St. Thomas, Solo!

I have been neglecting this blog.  I hope to get better about posting, hopefully I will be more diligent in the coming weeks/months!  I really do want to have this time in the BVI documented for the boys to look back on, since they will most likely not remember much due to their young age!

Ferry terminal at Charlotte Amalie.

Ticket purchased in February!

The weekend before the boys’ birthday, I went to St. Thomas to shop for birthday gifts.  After spending so much time at home the previous weeks taking care of Reilly’s chicken pox, it was nice to be out of the house, and to be by myself.  I am innately a private person.  I relish my time alone and do not get very much.   I was happy to have the chance to go shop for the boys’ birthday gifts, and to have a night away from Tortola, on my own! 

My ferry to St. Thomas was on Smith’s Tortola Fast Ferry.  I was also surprised at how crowded the ferry was, more people at the West End ferry terminal than any of my other trips off island.  I met a couple from Boston and another from Sacramento.  It was nice to have a conversation with people from California, you do not meet too many West Coast folks here.  On my arrival in Charlotte Amalie, I stopped at the hotel (right across the street from the ferry terminal), to stash my luggage.  My plan was to go to K-Mart (the only big box choice on St. Thomas) to get the birthday shopping out of the way, before doing any exploring.  I was happy that the safari taxi stand was right in front of the hotel. I was able to hop right on and go to the Tutu Mall very easily.  I also could not believe how quickly I was able to spend my budget on birthday gifts for the boys, I just love shopping for them! 

Random building.

The synagogue is a national historic landmark.

I like the mixture of old and new in this shot.

After returning to the hotel to stash my shopping bags, I wandered around downtown Charlotte Amelia.  I loved that it was not a cruise ship day, it was not crazy, but there was still so much happening.  I went to an open air market then wandered up to the synagogue.  Unfortunately, being a Saturday, there were no tours. There is so much history here in Charlotte Amalie.  I loved the ambiance and the feeling of the downtown area.  There are so many jewelry stores, I was surprised.  Every store I passed had someone in the doorway inviting me in.  If I was a jewelry person, I would have been in Heaven!

I realized that I had not eaten lunch and it was getting close to 3, so I walked back to the hotel and asked about nearby late lunch/early dinner options.  I was directed to French Town, on the other side of the ferry terminal, and walked over to see if there were any options.  Being a California girl, the first place that caught my eye was a Mexican place, so I stepped in and was happy with the choice.  Although not the best I’ve eaten, it was nice to have a chicken tostada salad, a few margaritas and good company!

I was happy with my room at Windward Passage.



The view from my room, of course I would have a view of a Native Son ferry!



Once I was done with my late lunch, I walked back to the hotel and met a woman checking in at the same time who lives on Virgin Gorda.  She was happy to chat with me about life as an American in the BVI and invited me to meet up with her and friends later that evening.  That was the best thing about my day away.  I meet her later that evening, met a few of her friends and enjoyed an evening on St. Thomas with great people.

Yes, I really ate McDonalds.

 

Sea plan taxi for take off!

Sunday morning I had a breakfast of champions, i.e. McDonalds, something I have not eaten in years.  I watched the sea plane take off and headed over to Red Hook to catch my ferry back to Tortola!