St. Barths ended up being the highlight port of our trip — because we discovered a lot of its natural beauty. Instead of a tour of any kind we elected to rent a car (EV) for the day with our travel buddies Dan and Kelley. Our plan was to drive to a number of beaches and other beautiful viewing spots. When we found one we liked and was good for snorkeling we stayed for an hour or so. And when we found one that had a good place to eat lunch, same thing.

There are truly many beautiful spots in St. Barths. Most of the houses have incredible views.

Our beach choice was great for snorkeling. A number of very large turtles, and some great fish. The same beach had a very nice beach restaurant — one where we could dine while wiggling our feet in the sand under us.

After an obligatory stop at the airport to watch the planes dive into the short runway, we headed back to the port. And it was a no shopping day! Based on last year’s visit we all knew the crazy prices and limited selections.

Betsy and I are in the deep Caribbean with another couple from our Vagabond cruise in 2020, escaping the cold to enjoy 80 degree weather and some beautiful scenery. Nevis and St. Kitts was our first stop, after cruising two days and nights from Miami. So what does one do for two straight days and nights on a cruise ship?

Art. I have never been an artist — as in painting and drawing. Yet during COVID and on our past few trips we have taken advantage of a number of art classes. Our ship has a superb one, and here is one of my attempts. All free form, done with crayons made from oil paint. Just fun to express oneself in different ways, yet clearly still not an artist. Will not make any money on it at an art gallery (because my father is not President), yet still fun.

Crepes. Making and eating them. Our ship also has an outstanding culinary teaching facility and they adjust the recipes to the local area, so we learned how to make coconut shrimp and crepes with a sauce containing brown sugar, butter, rum, Grand Marnier then topped with coconut. In these classes you eat what you cook. Yum!

Chat with our friends — about a myriad of topics.

NOTHING! Nothing wrong with nothing! Read, rest, enjoy the scenery.

And then there is always more eating on a cruise ship. Oceania has the best cuisine among all cruise lines. One of their specialty restaurants is Jacques, named after legendary chef Jacques Pepin. It has the elegance and excellence of a top restaurant in Paris — and one can order anything without thinking about the check. So dining there capped off our first day.

And once we got to Nevis we were quickly reminded that while we consider Alexander Hamilton a founder of our nation he was actually born in Nevis. And that may partly explain the tempo of the music in the huge Broadway hit about his life.