Day #7…Friday, February 6, 2015

St. George’s, Grenada

Caribs and the Arawak Indians originally inhabited Grenada.  Later the French fought with the natives to gain control and were finally successful in seizing complete control in 1654.

The island lies in the southern edge of the Grenadines and has a population of 110,000 people.  The Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD) and the US dollar are widely accepted.  Grenada has two distinct seasons.  The dry season extends from January through May and the rainy season extends through the rest of the year.  Average island temperatures range from 75° F to 87° F.    Grenada experiences almost constant trade winds and has relatively low humidity.

We joined a large number of fellow Ruby Princess cruisers and took a panoramic coastal and country scenic tour of the island.  We had visited the island over ten (10) years ago, but only remembered it as the “spice island” or the “island of spices.”

We traveled through the capital city of Sr. George’s and enjoyed the coastal views of the charming city.  The harbor was beautiful and the mountains offered a backdrop for the foliage and crystal clear blue waters.  Red-tile roofs and pastel colors of the buildings and homes provided a panoramic glimpse of a truly tropical paradise.

Fort George overlooks the harbor and is built in a strategic location that provided fortification for the island many years ago.  Spice gardens and plantations abound on the island and we purchased pure vanilla and several common spices produced on the island for a fraction of the cost in the states.  A variety of spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, cloves and ginger are sold at every corner of the island. 

We traveled to the Grand Anse area and stopped at the Radisson Hotel for some rum punch and fresh juice and chatted with hotel personnel there about reservation information.  At a future time, we definitely will consider returning to the island as we found the hotel rates to be very reasonable and the area exquisite.  From the hotel, we were able to take photos of the Morne Rouge, one of the main beach areas, with water so clear you could easily see your toes.

Another interesting site we visited was the St. George’s School of Medicine.  This medical school has over 5,000 students and the buildings and grounds are beautifully groomed and landscaped. 

After our tour of the island, we found free Wi-Fi at a local sports bar and spent time having some refreshments and receiving and sending email messages.  The ship’s internet service continues to be very slow and so we will try to locate free Wi-Fi at each future port we visit.  On the ship, we are allotted 1000 free internet minutes and we are rationing those minutes in order to work on this blog.  We have already used over 100 minutes and have had a number of internet problems on the ship.

We shared our day’s experiences with our tablemates at dinner and then attended a theater performance featuring Mark Nizer, a juggler.  We were disappointed in the act and will probably refrain from seeing his second show in another day or two.  We then watched another dance show by a duo from South America who feature variations of the tango. 

Tomorrow we will be arriving in the Port of Spain, Trinidad and will have to get up very early and be at our tour’s meeting place at 7:20 A.M.  Needless to say, we will not be sleeping in late in the morning.