At Home in Paradise : Horst and Isabel Cerni

Almost 59 years ago I met a beautiful, exotic looking, girl at an international dance at the YWCA in Manhattan. We danced and I asked her where she was from. “Virgin Islands” she said. I had no idea where that was, but I looked forward to travelling there.

It was magical – like with her - “love at first sight”.

Isabel and I married in Christiansted, St.Croix and returned regularly, at least every other year, to visit family and friends and of course to enjoy the beautiful tropical surroundings and swimming in the clear Caribbean Sea.

We decided to retire on St.Croix. Isabel’s family was there and the internet and flight connections would allow us to stay in touch with family and friends everywhere. We bought a condominium where we lived whenever we visited from NY.

 

The Virgin Islands were “discovered” by Columbus on his second voyage in 1493, but the Carib Indians didn't welcome him and killed one of the sailors. Nevertheless, Columbus continued from Santa Cruz (as he named it) to explore the other islands. Seeing so many, he named them the Virgin Islands in honor of Santa Ursula and her 11,000 virgin martyrs.

The French came next and occupied the island in the 17th century. They renamed it Ste. Croix, and when Denmark became the new owner in 1733, the name remained, but was now anglicized and pronounced “Saint Croy".

When the United States bought the islands – St.Croix, St.Thomas and St.John – in 1917, they soon became known as the “American Paradise”.

 

St. Croix is the eastern-most point in the US. Several of our colleagues visited here during WAWIG reunions in 1999 and 2010.

 

The population is very friendly and one greets each other on the streets, whether or not one knows the person. English and Spanish are spoken and the people love to celebrate. Before the pandemic we had major festivals and parades for Carnival (right after Christmas, - one for adults and the day before for children, each lasting about six hours), for St. Patrick’s Day, Transfer, Emancipation, Dominican Independence, and Puerto Rico Friendship days. And there are others.

Driving here is a bit different from elsewhere in the US. We drive on the left side of the road. The Danes originally divided the island into quarters, and then these were divided into estates to grow sugar cane. Very few streets (except in town) have names and several of these are in both Danish and English. As a result, we always have to explain the directions to our house by referring to a blue building as the turning off point to the street which leads eventually into our “Estate.”

I was fascinated by the colorful Danish colonial architecture.. The main town, Christiansted, is a National Historic Site, administered by the US National Park Service. The two-story houses used to have businesses on the ground floor, while the family residence was on top. Archways provide protection against the sun and rain. There are several historic buildings like the Government House, the Lutheran church (the Steeple Building from the 18th century and the present one from 1830), Alexander Hamilton’s workplace, the customs house at the wharf and the impressive fort.

When we settled here in 1996 we were able to participate in “Ruins Rambles” which were guided tours of the ruins of former sugar estates. There were also house tours which gave us an idea about island living.

In 1995 we were able to buy a well-located plot on a hillside overlooking the harbor and town and so we built our dream house. We designed it and only needed a draftsman to translate it into construction details. We wanted the house to be international and so got materials from all over the world and workers from ten different countries. We used recycled materials where possible and installed a solar panel for hot water. We “cement painted” the house, which after more than 24 years still looks like new. We chose pink and called it the “Casita Rosada” in memory of my time in Argentina.

What we particularly like about our home is its compactness and practical design - two 28 foot blocks (plus a center section) and lots of deck and porch space. We have an apartment downstairs, where our daughter lives, the garage (for storage…), and two cisterns for the water. (We are quite self-sufficient and require only electricity from the government). Our living quarters are upstairs. We have many windows - even a regular 36” one in my bathroom.

I never get tired of the view - the luscious ever-blooming bushes and trees, constant boat traffic in the small harbor, the beautiful Caribbean Sea and its constantly changing colors, and to the left the town and hills.

We have a three-level garden. Above and behind the house is the “alpine region” (which includes a bush called “Snow on the Mountain” which only blooms in December).

Our main area is around and in front of the house, where we continue planting palms and even some vegetables and fruit. In the beginning we had papaya, bananas, coconuts and sugar apples, but now it’s basically plums.

The lower area is our “jungle garden”. Here we also have some “wildlife”, neutered cats, chickens, and, once in a while, an egret, some deer and iguanas. The cats are part of the family and we gave them names. I feed them every afternoon which is part of my exercise walking up and down the slope.

Although we have some amateur theatre performances and music, we miss the cultural life of New York, especially the opera and open-air concerts, walking along the East River, or in Central Park or Battery Park. But we try to make up for it by having a “Central Park, Columbus Circle and Broadway”.

FaceTime and Whatsapp connect us to our children, grandchildren and family on the mainland and in Germany, while YouTube let’s me enjoy operas at the Met or in Covent Garden or Verona. So, we are in no way isolated. Cruise ships come regularly, several flights daily connect us with the mainland and we have ferries to the other islands.

Did I forget to mention the beaches? And the weather? Well, we have Summer all year around, and we are able to go swimming almost every day of the year.

It’s sometimes scary, when a potential hurricane develops. From June to November we check the weather reports regularly. Isabel has become a correspondent for the Caribbean Hurricane Network and posts a daily blog during these months.

Nevertheless, our house is strong, and we even managed well after Hurricane Maria in 2017, when we lost electricity for two months and had to find areas where WiFi was working. We used camping stoves and solar lamps.

All in all, life is beautiful, despite some inconveniences.

There are many places that are called ‘Paradise’, but for us the Virgin Islands more than qualify for that designation. It was for good reason that I titled my memoirs “Journeying to Paradise.”

PS. If interested in a St.Croix vacation go to www.gotostcroix.com