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Ah. Civilization. After the Dominican Republic experience, it was a pleasure to touch down on
Runway 10 at Cyril E. King Charlotte Amalie International Airport. After the necessary paper
work, we grabbed a taxi and headed out to our next stop: Mafolie Hotel.
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Short final to RWY 10
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Mafolie is a small hotel run by a friendly couple and sports an incredible view of
Charlotte Amalie harbour. Thanks to the unplanned fuel-stop in the Dominican Republic,
we arrived quite late, but the owners were extremely helpful and promptly offered to
drive us up to the nearest restaurant so we could get some food and drinks after a very long day.
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Blackbeard's castle
Fort Christian |
Although St. Thomas is a small island, the main city, Charlotte Amalie, is quite busy,
and the combination of a tropical paradise and American practicality is utterly fascinating.
Think old Danish fort combined with Rap music. It feels like a tropical island on steroids.
Quite a difference from Long Island.
St. Thomas together with St. Croix and St. John together make up the U.S. Virgin Islands that
the United States bought from Denmark in 1917 during World War I. Better known by the Danish
as the “Dansk Vestindiske Øer” (Danish West Indies), the islands were owned by the French,
the Dutch and the Brits.
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The islands were ruled by the Danes from mid-1700’s to the mid-1800’s. St. Thomas prospered
as an important seaport, partly because Denmark remained neutral throughout several European
wars during that period. The Danish heritage is obvious in both surnames and street names.
Charlotte Amalie is named after a Danish queen and many street names are Danish.
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If you want to experience St. Thomas, spend a day in Charlotte Amalie, and then hit the
northern or western end of the island. The western end is still relatively wild with plenty
of vegetation. On the northern side, right above Charlotte Amalie, you’ll find Magen’s Bay
Beach, with almost a full kilometer of white sand and calm water. It has been listed as one
of the 10 most beautiful beaches in the world.
On St. Thomas you will also find old pirate castles. It is claimed that several pirates
kept their treasures on this island, and on almost on the top of the island you will find
Blackbeard’s castle – a hotel laid out around a tower that Blackbeard used as a look-out for
invaders. Being almost at the top of the island, the hotel has stunning views of the harbour.
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Funny spelling (if you're danish)
The old slave market
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Magen's Bay Beach |
More Magen's Bay |
Charlotte Amalie by night |
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