EXPLORING THE WORLD

ST. THOMAS REPRISE: ONE MISSION
Carnival Celebration
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Thursday, February 16, 2023
84F, Sunny

TK and Janie at Stone House Cafe-Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

I had one mission today in my favorite shopping port and that was to pick up my new ring at Alpha Jewelers in downtown Charlotte Amalie. After an incident with an open air bus that was way too crowded, but Donna got on, then tried to get off when the bus was starting to move, we boarded the next bus and the four of us were safely on our way.

Donna and I walked at a fast pace after being dropped off—TK and Lawrence could not keep up—and we were soon at Alpha. Sonny (the owner) recognized me immediately and went to get my ring. I love it! This is the 5^th ring I purchased there, and Sonny has incorporated diamonds that I already had or inherited. The new ring is another spectacular sight. Donna, who has also purchased jewelry at this shop, saw two tone gold earrings she loved and bought them. I will slow down after this, I think. https://alpha-jewelers.com/

What does one do after all that fun? Shop some more, but no more jewelry this trip. We slowed our pace a bit and walked the lovely streets of the charming old city, popping in and out of souvenir shops. We arrived at the water front where the shop, “I Love St. Thomas,” is located (5197 Dronningens Gade, Ste 1)—this shop opened just a few years ago and is run by Sonny’s wife Nikita and their son. It is one of the best souvenir shops in town. I noticed Donna holding a bag in my favorite colors and rushed over to find that it was the last one. My favorite colors, blue and green, are hers too. The sales clerk showed me another with a different design and similar colors, and so we both bought bags—TK, who was there at the time, thinks I need more bags. Well, maybe not. (www.ilovestthomas.com ) The bottom line is that a lot of people think Donna and I are sisters, we do think alike.

Signe near door for the gift shop

called I Love St. Thomas

I wanted to know a little history of the island because of the building where we had lunch. St. Thomas was first sighted by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and was first colonized by the Dutch (1657) and then by the Danish (1666). That is why street names and other features have Danish names. The U.S. purchased this island, along with St. John and St. Croix, from the Danish in 1917 for $25 million in gold coin. People here are U.S. citizens. The island’s population is about 43,000. About 18,500 live in the Charlotte Amalie, the capital.

The Stone House Café, Restaurant, and Bar came highly recommended, so we decided to eat there—the building is an old warehouse (5197 Dronningens Gade, Ste1) and the food was excellent—whether cheeseburgers, chicken wings, or meatball sliders, our choices. The desserts, including baklava, are made in house, but we did not have room for dessert. https://stonehousecafe.myncrsilver.com/

Entrance to Stone House Cafe

Donna and Lawrence at Stone House

Interior, Stone House

Bar area, Stone House

It was time to return to the ship and we were able to hail an empty open air bus for the return trip ($6/pp). We were docked in Havensight which has many more shops, but after a quick run around we returned to the ship.

TK took this photo from the open air bus

Celebration is in the background

TK watched from the balcony as

Janie and Donna finally stopped shopping to

return to the ship

Tonight we opted for Festivale Dining Room again. We were delighted when the red lights were not on, but about 10 minutes later a switch was flipped and we were drenched in red light. But, the meal was better—caprese salad and lasagna (me) and caprese salad for TK with barbecue pork.