Pardon my absence! I've been scaling back on the amount of time I spend on the computer, choosing to devote more time with my favorite person in the whole wide world. But here is a snippet of the trip we took earlier this month....
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| Dressed for dinner the night of our anniversary |
One week! One whole glorious week of being together, non-stop, spending every waking and sleeping moment with each other!
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| one of many dive/snorkel sites |
We decided to take a special trip upon my husband's return from deployment, but we didn't know when he would re-deploy! There were rumors that he'd be home on a particular date, but the very next day there would be another rumor that his mission was continuing to another country and they just "needed" him to head it. How in the world could I possibly plan a get away, if I didn't know when he'd be home?
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| picturesque Marigot Bay, where parts of the movies Dr. Dolittle, Superman, and Romancing the Stone were filmed |
So I took the matter into my own hands, and booked the first week of June, which also happened to be when we'd celebrate 23 years of marriage, and kept my fingers crossed that he'd make it home in time. Even if that meant putting him back on a plane the same day he arrived!
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| view from our suite |
Thankfully, he returned home about 10 days prior to our departure, giving him time to rest and recover from the rigors of his job. Our time away gave us the mandatory relaxation and time together that we were craving. We literally were side by side the entire time, reaffirming the fact that we are, indeed, husband and wife, best friends, partners for life, salt and pepper, the sugar to his tea, the cream to my coffee, the hot sauce to his buffalo wings, the stud to my muffin........ I could go on, but I can imagine your cringing expressions, so I'll stop!
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| one of many beautiful sunsets |
The island of St. Lucia is an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations, governed by an appointed governor general. English is widely spoken, along with the native French creole language. But you can also find French speaking locals, as well as French influenced cuisine, village names, and culture.
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| overlooking the village of Soufriere |
Boasting striking natural beauty, it is a lush, mountainous island located deep in the Carribean chain of islands between Martinique and St. Vincent, and west of Barbados. You won't find long, white sand beaches with crystal clear turquoise waters. But you will find unbelieveable, picturesque villages perched high on a mountain with stunning views of the Pitons Mountains. The waters are clear, but they are deep, resulting in a deep cobalt blue rather than the stunning turquoise of the Carribean further north.
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| Grand Piton |
Familiar navigational landmarks for sailors and aviators, Petit Piton and Gros Piton, are a huge tourist attraction, with natural dive sites, beautiful upscale resorts and inns, and dense rainforest. We were able to enjoy a couple of excursions to this area, visiting the village of Soufriere which boasts the only "drive-in" volcano in the Carribean. The sulphur springs were an amazing spectacle, but caused everyone in the vicinity to pinch their noses and run to the comforts of the air conditioned transportation where the strong smell of sulphur was less offensive.
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| the local brew, but I didn't like it :) |
Our favorite excursion took us back to the Pitons area where we enjoyed a lovely time of snorkeling at a popular dive site. Too many fishes to mention here, but there was plenty to see and excellent visibility! After spending about an hour in the water, it was time to move along for a coastal tour and up close look at the mountains. Quite beautiful!
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| Gros Piton and Petit Piton Mountains |
Next we were able to enjoy a lovely sunset on our way back to the dive center.
Other favorite pasttimes included nothing at all, except relaxing by the water's edge and enjoying colorful sunsets each evening. Our butler ensured our breakfast was delivered each morning at 9:00, and mojitos awaited us every evening at 6:00!
And no trip is complete without a jaunt to the local market, right? However, much to my dismay there wasn't much to be found other than locally grown fresh fruit and spices. Customs prohibits bringing any of those wonderful fruits home, so I loaded up on the spices: vanilla beans, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cocoa all of which grow on the island. Stay tuned for a future posting on the making of my very own vanilla flavoring!
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| shopping....it's what I do best! |
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| cheap island attire...made in China! |
Our week ended way too soon, but I'm already scheming of our next get away in the Carribean....whenever that may be!
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| love of my life, man of my dreams, my best friend! |
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