A Vacation Within a Vacation (February 7-8, 2015)

Downtown Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

Downtown Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

We had debated about where to leave the boat during the two-night trip to Antigua. I suggested a mooring ball but the ones in these bays are all private. We didn’t really want to pay for a marina but leaving it anchored is uncomfortable (what if the wind changes direction and the anchor comes loose?). When we pulled into the bay outside Crown Bay Marina we anchored and then had to re-anchor, which is unusual for us, so we were

Stores now occupy the warehouses built by pirates to store their treasures, St. Thomas

Stores now occupy the warehouses built by pirates to store their treasures, St. Thomas

concerned about it holding. In the midst of this, a dinghy pulls up and another boat owner offers us the use of a free private mooring ball for a few days. It always amazes me how things work out. On Saturday, we get ready to go. We dinghy to the marina with laundry and do errands, including getting huge bags of ice to try and keep the fridge cool while we’re gone. The added bonus of this marina is there is a homemade ice cream shop right at the dock.

A tired Joshua trekking to the airport.

A tired Joshua trekking to the airport.

It’s Sunday morning – departure day. The spatula breaks while Matt is frying eggs and they fly everywhere, including on and behind the gimbaled stove and into the cabinets that are right beyond the stove. I’m washing dishes while he cleans up the mess. “Guys!” I suddenly yell. “It’s Sunday – that mean’s it’s ice cream day and we’re on our way to see a volcano. Life doesn’t get any better than this!” I think I might be the most excited out of all of us. We drop the dinghy off at the Yahama dealership dock, get our Sunday ice cream and

One of Antigua's beautiful beaches

One of Antigua’s beautiful beaches

walk the 1.5 miles to the airport. We arrive in Antigua in late afternoon and get a taxi to Antigua Village, where Matt has booked a one bedroom condo. Upon entering, Joshua and I both have the same reaction, “A refrigerator!” Is it inappropriate to give an appliance a full contact body hug? Joshua has asked me if we can have a freezer and ice cube trays when we get back to Cleveland. I open the freezer. There’s ice! He’s so excited. Between the ice and the AC we’re in heaven. Antigua is gorgeous (365 beaches) and definitely a place to which to return for a longer stay. The water is beautiful – a lighter shade

Conch shell

Conch shell

of blue than the Virgin Islands and it seems a wealthier country, with tourism as well as agriculture (an added bonus is the resorts are less expensive). The Village has a pool, the beachfront and several restaurants. We walk down the beach and see a local pulling into shore on a kayak loaded with starfish and conch shells. He cuts out the conch and gives the boys two of the shells. The sand is amazingly soft and Matt and I sit on the beach while the boys swim. We eat out at the restaurant that night (thankfully the prices are in EC dollars so entrees aren’t really $170

Antigua, Sisters Island in the distance.

Antigua, Sisters Island in the distance.

dollars). At bedtime the boys ask if they can stay in the twin beds in the bedroom. Matt is about to say that they will sleep on the pullout sofa when I remind him that if we stay on the sofa we have an actual living room in which to hang out in all evening. We give them the bedroom. It really does feel like a vacation.