Tap into this post to read about some of our sightseeing, fun facts, travel tips and many pictures of our time in Antigua. We encourage you to get out and see the world if you are able, and if not, we will bring it to you through our posts. We hope you enjoy!
The flag of the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda is a unique design with much symbolism. The red field represents life of the island nation’s people and black for their African ancestry. The rising sun symbolizing the dawn of a new era. The blue band represents hope and also symbolizes the Mediterranean Sea, while white represents the sand of the islands. Thus, the symbolism represented within the inverted triangle are the island’s important tourist draw–sun, sea, and sand.
A Day in Antigua
The second stop on our Caribbean cruise was St. John’s on Antigua island in the West Indies. St. John’s is the national capital of Antigua and Barbuda and its most populous city. Upon arrival at the cruise ship terminal, Nina and I walked through the nice markets into the city for a short walk before heading out to the beaches. During our walk we came upon a beautiful old church being restored, St. John’s Cathedral, which originally built in 1845, as well as some other historic buildings.
After our city walkabout we hired transport to Jolly Beach, a gorgeous white sand beach about 12 km outside of St. John’s. Traffic in St. John’s is mad! There are no highways to speak of and our driver meandered down several city streets in an attempt to bypass some of the traffic. Even though it’s only about 12 km to Jolly Beach, because of traffic it took us 45 minutes or more. Once we arrived at the beach, we were met by a gorgeous white sand and calm Caribbean waters. Jolly Beach, Antigua was one of our favorite beaches on our Caribbean cruise.
Facts & Figures
— Antigua and Barbuda became an island nation in 1981 when it gained independence from Great Britain, however like many of the Caribbean nations it remains a Commonwealth realm under Queen Elizabeth II
— The island of Antigua is separated from Barbuda by some 60 km
— Sadly, Hurricane Irma destroyed 95% of the structures on Barbuda island; wind speeds were recorded at a devastating 295 km/h (185 mph); nearly all inhabitants of Barbuda were evacuated to Antigua
— Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ Antigua in 1493 and named the island ‘Santa Maria de La Antigua’
— In 1674, Englishman Sir Christopher Codrington established the first large sugar cane estate in Antigua
Travel Tips
— Traffic in St. John’s was mad; there is no highway system, rather narrow streets throughout the city on a grid design; allow plenty of time to get around if you are on a schedule
— We hired a shared van with other cruise passengers for our journey to Jolly Beach; the fare included a return trip to the cruise terminal area and payment was taken after the return trip (so we knew he was coming back to collect us!)
— The unit of currency for Antigua and Barbuda is the East Caribbean Dollar (XCD/$)
Philippians 4:13 – New Living Translation (NLT)
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
If you are a world trekker like us and want to become more ‘worldly’, then you will want to try our books below. Thanks to the former British Empire and current Commonwealth, the English language is widely spoken across the world, however it is spoken quite differently depending on where you are traveling. We believe the books below are essential to worldly trekkers and think you will find them both fun and informative. The books include a dictionary of everyday words and phrases, traditional cuisine, some history and culture, and other handy information.
Simply click on the book covers below to find out more:
