bequia heritage museum
History is my absolute least favorite subject, but the heritage museum turned out to be my new favorite field trip. Bequia might be a small island (7 square miles, population 5,000), but there is so much interesting history here.
The trip to the museum was a fairly steep 2 mile walk to the other side of the island. There were a lot of signs along the way making us think we were getting closer than we really were.
Half of the museum is dedicated to the history of whaling in Bequia, which is still done today. Some interesting whaling facts (plus a link to more information for those who enjoy history):
- whaling season is February to April
- they are allowed 4 humpback whales per season
- they still use traditional wooden row boats for hunting (6 men per boat)
- every part of the whale is used so nothing is wasted
The other half of the museum is all about the history of the island. Museums usually have too much reading and the girls get bored quickly. Not this museum. The lady was very excited to see the girls that she ended up spending an hour with us. It was pretty cool and she was great at keeping the girls engaged the whole time. Emma was bummed when another group finally came in and we had to leave.
Fun fact for Austin - in 1717, Blackbeard attacked a French ship off the coast of St. Vincent. He brought the ship to Bequia, repaired it, added more cannons and renamed it Queen Anne's Revenge.
Olivia's favorite ending to any long walking trip - skipping the walk back and grabbing a taxi.
