It was a touristy day. In the morning, I climbed Government Hill (as in Danish government) via the famous 99 Steps and paid my $10 for the heritage walk: packaged history. In the afternoon, I paid my $21 and rode the Paradise Point Cable Car for an impressive view of the cruise ship berths and the commodious harbor: packaged geography.
It is easy to see why St. Thomas is the cruise lines' most popular port in the Caribbean. The harbor is large and deep, the scenery is excellent, and the Virgin Islands' public and private sectors have invested in infrastructure. Each day, the Virgin Islands Daily News helps tell the story of high season on St. Thomas, with its two cruise ship terminals, Havensight and Crown Bay. Note the capacity of each of the ships, and remember that the U.S. Census Bureau's definition of an urban place begins at 2,500 residents. Note the inclusion of Cruz Bay, on St. John, where only the smallest of cruise liners can be accommodated.
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Now, let me tell you what I found most interesting today: a connection to Virginia history. Did you know that the Jamestown settlers' last stop before sailing into the Chesapeake Bay and making landfall in Virginia Beach was on St. Thomas in the Danish Virgin Islands, right here in Charlotte Amalie on 4 April 1607? Who knew! Virginia Beach doesn't get mentioned on the historical marker, but it should since Cape Henry, was the real place where permanent English colonization of America began. Cape Henry was the site of the first landing after St. Thomas. To us, the Jamestown settlement seems no more permanent than the foothold on Cape Henry. Here's the Liberty Bell, a gift from Virginia, that commemorates the Jamestown settlers' three-day stay in Charlotte Amalie. Why Virginia chose a Liberty Bell, I cannot fathom since the real liberty bell rang in Philadelphia 170 years later.
+PP.jpg)
It is easy to see why St. Thomas is the cruise lines' most popular port in the Caribbean. The harbor is large and deep, the scenery is excellent, and the Virgin Islands' public and private sectors have invested in infrastructure. Each day, the Virgin Islands Daily News helps tell the story of high season on St. Thomas, with its two cruise ship terminals, Havensight and Crown Bay. Note the capacity of each of the ships, and remember that the U.S. Census Bureau's definition of an urban place begins at 2,500 residents. Note the inclusion of Cruz Bay, on St. John, where only the smallest of cruise liners can be accommodated.
Now, let me tell you what I found most interesting today: a connection to Virginia history. Did you know that the Jamestown settlers' last stop before sailing into the Chesapeake Bay and making landfall in Virginia Beach was on St. Thomas in the Danish Virgin Islands, right here in Charlotte Amalie on 4 April 1607? Who knew! Virginia Beach doesn't get mentioned on the historical marker, but it should since Cape Henry, was the real place where permanent English colonization of America began. Cape Henry was the site of the first landing after St. Thomas. To us, the Jamestown settlement seems no more permanent than the foothold on Cape Henry. Here's the Liberty Bell, a gift from Virginia, that commemorates the Jamestown settlers' three-day stay in Charlotte Amalie. Why Virginia chose a Liberty Bell, I cannot fathom since the real liberty bell rang in Philadelphia 170 years later.
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