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| Philipsburg, St. Maarten Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
The
ship docked in Philipsburg. It was the kind of blazingly hot and
sunshiny day that says, “You know you want to jump in the water,
right?” And the water here is the most ridiculously surreal shade
of teal. So, yes, you do want to jump in it! But not from the ship.
That would hurt.
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| The view from the water taxi. St. Maarten Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
After
breakfast, Harry and I joined Fred and Cathy for a little dockside
souvenir hunting, after which we all took a water taxi to the beach.
It wouldn't have been an impossible walk, but the water taxi was too
cheap to pass up, the weather was hot, and Harry's toe was swollen
from Antigua's snorkel boat issue.
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| Your chair awaits you. St. Maarten Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
It
took just a few minutes to get from the ship to town and the beach
that lines it, where we discovered that lounge chairs with sun
umbrellas were available for rental from local entrepreneurs. The
going rate seemed to be $20 for the day and included two chairs and
an ice bucket with five drinks of your choice (soda, beer, or bottled
water). Our particular entrepreneur could have made a few extra bucks
bringing us another bucket of drinks, because we were extremely
thirsty due to the heat. On the plus side, however, we were able to
get some fried conch without too much trouble, though it was tepid
and soggy by the time it arrived. This led me to be a little nervous
about eating it. But I was hungry and I love conch. So, I ate it. I
know.
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| Shopping in Philipsburg, St. Maarten. Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
The
shopping area in Philipsburg was convenient to the beach,
new-looking, and well staffed with enthusiastic salespeople. The
Dutch Caribbean culture was evident, and so I was reminded of Aruba.
Right away, I warmed up to the island. As you know if you've read my
blog posts at all, I love Aruba! Cathy
and I enjoyed a marathon “free shopping” (Cathy's term for going
from shop to shop picking up the freebies only) expedition, where we
left with everything we had come for. But I am constitutionally unfit
for shopping that's totally free, apparently. Well, you have to have
something to take home for yourself that reminds you of your travels,
right?
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| Count the conveyances! St. Maarten Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
We returned to the beach and waded out into the water for some “salt water
therapy” (Cathy's term for a nice soak in the warm sea). Ahhh. Wow,
it felt like heaven. So refreshing. So relaxing. The guys napped
under the sun umbrellas. It was a restful and fun afternoon. If you
look at a map of the island, you will see that there are beautiful
beaches everywhere. Obviously, we only went to the closest one. If
we were to stay on the island for a week or so, though, I'm sure we
would visit a lot more of them. And that sounds like something I
might like to do.
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| Romantic dinner for two. Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
Back
at the ship, we hot tubbed and rested until it was time to get ready
for dinner. When you select “anytime” dining, you have maximum
flexibility as to when you'll eat and with whom. But things don't
always work out the way you planned. That's what happened this
particular evening. A bunch of us were hoping to eat together, but
our group was broken up between several tables. So, it wasn't the
party we'd hoped for; however, we had a grand time anyway. And Bob
and Karen had a romantic dinner for two right next to a window, with
a view of the full moon rising. Come on. That's awesome!
What
we ate: I started with the shrimp cocktail, followed by wildberry
soup (cold) and a proscuito-tomato-arugula salad with balsamic
dressing. Then came the lobster tail. Okay, lobster tails. Keep 'em
comin', boys! And for dessert, baked Alaska. He had blue cheese
souffle, tomato soup, the same salad, the lobster tail(s), and the
baked Alaska. It was a superb meal.
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| Just one more look at that water... St. Maarten Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
We
joined a large group of “us” in the theater for “Stars in Their
Eyes,” which showcased the dance skills of the performers very
well. In fact, it was the best production of all. And that was
followed by “Beyond the Honeymoon,” a “how well do you know
each other” game for newlyweds and not-so-newlyweds. The Claytons
participated, and they had been married the longest. Oh, the things
we found out about them! They were hilarious! What does he say when
he's “in the mood?”... “Brace yourself!” And there was much,
much more, but these are their stories to tell. And they did. Thank
you for entertaining us so well, you two.
