Chasing Summer –

November 16 & 17

Soufriere was the Odysey’s first stop on Saint Lucia Island. Pulling into the adorable fishing village, the Gros Piton mountains dominate the landscape.

This was an interesting spot because the water is shallower and is a tender port, so many cruises don’t stop here. This was our first time trying out the tender system on the Odyssey.

After a tasty breakfast and enjoying the views of the Pitons Steve, Angela, Scott, and I headed out on a tender. It was about a 10-minute trip to the pier, and we were off walking through the village to the Diamond Falls Botanical Gardens & Mineral Baths.

Along the way, we passed by the town square where there is a remarkable statue of Independence and breaking free.

The local church also dominates the East side.

The rest of the square is surrounded by shops.

The Botanical Gardens is about a 20-minute walk from the pier and was mostly in the shade. Even so, I was pretty sweaty by the time we arrived.

It cost USD7 to enter the park, and there were a variety of plants and flowers in bloom that were nicely labeled. The path is gravel but flat, so it was no problem to get around.

At the far end of the gardens is a path to the waterfall. The minerals in the water have stained the rocks and created a colorful waterfall. I really liked how it looked on the rocks but the water looked murky and unappealing.

We ended our trip with a dip into the mineral baths. There are three small pools with mineral water of varying heat that people can soak in for $6.

The walk back to town was much refreshed with my wet clothes, keeping my heat level down.

That night after dinner, we sailed away to our next port on the east side of the island.

Castries is the mecca for cruise ships on the island of Saint Lucia. I think this gave me the impression that there would be more here to do.

There really isn’t. We (Angela, Steve, Scott, and I) left the port and were immediately assaulted by taxi drivers wanting to take us away from the town. It’s Sunday, so nothing is open, they shouted. And they are right. Very little was open.

We quickly made our way two blocks to the main square in town. Derek Walcott Square is anchored by the central library and the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

The square has a large fountain in the center decorated with strings of light that look like they would be very pretty at night.

The cathedral is plain on the outside, but inside the 1897 church, it is colorful and cheery. Bright red, green, and yellow make up the interior colors. It seems like the island’s influence reaches even the religious institutions.

From the square, we walked back towards the harbour and the Market and Vendor’s Arcade. For a Sunday, not everything was open, but there were enough vendors to give people options.

While in the market, it began to rain, and we waited in the shop areas for a break in the weather for about 10 minutes. Once it was down to a drizzle, we made our way around the harbour.

At the far end of the opposite side, there is another cruise terminal with shops and the only brewery on the island that makes craft beers, Antillia Brewing Company.

Before we could make it there it started to rain again and we ran into the bar area and tried a few beers while waiting for the rain to stop again. Several fellow passengers made their way here in various states of dryness.

From the bar, we could see the Saint Lucia sign and the end of the runway. The airport’s runway extends almost to the very end of the harbour. The pilots need to be on their game here, or their passengers might end up in the water, not the air.

The rain stopped, so we made our way back to the ship. The humidity was quickly climbing back up with the sun out.

It was a fun little town, but I don’t need to come back unless I have preplanned a bunch of water activities out of town as there isn’t anything to do but shop and drink.