MyCaribGuide » Sites Of Interest

Derek Walcott Square

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 22:56:42 +0000

A dignified and verdant rectangle that’s bordered with, among others, the public library and the island’s most reknown Catholic church, the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Derek Walcott, born in St. Lucia in 1930, won a Nobel Prize for literature. Plaques within the park honor Walcott with a verse from his epic poem, Ste. Lucie. (“Moi c’est gens Ste. Lucie: C’est la moi sortie, is there that I born.”) A few steps away is a plaque commemorating another island-born luminary, Sir William Arthur Lewis (1915-1979), winner of a Nobel Prize for economics, whose face appears on St. Lucia’s EC$100 bills. Both commemorative plaques are sheltered by the branch canopy of an enormous 500-year-old “Masav tree”, (called Masav which is Creole for “I don’t know”), since most locals have no idea of the tree’s species.

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Marigot Bay

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:37:20 +0000

South of Castries, this west-coast yachties haven is the most beautiful bay in the Caribbean. Some 400 years ago, its palm-lined shore was home to the Carib warriors.

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Morne Fortune

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:02:16 +0000

To the south of Castries looms Morne Fortune, the “Hill of Good Luck.” In the 18th century, some of the most savage Caribbean battles between the French and the British took place here. You can visit the military cemetery, a small museum, the old powder magazine, and the Four Apostles Battery (a quartet of grim muzzle-loading cannons). Government House, now the official residence of the governor-general of St. Lucia, is one of the few examples of Victorian architecture that escaped destruction by fire. The private gardens are beautifully planted, aflame with scarlet and purple bougainvillea. Morne Fortune also offers what many consider the most scenic lookout perch in the Caribbean. The view of Castries harbour is panoramic: You can see north to Pigeon Island or south to the Pitons; on a clear day, you may even spot Martinique. To reach Morne Fortune, head east on Bridge Street.

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St. Lucia’s public market

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:24:39 +0000

One of the most fascinating in the West Indies, and one of St.Lucia’s favorite people-watching sites. It is held every day of the week except Sunday, and is most active on Friday and Saturday mornings. The market stalls are a couple of blocks from Derek Walcott Square along Peynier Street, running down toward the water.There local vendors peddle a variety of St. Lucia’s luscious seasonal fruits and vegetables – many of which may be new to you; the array of colours alone is astonishing. Sample one of the numerous varieties of bananas: in St. Lucia, they’re allowed to ripen on the tree, and taste completely different from those picked green and sold foreign supermarkets. You can also pick up St. Lucian handicrafts such as baskets and unglazed traditional pottery here.

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Sulphur Springs

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:26:21 +0000

near Soufriere, is a rocky lunar landscape of pits and open craters of boiling sulphur – like a scene from Dante’s Inferno. A wonder of natural geology, the site is known as the world’s only “Drive-in volcano”.

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The Cathederal of the Immaculate Conception

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:00:31 +0000

Right next to Derek Walcott Square is one of the most important French-built religious buildings in the West Indies. Built during the 19th century of wrought iron, cast iron, and stone under the supervision of several generations of hard-working, long-suffering priests, it’s covered with an almost surreal mélange of French Catholic and West Indian iconography. Notice on one wall the frescoes commemorating the “Martyrs of Uganda” who were slaughtered by the forces of dictator Idi Amin.

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The Pitons

sancha — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:02:00 +0000

This little fishing port, St. Lucia’s second-largest settlement, is dominated by two pointed hills called Petit Piton and Gros Piton. The Pitons, two volcanic cones rising to 738m and 696m (2,421 ft. and 2,283 ft.), have become the very symbol of St. Lucia. Formed of lava and rock, and once actively volcanic, they are now covered in green vegetation.

Their sheer rise from the sea makes them a landmark visible for miles around. It’s recommended that you attempt to climb only Gros Piton, but doing so requires the permission of the Forest and Lands Department and the company of a knowledgeable guide.

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