DAY 32---CASTRIES, ST LUCIA

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                    Where we are today on the island of St Lucia.  Yellow arrow in red circle.

    We are on St Lucia today and tomorrow.  This shows our next port on Tuesday, Dominica.

                                              Docked in the capitol of St Lucia, Castries.

ST LUCIA BACKGROUND INFO: 

        St Lucia is an island country in the West Indies with a population of 185,000.  This volcanic formed island is 27 miles long and 14 miles wide and is more mountainous than most Caribbean islands.  The highest mountain is 3,120 feet with forest covering 77% of the land.  Castries, where we are docked, is its capital with 60,000 (32%) living in the city.  Most of the other citizens live along the coast because of the dense forests inland.  The French and English have ruled St Lucia but it is now an independent state since 1979.

        The economy’s service sector is its biggest driver followed by industry and agriculture.  Tourism is also vital to its economy.  The island is popular due to its tropical weather, scenery, beaches, and resorts.  A majority of its tourists are cruise ship folks.  Pre-covid there were around 330 ships calling here per year.

LAST NIGHT:

We went to the special wine dinner in Chartreuse.  These are the wines that will be paired with each course of the dinner.

Executive chef Ronald is introducing the five courses to be served.

Emiliano, head sommelier, in red jacket.  Chef Ronald and then on right is the chef in Chartreuse.

                               Sommelier, Budi, is serving the champagne, Dom Perignon.

                                           Caviar Shot was served with the champagne.

                          Crab Timbale and wine pairing was a French chardonnay.

                          This pinot noir from Oregon was paired with Pumpkin Ravioli

This baked Chilean sea bass was really good.  Will ask them to make it in Compass Rose some day.

The sea bass was paired with this Italian Amarone.  Unusual for fish to be paired with a red wine.

      Best wine of the night was this Honig cabernet sauvignon from Napa Valley.  Loved it.

The Honig cab was paired with veal medallion.  The dark thing on the right is a mushroom gateaux.

For dessert we were served a Jasmin green tea cake with mango sorbet.  The wine pairing was a French sauvignon blanc sauternes.  Sweet wine.

      After dinner I went to see the comedian, Mark Palmer.  Rebecca did not go.  He was not bad.

I sat in the upper balcony and took this to show that not many attended the comedian's show.

TODAY:

Didn't forget Sunday's champagne and caviar breakfast.  We did not have the champagne but I had a double order of the caviar.

                                Eggs benedict but with crab meat instead of Canadian bacon.

                                     Not sure what the pyramid is for.  Right out our balcony.

                                              Photos taken of Castries from the 12th deck.

      Two other cruise ships here with us today.  This is Holland America's Nieuw Statendam. 

                                                Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas.

                Tour group meeting on pier.  I did not have any tours booked for today.

This is Mr Javlin, better known as "Captain".  He basically lives on Regent's ships.  Every crew member and most all passengers know who he is and address him as "Captain".  He was a naval Captain.  Now at 98 he can hardly see and walks very slow and carefully.  His suite is just a few doors down from us and has the big red square on his door so he knows it is his.  We have cruised with him many times.  We always say hi to him and he responds back but probably can't see who we are now.

The Captain always sits at this corner table.  The crew have put up the light above his table so he can see better.  They take the light down after he has dined.  He has the exact same thing for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the waiter knows exactly where to sit everything on his table so he knows where it is without being able to see it well.  He is really a sweetheart.

        I was going to sit our on our balcony this afternoon, as for a change, it is not being baked by the sun.  But, there is worker out preparing the wood to be revarnished next door to us.  Whatever he is using smells.

        At 4pm they will be televising the NFL Pro-Bowl game on suite tvs.  At 5:30 Andy will be holding a short interdenominational worship service which I plan to attend.  Not sure if Rebecca will break away from watching the game.

        Planning pre-dinner drinks then dinner in Compass Rose.  They are having a BBQ dinner up on the pool deck from 6:30 to 8:30 but we do not dine outside.  Most people will be dining up there however.  We plan on having veal osso bucco in Compass Rose.

        The movie "The Age of Adaline" (never heard of it) will be shown at 9pm in the theater.  Not going!  

        We are overnighting here on St Lucia.  I have a 9:15 "Trolley Train" tour tomorrow morning.