Tag Archives: Fuji X-T4

Lovely St. Lucia

March 21, 2023 Tom Dills 8 Comments

View of the Pitons from La Villa de Piton Restaurant near Palmiste, St. Lucia

After our visit to Martinique, we traveled about 50 miles south to the island of St. Lucia. St. Lucia also has a bit of French influence, although not to the extent of Martinique.

Boat on the beach in Anse La Raye on the island of St. Lucia

Fishing nets hung to dry. Anse La Raye on the island of St. Lucia

St. Lucia is a beautiful, tropical island, featuring The Pitons, the twin mountains that are actually two parts of a huge, now-extinct volcano. The biggest issue with seeing St. Lucia is the continuously winding and undulating roads.

Town of Soufriere on the island of St. Lucia

Town of Anse La Raye on the island of St. Lucia

Town of Castries on the island of St. Lucia

We started our tour sitting in the very back of the bus, and while I don’t usually have trouble with motion sickness, I got so woozy that I asked to sit in the front of the bus. I joked with the driver that if he needed me to help him with the driving I would (although I would be terrified!). 😉 The good part was that I was able to take some photos through the windshield, which was fun and a nice distraction.

We had a nice tour, however. Our stop in Anse La Raye reminded me of our first visit, back in 2000. The beach there always has some colorful boats, which make for nice photographs. The downside is the residents that pester you for money, offering to pose for photos. One guy was really annoying, until I told him I didn’t have any money. He walked away and didn’t bother me any more.

We stopped for lunch at a nice restaurant with a great view of The Pitons. After lunch we visited a waterfall and a cocoa plantation, where we tasted some roasted cocoa beans and fresh coconut. Yum! On the way back to the ship we passed a parade celebrating St. Lucias 44th year of independence.

Parade celebrating St. Lucias 44th year of independence. Near Castries, St. Lucia

Go. Road construction on St. Lucia near Castries

St. Lucia is a beautiful island, but I was reminded that the next visit we should take a boat, instead of a van on those winding roads! 🙂

Travel

Food, Flowers and Faith: Martinique, Part 3

March 19, 2023 Tom Dills 2 Comments

Lunch stop at La Chaudiere Restaurant in Le Mourne Rouge, Martinique

After our rum tasting we proceeded to La Chaudiere Restaurant for a nice lunch. We had some tasty baked chicken with plantain, rice & peas and other yummy sides, along with some French wine and coffee with dessert. After that, we yawned our way to Jardin de Balata Botanical Gardens to walk the grounds and enjoy the tropical plant life. After that we visited The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Balata. The church reminded me a bit of some of the churches we visited in Italy.

There aren’t too many cruises that visit Martinique (yet) but we really enjoyed our time there. Next time I might plan a longer visit to the distillery and perhaps more time checking out the scenery and some of the small villages we passed through on our bus. The lack of flexibility being one of the downsides of a ship tour.

Jardin de Balata Botanical Gardens in Fort-de-France, Martinique

Hummingbirds at Jardin de Balata Botanical Gardens in Fort-de-France, Martinique

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Balata, Martinique

Bicycle taxi in Fort-de-France, Martinique

Travel

Did Someone Say Rum? Martinique, Part 2

March 18, 2023 Tom Dills 4 Comments

Distillerie Depaz, rum distillery in St-Pierre, Martinique

The next stop on our Martinique tour was the Depaz Rhum Distillery. Now this was pretty nice rum, and the facility has some very historic origins. There was plenty to see and photograph there. The taste of rum was good, but was pretty skimpy, however.

I didn’t end up bringing home any ‘liquid souvenirs’ from this trip. Unfortunately the cruise lines are strict about bringing liquor on board. And while I could have brought it onto the ship from the port on this cruise, the rules would prevent me from taking it on the next ship. Strange but there is no getting around it – I asked ahead of time!

Trees at the Depaz Rhum Distillery on the Island of Martinique

Photography

Out Of The Ashes: Martinique, Part 1

March 17, 2023 Tom Dills 2 Comments

Approaching the cruise terminal in Port de France, Martinique aboard Celebrity Equinox

Our stop in Martinique was our first visit to this lovely island, so we made the best of it by taking an all-day ship tour. Over the course of 8 hours we visited: the ruins from a 1902 volcanic eruption, a rum distillery, a local restaurant for authentic Creole-influenced island cuisine, a botanical garden, and to balance off the rum distillery, a church.

For length, I have divided the photo highlights from Martinique over 3 posts. The first one covers our approach to the island and our visit to the ruins and the Musée Frank A. Perret, memorial to the Catastrophe of 1902 in St-Pierre.

Musée Frank A. Perret, memorial to the Catastrophe of 1902 in St-Pierre, Martinique

Cachot de Cyparis, ruins of a 19th Century Theater and Prison, both destroyed in the volcanic eruption of 1902

Travel

A Stop At St. Kitts

March 16, 2023 Tom Dills 2 Comments

Tour of Fairview Great House and Botanical Garden on St. Kitts

We don’t always do tours on the islands we visit, but there were several where we found something interesting to do. On St. Kitts, we took a ship tour to the Fairview Great House and Botanical Gardens for a guided visit to the estate and rum tasting. Yum!

Rum tasting during our tour of Fairview Great House and Botanical Garden on St. Kitts

The rum was pretty good, but it was all flavored rum, which is not my thing. We didn’t mind the tastes, though! 🙂

Sailaway from St. Kitts on the helipad of Celebrity Equinox

Travel

Sailing From Fort Lauderdale, Part 1

March 15, 2023 Tom Dills 2 Comments

Drawbridge carrying 17th Street/US A1A over the Stranahan River in Fort Lauderdale

Kathy & I enjoy cruises that depart from Fort Lauderdale, and we’ve done a bunch of them. The airport is close enough to the cruise port that you can see the top of the ships from the concourse. It’s an easy flight from Charlotte and the schedules usually provide plenty of choices for flights.

We generally arrive in Fort Lauderdale the day before a cruise and stay at a hotel along 17th Street, which crosses the Intracoastal Waterway via a drawbridge that provides a nice view of the cruise port and all of the big money yachts that sail in and out of the harbor. More money than I’ll ever have!

Departing the port is always fun, because a number of the residents of the high rise condos near the opening to the sea will stand outside, wave banners, blow horns and generally say ‘bon voyage.’ One of the residents even has a webcam where he will upload footage to a website and you can watch yourself sail by. Some cruise passengers go so far as to bring their own banners, wear bright colored clothing and make a point of standing on the Port (left) side of the ship facing the camera.

Yachts docked in the marina along the Stranahan River in Fort Lauderdale

Since we did a back-to-back sailing on the same ship, Celebrity Equinox, we returned to Fort Lauderdale 10 days later, so Part 2 will have some of the photos from our “turnaround day.”

View of the Port Everglades Cruise Port in Fort Lauderdale

New construction along 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale

Departing Port Everglades aboard Celebrity Equinox

Shadows on the Promenade Deck during departure from Port Everglades aboard Celebrity Equinox

Pilot boat during our departure from Port Everglades aboard Celebrity Equinox

Travel

Yes, I’m Still Here

March 13, 2023 Tom Dills 6 Comments

For another dollar we’ll make it a smoothie. Kralendijk, Bonaire

Just being lazy. I’m most of the way through the photos from our last trip, but trying to get them all done before I start posting. In case anyone wondered about me, here is a quick post to confirm I’m still around! 🙂

Postcards

Postcard From Belize

February 28, 2023 Tom Dills 2 Comments

High Temple, a Mayan structure at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, Belize

While in Belize we took a ship tour to the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve, a site consisting of the remains of several Mayan temples and other structures from Mayan times. It was a fascinating tour and I even got to climb one of the pyramids (not this one)! You can get a sense of the size of this temple by finding the worker – about halfway up, just to the right of the stairs – doing restoration work.

This is the last Postcard from our voyages, as Belize was the last port where we got off the ship. We have visited Cozumel numerous times, and while Grand Cayman is very nice, it is another port where the ship does not dock. A “tender port” is where one of the ship’s tenders or a larger boat from shore is needed to get onto the land. In both cases we decided to enjoy a mostly empty ship.

More photos to follow!

Postcards

Postcard From Key West

February 26, 2023 Tom Dills 6 Comments

The Sunset Pier Bar in Key West, Florida

We made it home from sunny Florida to gray and cloudy Charlotte yesterday (Saturday) afternoon. I’ve got my photos downloaded and should be able to start on some editing and processing over the next few days. We were gone a while, so there are a few more important things to do as well.

The first stop on our third cruise, aboard Celebrity Apex, was in Key West, FL. We pretty much wandered around looking for photos, and I kind of liked the repetition of all the tables along this pier. I’m certain the scene would be a lot different at sunset, but early in the morning I was able to get the tables and umbrellas all in a line, mostly uninterrupted by tourists!

Postcards

Postcard From Curacao

February 15, 2023 Tom Dills 2 Comments

The Queen Emma Bridge and the waterfront of Willemstad, Curacao

The Queen Emma Bridge is a pontoon bridge connecting pedestrian traffic between two sections of Willemstad Curacao. The bridge is hinged and opens regularly to enable the passage of oceangoing vessels. On the opposite end from the hinge is a small shelter where an operator controls two diesel engines turning propellers. The propellers are mounted perpendicular to the length of the bridge and allow it to swing parallel to the shore. The process only takes a few minutes to complete, although the bridge can remain open for much longer depending on ship traffic.

Tom Dills Photography Blog

Tag Archives: Fuji X-T4

Lovely St. Lucia

Food, Flowers and Faith: Martinique, Part 3

Did Someone Say Rum? Martinique, Part 2

Out Of The Ashes: Martinique, Part 1

A Stop At St. Kitts

Sailing From Fort Lauderdale, Part 1

Yes, I’m Still Here

Postcard From Belize

Postcard From Key West

Postcard From Curacao

Photographs and stuff!