A Tale of Two Chemists: It’s beginning to look a bit like....Venice? 23rd Dec 2017

Sunday, December 24, 2017

It’s beginning to look a bit like....Venice? 23rd Dec 2017

23^rd Dec 2017

I know that sounds strange, but, there is a reason. Sadly, our day didn’t start with visions of Venice. We took showers and the Frenchtown Marina and bade farewell to their un-helpful ways. A quick motor across the bay brought us to the small vessel anchorage. Never did Cotinga seem so small as when anchored in sight of a Princess cruise ship. After a fortifying cup of coffee we set off to the so-called dinghy dock at the super-yacht marina. The dinghies tie up to a dock that must be 5 feet off the water. It’s pretty strange. Climbing up onto the dock is one thing but trying to climb down is another entirely (that’s without drinking any rum cocktails). A trip to the “Fruit Bowl” grocery store was eye-opening. Not even in Sudbury can you get fresh tamarind (sour or sweet) as well as fresh turmeric. There were many items in the fresh food section that I didn’t recognize at all. We may have gotten a little carried away.... The good news is that we were able to get everything into the fridge and freezer when we got back.

By the time we had eaten lunch and had a recuperative snooze, a second behemoth cruise ship had arrived. The second trip to the dinghy dock took us past both. After repeating the filling of the water jerry cans, we set off walking to town. Once in the center, we stumbled across the glitzy shops that cater to the “cruise ship crowd”. Something made us turn down a road leading away from the water. The streets behind the fancy shops revealed buildings with shutters dangling, paint and stucco peeling off, ferns and other plants growing in the gutters. I found myself thinking that this area was reminiscent of Venice. There were balconies and iron railings and scroll-work suggestive of a long vanished glory. Unlike Venice, we struggled to find somewhere to eat, probably due to the approaching holiday. So, perhaps you shouldn’t think of Charlotte Amalie as Venice without the canals ...