St. Barth was originally inhabited by Arawak Indians; they were followed by the Caribs, who greeted Christopher Columbus when he arrived in 1493. He named the island for his brother Bartoloméo. The French made initial unsuccessful attempts to settle it until some determined Huguenots from Normandy persevered and prospered. Later, French buccaneers made it a way station as they plundered Spanish galleons, which adds to St. Barth's lore.
In 1784, France traded the island to Sweden, and the capital was named Gustavia – in honor of its king, Gustavia III – and declared a free port. (To the delight of shoppers, it remains free.) In 1878, it was sold back to France, but charming reminders preserve the past in street signs and the Swedish Cemetery. Those touches delightfully enhance St. Barth's European ambience.
Tourism took hold when Rémy de Haenen, an eccentric Dutch aviator, landed his plane at what is now the airport. He later became the first hotelier and the island's mayor. Rémy hosted the era's luminaries – he was a friend of Howard Hughes – and Hollywood starlets. The '60s brought the Rockefellers and Rothschilds and saw the arrival of the first jet-setters. Thus, the mystique was created. The '70s brought spectacular yachts like Onassis's Christina into the Lilliputian Harbor in Gustavia.
We saw the stunning views from the Gustavia Lighthouse, after walking back through the town. We charted a path passed the churches, and the belltower. Our path took us past the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption. Just like with forts, lighthouses double as great viewpoints (that’s their job – to see and be seen). The Gustavia lighthouse shares its location with the remains of Fort Gustav. We explored the site and saw the ruins of the fort. Some cannons remain as a remembrance of its military past.
Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
The BellTower
Visited Shell Beach, no visit to a Caribbean island is complete without a walk on a beach! So, we headed back down that set of stairs, took a right, and it’s just a brief walk to Shell Beach.
Enjoyed the million-dollar views from Fort Karl. As we got to the next stop of our walking tour, we saw just how steep the roads are in St. Barts. Fort Karl itself isn’t the attraction here (as it no longer remains) – it’s the views. (You’ll always find a great viewpoint at a fort site. That’s why they built the fort there – they could see incoming invaders early and protect the island.)
At the end of Rue Victor Schoelcher, we found a set of stairs heading up the hill to the site of the fort. The stairs themselves are worth a look as they contain a lot of inlaid materials—shells, coral, glass, pottery—so they have a mosaic-like quality. As you’re climbing, we paused for a moment and turned around to enjoy the view (and catch our breath). There are greens from the foliage and distant hills, blues from the sea and sky, and varying shades of red from the local roof tiles.
Once we got to the top of the stairs, there are excellent panoramic view of the sea and surrounding islands. There is an interpretive display at ground level that maps out the nearby islands so that you can identify what you are seeing. I was surprised at how close the various port islands were to each other.
We then walked to the other side of the site to get a fantastic view overlooking Shell Beach.
Shell Beach
A crab, casually going up the stairs to fort Karl
Check out the fun sculpture garden. As we followed along the water’s edge towards the end of the peninsula, we found the Hôtel de la Collectivité. The Hôtel de la Collectivité is a large building facing the sailboat-filled harbour. Emblazoned across the front of the building are the words “Liberté, égalité, fraternité”.
Continuing on past the Hôtel de la Collectivité, we reached the end of the peninsula and had a great view all the sailboats and yachts in the harbour. Turned around to see the island’s welcome sign: ‘Bienvenue a Saint Barthélemy’.
Michael found glue for his 10 dollar shoes that he bought in Jamaica, they fell apart and the upholstery department ion the ship tried to fix to no avail. We then found the yacht club where young children on yellow boats were being taught to sail. Stopped for Belgian beer in the middle of a rain downpour.
The weather changes from intermittent downpours to bright sunshine over the course of our explorations.
Back to the ship on our Tender boat seen below.
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