got back on the bus after consuming a rum punch we would be singing! 

Monday, December 23, 2019

Monday, December 23, 2019

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2006. Mattie was four and a half years old and by that point, the tradition of his Christmas train around our tree was set! This was the cutest train. Santa was the engineer and the engine actually puffed out a sweet smelling smoke. This was the cover photo to our 2006 Christmas card. 


Quote of the day: The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The US Virgin Islands are America's paradise, offering an easygoing blend of island ways and American practicality. St. Thomas, capital of the island group, offers every imaginable sport: snorkeling, golfing, hiking, and sailing. Just a few miles away lay St. John and Virgin Islands National Park. Stunning mountain scenery, crystalline waters, and white-sand beaches with palms swaying in the breeze - the US Virgin Islands are truly a slice of paradise. The harbor is easily one of the Caribbean's most scenic. The United States purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million in gold. St. Thomas has a reputation as a duty free-mecca for shopping.

We got off the ship around 10am. We walked about a mile and a half to pick up a shuttle into the town. Very reasonable fee at $4 a person. In the bright sunlight and heat, it helped to have the shuttle. 

St. Thomas is only 13 miles long and 4 miles wide. It has about 51,000 people living on the island.  

The ship on the right is ours..... the Caribbean Princess. 

There are many chickens and chicks all over the streets of St. Thomas. So different from what lines our streets in Washington, DC. 

The main street in St. Thomas (in the city of Charlotte Amalie). Many of the stores that attract tourists are on this street. 

I read an article about "barkers." People who hang about on the side walks verbally shouting at you and encouraging you into their stores. Apparently there was some sort of law passed to now prevent "barking" at tourists. However, given what I saw today, barking is alive and well and the law is not enforced. 

Though there were six large cruise ships in port today, this main street wasn't truly busy! In fact, Sheila, a woman who owns her own jewelry store on the island, told us that tourists are changing their interests. In the past, tourists came to St. Thomas to purchase hand made linens and jewelry. Now tourists are coming for the beaches and cafes. By-passing the stores altogether! My observation confirmed what Sheila was telling us. 

Frankly the prices of items on the main street are super expensive. The average person isn't able to shop there anymore. 

Which is why several years ago we started walking around and going down each alley off the main street! 

This sign got me laughing! As many husbands are hanging about while their wives are shopping. So this pub capitalized on the situation. 

We spent about two hours in Sheila's store today. Her store is Jackson Jewelry and Gifts. It is an unassuming store, not as glitzy as what is on the main street. However, she knows her jewelry and she personally picks the pieces in the store. 

In fact, before we arrived, Sheila mailed me a Christmas card! After we make a purchase, she always gives me and my mom a Christmas gift too. 

Peter snapped this photo of us with Sheila.

This afternoon, we came back on the ship and met up with my dad. We had lunch together and later sat in the Ship's Sanctuary. This is my favorite part of the day. Typically given the time I get there, I am only there an hour, but it is a special hour. An hour of peace, quiet, and in my case I am trying to rest as I am still under the weather. 

I encouraged Peter to take massages on the Cruise. He went for a hot bamboo treatment today and came back up to the Sanctuary feeling quite good. 

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2005. Mattie was three and half years old and we snapped this photo of him in front of one of his favorite restaurants. He loved this spot because it had a little pond with fish and turtles. Sitting and eating wasn't something he really liked doing. So whenever we ate at this restaurant, we always took breaks while eating to come out and visit the fish and turtles. Given that, this became the backdrop for our 2005 Christmas card. 


Quote of the day: He that will not sail till all dangers are over must never put to sea. ~ Thomas Fuller


It was day 2 on the ship..... another all sea day. The wind is certainly dying down from yesterday. Which I greatly appreciate since by last night I felt very sea sick, despite being on dramamine. This is the first cruise where I am taking a double dosage of dramamine and also taking zofran for nausea. Thankfully I have a zofran script since I suffer from migraines. As it helps with nausea associated with sea sickness. On top of seasickness, I am fever and have a sore throat. I feel like I swallowed a porcupine, and at this point, I am sick of tea with honey.

This morning, my mom and I attended a lecture series on Martinique. The lecturer's name is Cherilyn May. She is a charming British woman who clearly is happy to share her Caribbean knowledge with us. She educated us about Mt Pelee. The volcano on Martinique. As she was describing the volcano, the image of Mt Vesuvius located in Italy popped in my head. Both of these volcanoes decimated towns and people. 

She shared this photo with us of Mount Pelée (meaning "bald mountain" or "peeled mountain"). The volcano has been dormant since its most recent eruption in 1932. Notice the black sand on the beaches, indicative of past volcano activity. 


The volcano's eruption in 1902 destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre, killing 28,000 people in the space of a few minutes, in the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century. The eruption, left only two survivors in the direct path of the blast flow: Louis-Auguste Cyparis survived because he was in a poorly ventilated, dungeon-like jail cell and Havivra Da Ifrile, a young girl, reportedly escaped with injuries during the eruption by taking a small boat to a cave down the shore, and was later found adrift 2 miles from the island, unconscious. 

At the base of Mt. Pelee, is the Depaz Rum Distillery. Apparently it is world famous. We were told that after a volcanic eruption, the soil is filled with minerals and nutrients. Perfect for all sorts of crops.

After the volcanic eruption, Victor Depaz (who was fortunate to be off the island when the volcano eruption took place) came back to the island and replanted the 600+ acres with high end blue sugarcane. This rum is actually called rhum. An abbreviation from the term rhum agricole, this type of rum can only come from Martinique. And while most rums are distilled from fermented molasses, rhum is made from fresh pressed sugar cane juice.

Wanted to share the rainbow we saw yesterday afternoon. It was a welcomed sight, in the midst of clouds, rain, and significant wind and waves. 

Last night was the first formal night on the ship. 

I realize I am writing about things out of sequence. Chalk that up to how I am feeling. After the Martinique lecture, we then attended an enrichment series entitled: The story of the Central Intelligence Agency and Its Headquarters in Langley, VA. The series was presented by Linda Saboe, a 33 veteran of the CIA.

It was a captivating presentation and she said by the time we finish her five part series, we will feel as if we have visited the CIA. Which is ironic, because we live in DC, but given the nature of the agency, we have never seen any aspect of the CIA. Linda explained that whatever she shares with us, was declassified and was evaluated by the CIA before she could present on Princess Cruises. Her stories were wonderful and engaging, so much so that many audience members stayed after her presentation to ask questions.

Meanwhile, later this afternoon, we visited the Sanctuary. Which is worth the price of admission! Can you believe you have to pay an additional $30 a day, to get access to a quiet space on a cruise ship?! That may sound ridiculous, but with over 3,000 passengers aboard, and decks busy with music and outdoor movies, this quiet space is VERY needed!