It's 8 years today from my very first post, and the beginning of blogging! I now have a number of blogs and many new friends. I am delighted to say that I have met some followers personally, and each meeting has been a great experience; with the discovery of common attitudes and interests, I have no doubt that lifelong friendships will be formed. For those followers I have not yet been able to meet, many have become friends via personal email and others via chats on the blog. Thank you, one and all, for being there and taking the time to read and comment; it is much appreciated!
Back to reminiscing about Nevis, see Part 1 and Part 2 and here are a few more photos taken during our holiday.
Taken in the grounds of the Montpelier hotel. Montpelier was formerly a 17th century sugar estate, but the buildings now transformed to provide luxury and upmarket accommodation....
On the veranda. This is where Princess Diana used to visit....
Cogwheels from the sugar cane crushing process reminding the visitor of what used to be here...
One of the lounges with a pub at the back, housing a great selection of drinks....
Nelson’s love affair with Nevis was largely due to Fanny Nisbet, a widow he met at a dinner party on Nevis. The two fell instantly in love, and their nuptials are without a doubt the most famous wedding here to date....
The house is no longer standing but the famous silk cottonwood tree, under which they got married, still is!
Moving on to another part of the island - nothing is very far away! We arrive at the church of St Thomas, which we were told was the oldest Anglican church in the Caribbean. The original church was built in 1643 and there are still a few old and broken gravestones in the churchyard (see below) from the 17th century....
It was closed up on the day we visited, so we did not get to see inside, but there are services on Sundays. There are loads of churches on the island, dedicated to all varieties of Christian faiths!
The churchyard overlooks the sea and the island of St Kitts in the distance.
The tourist signboard neatly describing the circumstances by which the church was founded and built, as a gift from English planter Thomas Cottle.
He was once the President of Nevis and a very benevolent slave owner, by the harsh and inhuman standards of the day, of course. This church was the only one on the island, and probably in the Caribbean, where the slaves and their master worshipped together. It was never consecrated, since it was illegal at that time for slaves to worship. The structure was severely damaged in a 1974 earthquake and again in 1989 during Hurricane Hugo. The building is still a primary tourist attraction and is presently undergoing restoration to stabilise it and ensure its historical significance for the future.
Inside the church; quite a modest building as you can see.
Part of a wall plaque recording the names and ages of some of the slaves who lived on the local Round Hill estate and worked on the construction of the church. One child named Aaron is listed as aged only 4 and others are shown as having been born in Africa, obviously being transported to the island as slaves.
Returning to some of the wildlife in Nevis! Caribbean Queen or Jamaican Monarch butterfly (Danaus cleophile).
The panther anole (anolis bimaculatus), is a species of lizard that is endemic to the Caribbean Lesser Antilles islands.
African green, or “vervet” monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops). These monkeys were first brought to the islands as pets in the 17th or 18th centuries. Some escaped or were set free and they have thrived ever since. They can be a nuisance, running off with food and anything else not nailed down!
Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) wheeling over the seashore, no doubt seeking fish in the shallows.
Mangrove Buckeye butterfly (Junonia genoveva) taking a break!
Watching the sun go down in a local restaurant with St Kitts on the skyline.
Also see my daily diary HERE
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