St. Thomas USVI – Back Home Again

Day 10 – 17 December 2025 – Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI

 

We used to live and work on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; I lived there for twenty-five years, Richard lived there for roughly eighteen years.  We met and married on the island, so this is more of a visit HOME rather than being a tourist in a new place.  It was strange to be back on St. Thomas for just one day.  We’ve been back a few times since we left in 2012, but we usually stay a week or so.  Being there for only a fraction of a day was definitely weird, but, oh well.  That’s all that tourists on ships get, and that’s what we were this time.

 

Our entire plan for St. Thomas was all about friends – so many people we’d have loved to see, but with only about seven or eight hours in port, our time was severely limited.  I contacted a few dear friends before we left the US, because our phones don’t work consistently in other countries.  Fortunately, our mobile phones work in the VI, since it’s a US territory.  Lots of texts back and forth all day we were there. 

 

Basically, we managed to meet up with:  JJ, who works with tour groups at the dock, gathering people who have signed up for tours and ensuring they get to the right bus or safari (open air truck/bus).  She was right there at the dock when we disembarked on a drizzly morning, but easy to find and of course we interrupted her for big hugs!  When she had a break between groups and ships, she met us in a café for tea and a good chat.

 

Then I met up with JDW, my former colleague and co-teacher who also was my matron of honor at our wedding.  She and I taught next door to each other for twenty-four years, and became very good friends.  We even attended a few summer classes in the US together, so of course we had a whole lot of catching up to do over lunch.  (For people who follow us, this friend and her husband were stopped in Buenos Aires and I met them there maybe ten years ago.)

 

 After JDW and I had spent a few hours together, she needed to head out.  So HS, former landlady and long-time friend, was able to drive over to the dock and we spent an hour or two talking, filling in each other on what has been happening – the usual old friend sorts of talking.  She just happens to also share Richard's birth date, so this was her day to celebrate as well!

 

We had hoped to also meet with MS, another good friend, but ended up just talking on the phone.  She was having a kitty emergency so we couldn’t meet up.  (I totally understood, having been a kitty mother myself.)

 

Oh, and I peeked into the post office where I had a box for years, at the mall near the cruise ship dock.  (Havensight, for people who know St. Thomas.)  I recognized one of the women working there, and when she looked up at me her eyes got big, she gave me a huge smile, and welcomed me back on island!  Yup, our little island is that kind of place, where a postal worker will recognize a customer from thirteen years ago! 

 

By about 3 PM I think we were all talked out, and our ship was departing at 4 PM.  So I headed back to the ship, and sat on our lovely balcony as we sailed away. 

 

I had made dinner reservations at the specialty Italian restaurant to celebrate Richard’s birthday – it was delicious and delightful!  My meal of chicken parmesan was so huge, I brought half of it back to the room and ate it the next day in a big salad!  (It was too good to NOT do that!)

 

That was pretty much it, a day of friends!  So, not at all a touristy day.  But a very fulfilling day nevertheless!