12-Day Southern Caribbean from Tampa

The British are still coming!

They discovered her natural beauty in the 1620’s, and they’ve been here ever since. Although the island became independent in 1966, life here till retains a strong British accent.

With a climate that is considered among the kindest in the West Indies, and spectacular natural beauty, Barbados is truly one of the gems of the Caribbean.

Although first visited by Columbus, it was Ponce de Leon who named and established the area.

Because of its strategic location, Spain chose San Juan to be one of its strongholds in the New World. The El Morro Fort,rising defiantly from the sea, is living testament to the days when Puerto Rico was a cornerstone of Spain’s efforts in North America.

Today the fort is still an attraction, in addition to the walled city of Old San Juan, the beautiful hotels and casinos and the nearbyresort areas and golf courses.

Saint Lucia (sânt l¡¢she), island nation (1995 est. pop. 156,000), 238 sq mi (616 sq km), West Indies, one of the Windward Islands. The capital is Castries. A lush volcanic island with mountains rising abruptly from the sea, St. Lucia is much favored by vacationers. It also earns foreign exchange from traditional exports-bananas, cocoa beans, coconut oil, and copra-and its oil refinery and oil transshipment facilities. The population is largely of African descent. English is the
official language, but a French patois is widely spoken. Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion. Columbus probably sighted St. Lucia in 1502, but hostile Caribs prevented early colonization attempts. The first successful settlement was by the French in the late 1600s, but Britain gained control in 1803. A member of the short-lived West Indies Federation (1958-62), St. Lucia gained self-government in 1967 and independence in 1979. The conservative United Workers’ party, with John Compton as prime minister, has been in power since 1982.

Columbus called them Virgins. What he saw in the troika of St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John that gave him this impression is not known for sure, but a visitor to any of the three would probably guess it was their natural, unspoiled beauty that inspired him.

But looks aren’t everything–there’s history too. In the 17th century, ownership of St. Thomas was hotly contested by many of the major European powers. Later, swashbucklers like Blackbeard and Drake made the island a base for their operations. And in 1917, St. Thomas and the other Virgins were acquired by the U.S. from Denmark.

Today, St. Thomas has many draws that make it one of the Caribbean’s most popular vacation spots–not the least of which is the fabulous duty free shopping. Some would contend that with sufficient purchases, one may actually cover the cost of the trip in savings alone. There’s only one way to find out–you gotta be there.

Tampa, (tàm´pe) city (1990 pop. 280,015; met. area 2,067,959), seat of Hillsborough co., W Fla., a port on Tampa Bay; inc. 1855. A highly industrialized city, it is the center of a metropolitan area that includes Clearwater and St. Petersburg. It is a resort and processing and shipping hub for the area’s products, particularly phosphates. It has a shrimp fleet, breweries, and a famous cigar industry, centered in its colorful Ybor City section. Nearby Busch Gardens, a theme park
with an African zoo and tropical gardens, is a well-known tourist attraction. The Spanish explored the area in 1528, but European settlement began only in 1823. Tampa was an important military base in the Spanish-American War.