This has been one fast week! Evelyn and Liam have definitely seen all the highlights of Antigua and they had some excellent relaxation time too! Today February 28th is their last day – flying out tonight – and they’re spending some time on the beach and by the pool.
We’ve been strategic this week, pacing ourselves with a day on/day off strategy. Tuesday, Feb. 24th was a relaxation day. Evelyn and Liam spent the morning at the beach and we joined them for an hour or so in the afternoon. On February 25th we spent the day exploring St. John’s. We went to the museum and the cathedral. St. John’s Cathedral had been recently renovated with all new interior wood (they had major termite damage) – it was quite beautiful. After our exploration of downtown St. John’s, we drove out the Fort James (which is mostly ruins with a few cannons) and had lunch in this funky beach restaurant. It had good food and a cool atmosphere.
On Thursday we drove to Pearns Point (the beach with the blow holes) and had a lovely relaxed few hours in the shade! Evelyn and Liam wanted to snorkel in this area but it was too rough for that. We had an amazing pork tenderloin dinner that night. We also have been playing euchre after dinner this week which has been great fun.
Our last exploring day was Friday, February 27th and we decided to go to the Devil’s Bridge. One thing I haven’t mentioned much is the driving situation on Antigua – it’s crazy!!! Not only is it wrong side driving (i.e. England style) but the roads are terrible – narrow, no shoulders with huge pot holes and speed bumps. To add to the fun cars, buses and trucks literally stop and park anywhere. Traffic is constantly crossing into the opposite lane to pass stopped or parked vehicles. It’s absolutely insane!! And of course the locals drive fast!! Mark has done a great job driving around the island but it’s been a bit stressful!! Devil’s Bridge was worth the crazy drive. The area faces the east so it gets the full impact of the Atlantic Ocean. The “bridge” is a rock formation that has been eroded by waves. It was spectacular – waves crashing into the rocks over and over.
After the bridge, we drove to Betty’s Hope – Antigua’s first large scale sugar plantation. There’s not much left of the original plantation but you can see a few windmills and ruins of structures. Unfortunately we arrived after the on-site museum closed so we just looked around the grounds. We drove back to the marina via Fig Tree Drive which goes through the rainforest part of the island. We drove this way when we went to English Harbour but this time we stopped at a local art gallery which was super interesting.
Our last night together was spent celebrating at a local restaurant called Fat Urchin. Liam treated us to a wonderful dinner and when we got back to the boat, we had a little dessert I’d made. We’ve had the best visit and it’s hard to believe their week is over!! Way too fast! Mark and I will be hanging out in the marina until Wednesday morning and if the winds hold, we should be jumping down to Guadeloupe on Friday, March 6th.
Crimson Kathryn and her crew 