A CRUISE TO THE PITONS

St. Lucia. Third port stop on our Carnival Liberty cruise. Famous for those mountain spires rising high above the Caribbean Sea, the Petit and Gros Pitons. I was really looking forward to our cruise down the western coast of the island which would culminate with this spectacular view of the Pitons.

Our cruise vessel was Tango Two...

Cruising out of Castries harbor we saw colorful houses perched on the seaside cliff in front of the Sandals resort.

All along the coast there are caves in the cliffside...

We cruised down the coast of the island into picturesque Marigot Bay...

Colorful water taxis shuttle tourists across Marigot Bay...

Majestic palm trees swayed in the tropical breeze as we exit Marigot Bay. This strip of sand is part of the Marigot Beach Club and Dive resort.

We stopped at Anse Cochon beach where we swam in the warm Caribbean water. The water was the perfect temperature; slightly cool as you stepped off the boat, but heavenly just a few minutes later. The salinity in this part of the Caribbean is so high it is easy to just float in the water.

Locals in canoes continuously hawked their wares while we were moored at the beach. It became a bit annoying but this man made for a great photo opportunity.

We sailed past fishing villages such as Canaries...

and colorful houses beachside and hillside...

Finally we reached our destination and were rewarded with a front row view of the Pitons...

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by my husband and me during our visit to St. Lucia in April, 2015.

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (PART 2)

After boarding the Atlantis Submarine we and our fellow submariners settled into our seats.

Our undersea journey began with the pilot diving over 140 feet to the bottom of the Caribbean Sea to view the shipwreck of the Lord Willoughby...

The submarine then slowly glided up the 2-mile coral reef which offered us marvelous views of myriad types of coral...

Hundreds of tropical fishes including these horse-eyed jacks...

Barracuda...

and Hawksbill turtles

NOTE: The tint on the windows of the submarine really hampered the quality of our photos. These photos don't even compare to the actual views you see during the ride.

Click here for more information on Atlantis Submarine.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by my husband and me during our visit to Barbados in April, 2015.

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA...

Well, we didn't descend that far under water, but after completing our Atlantis submarine excursion, we did receive dive certificates confirming we had submerged 143 feet below the Caribbean Sea's surface.

We were really excited about the Atlantis submarine excursion. It was recommended to us by a relative, and it did not disappoint. We were picked up at the Barbados cruise port and driven to the Atlantis headquarters to board the boat which would take us out to meet the submarine. A very Caribbean-colored building...

We boarded the Ocean Quest and sailed out to meet Atlantis...

I wasn't sure what to expect. The boat stopped only about a half-mile from the shore. Everyone moved toward the front of the boat and waited...suddenly something started to emerge from the sea looking like a large beluga whale...

Periscope up!

Finally, we could see the entire submarine surface...

Our boat tendered alongside the submarine so the passengers currently on the submarine could board our boat, and we could descend into the submarine.

So we turned in our boarding passes...

And descended down the ladder to begin our excursion. In my next post I will share photos of our journey under the sea.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by my husband and me during our visit to Barbados in April, 2015.