http://lornesandyitaly.blogspot.com/
for Lorne and Sandy's Italian Adventure (22 Sep to 16 Oct 2010)
Kristin's Adventures in Japan (Sep 2009 to May 2010), with a few guest blogs by Lorne during our visit in December 2009.
These blogs are set up chronologically and will open up at the last blog that was posted. There is a limited amount of room to see multiple postings on one web page, so to see older postings, you will have to find the link at the bottom of the page or in a side bar.
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| Sandy and Kristin waiting for our flight out of Ottawa |
First a little history and geography about Antigua, which I grabbed from the referenced web sites.
The Siboney were the first to inhabit the islands of Antigua and Barbuda in 2400 B.C., but Arawak and Carib Indians populated the islands when Columbus landed on his second voyage in 1493. Early settlements by the Spanish and French were succeeded by the English who formed a colony in 1667. Slavery, established to run the sugar plantations on Antigua, was abolished in 1834. The islands became an independent state within the British Commonwealth of Nations in 1981.
http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcantigua.htm
http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcantigua.htm
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| St. John's, the capital of Antigua and Barbuda as seen from our airplane on the final approach for landing. |
Antigua, also known as ‘Wadadli’ meaning ‘our own’, is the largest of the Leeward Islands. The circumference is roughly 54 miles and its area is 108 square miles. The island is the most developed of the Leeward Islands and is prosperous due to its upscale tourism industry, offshore banking, gambling and education services.
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| Arrival at Antigua Airport. Kristin waves hello to me as I take this photo from the top of the ladder to the airplane. |
Antigua (pronounced An-tee-gah) is a British Leeward Island. Formerly a British colony, it has retained strong links to British tradition (and is deeply devoted to the English sport of cricket). In recent years tourism has undergone tremendous expansion, and the island is now popular with tourists of all types. Antigua is best known for its 365 beautiful beaches, magnificent dive sites and interesting historical maritime sites. It is also known as a major Caribbean yachting port. Barbuda is Antigua's sister island although it could not be more different. In Barbuda you will see a Caribbean island that is unspoiled by tourism and is renowned for its natural, beaches, sprinkled with pink sand and miles long. Several resorts dominate the island and offer top-notch cuisine and luxurious accommodations. The beauty of the island is in its natural, peaceful way of life - it is not for visitors who are looking for nightlife or entertainment - it is a place to relax, slow down, and make your own.
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| The view of the Atlantic Ocean from our verandah at the Verandah Resort and Spa in Antigua. We are staying in Unit # 220, nicknamed the Lion Fish |
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| The front door to the Lion Fish. |
There is a good map of Antigua located at the following web site, which specifically states that you are not allowed to reproduce the map on a web site, so all I can do is provide the link. Our hotel, the Verandah Resort and Spa, is identified on the map as Hotel # 26, on the far eastern end in the middle of the island right beside the Kodak Picture Taking Spot called Devil’s Bridge (please stand by for photos of this site in another blog).
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| Listening to tunes while I start the "Adventures in Antigua" blog at the Ottawa Airport. |
So how did we choose Antigua and our resort? It was simply done by a little research on island safety and beauty; and then a chat with Louise, our friendly travel agent at CAA who recommended an all-inclusive Air Canada vacation to the Verandah Resort and Spa on Antigua.
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| A selection of Eastern Caribbean currency, the legal tender of Antigua and most of the islands near by. |
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| The back of the $20 (Eastern Caribbean dollars) bill. EC$20.00 = CA$8.00 |
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