St. Kitts and Nevis
I didn't know much about St. Kitts and Nevis before we went there except for the Brimstone Hill Fortress which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On the day we arrived, there was a very festive atmosphere as the citizens of this island country were celebrating a local holiday.
People celebrating were everywhere. From Independence Park to Berkeley Memorial Square, crowds gathered with music in the air and lots of people drinking beer. Since we signed up to visit the fortress, off we went as soon as we left the ship.
Here were our first views of the islands as our ship reached port.
It is said that that the first permanent European settlement on the island of St. Christopher, or St. Kitts as it is now known, was established by an Englishman, Captain Thomas Warner, in 1624. Although the island was inhabited by the Caribs, their chief granted the English settlers permission to remain. The French privateer Pierre Belain d' Esnambuc and his crew weren't far behind.
For the next 80-plus years, the British and the French struggled for control of the island. The 1783 Treaty of Versailles gave the British Domination over St. Kitts and Nevis.
In 1877, St. Kitts became a Crown Colony. Nevis united with it five years later. In 1967, the federation of St. Christopher, Nevis, and Anguilla was declared a state.
Shortly thereafter, Anguilla dropped out of the union and the state of St. Christopher and Nevis was declared totally independent on September 19, 1983. In 1988, the name of St. Christopher was officially changed to St. Kitts.
As our ship docked, we disembarked and we all gathered at Port Zante. Port Zante was the newly built cruise ship terminal in Basseterre, the capital city of St. Kitts and Nevis, for our trip to the Brimstone Hill Fortress with a stop at the Caribelle Batik at Romney Manor.
Romney Manor, the area where the Batik factory and shop was located, proved to be quite a historical place. The former US President Thomas Jefferson's grandfather used to live nearby and owned quite an estate centuries ago. Up until our visit to St. Kitts, I thought Indonesia was the only place where Batik was made. Little did I know, St. Kitts made and produced it too.
At Port Zante, the newly built pier and tourist and information center for arriving cruise ship passengers. In this photo, another Princess Cruises ship was arriving and docking right next to our ship, the Grand Princess.
The way to Port Zante
At Port Zante
What was nice about St. Kitts's Port Zante was that it was right next to the city center. The sights and attractions of the capital city of Basseterre were within walking distance.
Anyway, as soon as the people who signed up for the tour to Brimstone Hill Fortress gathered at Port Zante, we left right away. Our guide was a very young girl who was also our van driver. She drove us around the city first pointing out places of interest some of which we visited on our own upon our return.
This photo is a bit hazy. Marc took it from the van. These birds were egrettes and they were everywhere in the Caribbean. We saw a lot of them too in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. What stood out the most for me about the island was the beautiful flora.
Romney Manor
The Caribelle Batik at Romney Manor
A lady from the store showing off the Batik made on the premises.
The area where the design and some production of the Batik takes place
Taken right next to the tree said to be several centuries old just outside Batik Caribelle in Romney Manor
From here we left for our much awaited visit to the Brimstone Hill Fortress.
Nope, it is not the Great Wall of China. It's the way up to the Brimstone Hill Fortress.
Atop the fortress with a view of the Island of Nevis in the faint background
Marc also at Brimstone with the Island of Nevis right behind him in the far background
The main entrance to Brimstone Hill Fortress
Canons at the fortress
Inside the fortress
Atop the fortress, another photo with the Island of Nevis in the background
There was a mini museum at the fortress. Many of the cells inside had exhibits.
Here I am with a dummy soldier from the fortress from a few centuries ago. There were also rooms that showed how hammocks were used as beds by the soldiers back then.
The Magazine, the room where ammunition,weapons, and gun powder were stored
I am not sure anymore what this room was for. If my memory serves me right, this was supposed to be a cell where prisoners were held.
This looked like the kitchen where food for everyone living in the fortress was prepared and cooked.
Ruins of the fortress were everywhere too.
Here's a view of the Island of St. Kitts from atop the fortress.
The way back to the parking lot for our return back to the city center
Taken at Independence Park
The Circus Clock, a tall green Victorian clock, in the middle of Berkeley Memorial Square
At Basseterre's National Museum