Antigua – Wandering Dawgs

January 20, 2022

Welcome to Antigua! Our ship docked in St. John’s, Antigua early in the morning. Our excursion was scheduled for the afternoon so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and relaxing morning on the ship.

Our transportation for the day was a small bus driven by DoeDoe with our tour guide Christina. The tour stopped at several historic and scenic overlooks.

*Our tour bus in Antigua with driver Doedoe and tour guide Christine*

*Old ruins with local goats grazing in Antigua*

The views from Shirley Heights lookout were spectacular. This location was a principal British fortification in the 18th century and is part of Antigua and Barbuda National Park. We explored around the Royal Artillery Guard House while there but spent most of the time enjoying the amazing view of English Harbor.

*View of English Harbor, Antigua from Shirley Heights Lookout*

The rain started coming down on our way to Nelson’s Dockyard, another part of Antigua and Barbuda National Park. It was pouring as we walked through the dockyard so we weren’t able to do much exploring or take many photos. We made our way along the waterfront and found cover in a crowded bar where we watched the rain come down.

*Shells placed beside a walkway at Nelson’s Dockyard*

*Pillars Restaurant at Nelson’s Dockyard*

*It was pouring when we took cover at this waterfront bar*

There are still more adventures to come! Where will the next one be?

“To Travel is to Live” – Hans Christian Andersen

Travel has taught me that there is beauty everywhere you go if you just take the time to look around. When we were traveling by RV, we always had several major destinations for each trip. At first we just drove between destinations without taking much time to enjoy the places in between.

The more trips we took, the more we enjoyed the out of way places that are often overlooked by travelers. Lake Bistineau State Park, Louisiana was one of those places.

Cypress Trees in Lake Bistineau State Park

I’ve learned that traveling opens up opportunities to try new things, even things that terrify me. Our hike to Delicate Arch at Arches National Park is a perfect example of this. I’m scared of heights and almost didn’t make the hike when I read I would have to walk along a narrow ledge with a shear drop off. With Henry’s help and encouragement, I made it. The payoff was this fantastic view.

Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Utah

I learned that asking a local is the best way to find out about the area, the history, and the out of the way places to visit that don’t show up in tour guides. One year we spent about two months wandering around Texas when the bluebonnets were blooming. A ranger I met in one of the state parks gave us directions to a scenic drive on a dirt road that we would have never discovered if we hadn’t asked.

“If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.” -James Michener

Travel has taught me I can learn more about a lot about a place by having conversations with people who live there. At the beautiful Russian Orthodox Church in Ninilchik, Alaska we met two women who manage the gift shop and maintain all the graves. They grew up in Ninilchik together and lived with relatives in Anchorage to attend high school because at the time there was no high school in Ninilchik (there is one today). They graduated together in 1950.

Gift Shop for the Russian Orthadox Church in Ninilchik, Alaska

Travel has taught me to try the local foods. We have enjoyed barbecue beef brisket in Texas, pasties in Michigan, Indian Tacos in South Dakota and Arizona, New Mexico cuisine, local seafood in Florida, Washington and Oregon, pork tenderloin sandwiches in Missouri, Dungeness Crab straight off the boat in Alaska, and so many other delicious things we can’t get at home.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”― Mark Twain

Mark Twain’s quote describes exactly why Henry and I chose to go on our cruise in January. I’ve learned that every day is a gift. None of us know what tomorrow will bring. A single phone call, doctor’s visit, or an unexpected event can change your life in an instant.