Verbal Spark!

Each time I hear their names a well of emotion builds up inside of. I was born on neither but they are where my immediate roots originate. My dad is from St. Kitts (also known as St. Christopher) and my mom is from Nevis. Both islands are in the Caribbean and are part of a group of islands collectively known as the Leeward Islands or the Lesser Antilles in the Eastern Caribbean. They also make up one nation - St Kitts and Nevis.  They sit about 200 miles southeast of Puerto Rico.

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St. Kitts, the larger of the two at about 65 square miles, is affectionately called “The Polynesia of the Caribbean” as it gives visitors, familiar with that pacific region, a feel that they are smack dab in the middle of Bora Bora or Tahiti. The native Indians that once roamed its fertile and verdant landscape called it “Liamuiga” which means, “fertile land.” To the British who colonized it for 400 plus years, it was referred to as the “mother colony” being the first British colony in the region, the first of many more to follow.

St. Kitts is shaped like a guitar or a chicken drumstick. On its northwestern end sits a well preserved hilltop fortress known as Brimstone Hill which presents a panoramic view of the wide open Caribbean Sea, Nevis to the southeast and St. Eustatius (”Statia”) to the north.  Brimstone Hill was built by the French who occupied the island at one point (the capital, Bassetterre, a French word, is a reminder of that).  The British later stormed the fort, won a decisive battle and took control of St. Kitts.

Over on it’s fairly uninhabited Peninsula jutting out toward Nevis, one can see one of nature’s little facts on display. With the land area at this area being so narrow, you can stand on  a hill facing Nevis and be able to see both the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea in one view. What you will notice is that the Atlantic Ocean is rough and restless with constant crashing waves pushed by the famous east to west Trade Winds while the Caribbean Sea is almost at a dead calm.

As a kid, St. Kitts was known for its sugar cane. The land was a rolling carpet of sugar cane fields blending in with the green of other plant life all over the island.  I personally have never seen so many different shades of green on one island. The Indians were clearly right with their descriptive name for the island.

On the Atlantic side going toward the Peninsula is a recent addition to the area, the Marriot Hotel, a beautiful testament to the creativity of the human genius. Large, spacious and relaxing with the total ambiance of the Caribbean.

Sitting just a mere two miles away is Nevis, a name derived from the Spanish word, neives which means “snow.”  Christopher Columbus, upon sailing past the island, looked at its dominant peak (today called “Nevis Peak”) hidden away in a mist of clouds and dubbed it Nuestra Señora de las Nieves or in English, Our Lady of the Snows.” Of course Nevis has never seen snow and probably never will so its name is certainly ironic. The Indians, however, called it Oualie which means, land of beautiful waters and the early British settlers called it  Dulcina (”Sweet Island”).

On the east side of Nevis, you can  see the island of Antigua 50 miles away while from its southeastern end you can see the island of Montserrat and recently, its very active volcano lighting up the night sky.  To the north and northwest St. Kitts can be seen, 2- miles away at the closest point.

Nevis is shaped like fried egg and its landscape is dominated by the 3,000 plus foot mountain Nevis Peak which sits dead center on the island making it visible from every place on the island.  The mountain is relieved of pressure by hot steam rivers that emanates from it.

The Four Seasons Hotel chain has a top class hotel there also.  It has always been a well kept secret for the rich and famous as Nevis is not the first name that comes to mind when tourists think of Caribbean destinations.  The hotel boasts one of the world’s best hotel golf courses, sits at the western foot of Nevis Peak and presents a beautiful view of western St. Kitts.

On one final note, Nevis was the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton the man seen on the U.S $20 bill.