In downtown St. Thomas there are a lot of stairs that climb from street level up a hillside to the next street level. They are a kind of shortcut and have been used for hundreds of years.
The most famous set of stairs is call 99 Steps on Government Hill. Tourist climb it to reach Blackbeard's Castle and tour the old homes on the hill.
There are actually more than 99 steps, but who's counting?
These stairs are also on Government Hill. Government House is on the right, the old Lutheran Parsonage is on the left.
Then there are the more homely stairs, the ones tourist never see, never explore.
Many steps are in disrepair, as are the ones on the right in this picture above. I'd like to spend time and photograph all the stairs downtown before they disappear entirely.
Most days (unless it was raining) I was dropped off at the stairs on Bunker Hill and walked down them to go to school. It's no wonder stairs have sometimes made an appearance in my dreams.
Do you have street stairs in your town? Stairs in your home? Ever dream of stairs?
Numerous ancient civilizations have already proved to the world that the meaning of dreams is extremely important and contains divine messages, but various barbarous civilizations have eliminated their glory. The fact that we can understand the divine guidance when we translate the meaning of dreams according to Carl Jung's method of dream interpretation is a real revolution.
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The stairs are really interesting and unique.
ReplyDeleteI love these photos! I'm a big fan of stairs in cities - there's something so romantic about them. I'll never forget all the stairs in Dubrovnik!
ReplyDeleteI've not given stairs much thought, always seeing them as utilatarian, but the stairs that took my breath away were in the tower in Koln. Spiral and dizzying.
ReplyDeleteI have often thought of the stairs at the Altar as steps to heaven. We go up with our offerings, and God comes down ...
These are great pictures.
No stairs here, but I'd enjoy exploring the ones in your town. Great way to stay in shape!
ReplyDeleteThose are some fascinating stairs! I grew up in an old house with a beautiful staircase, and so I've always liked stairs. I also like the now-famous stairs to the Philadelphia Museum! The movie Rocky brought those stairs to prominence, and climbing them is a symbol of perseverance and determination.
ReplyDeleteI haven't dreamt of stairs but memorable ones for me were the gazillion stairs during the Hong Kong Trailwalker. I truly learnt to climb down stairs super fast on that trek.
ReplyDeleteI guess this is something unique to the Virgin Island. I can't think of anything like this in Jamaica. It's interesting that these are public, so at a guess I'd say the island is hilly.
ReplyDeleteOh Bish! Those are the coolest stairs I've ever seen! Awesome. What great exercise too. We have stairs in our home, but they are not as interesting as those in the picture. Great photos! (((hugs))) I have a dream of stairs in a fantasy I want to write.
ReplyDeleteNever really thought of stairs as photo essay material, but you just changed that.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool blog post. Yes, I love stairs, especially unique staircases like spiral and any that are unusual. I've had stairs in many dreams, some going up and some going down. Very interesting topic, and those are great photos that could be used for writing prompts.
ReplyDeleteOh, when my kids were younger, we bought a two-story house, a brand new home. They had never lived in a two story before and the thing they loved most about their new home was the stairs. One of the babysitters would let them get in pillow cases and slide down the stairs in them. We didn't find out about that until years later! :)
i love all of these stairs--we do have some pretty awesome stairs in the downtown area of my city---kinda like the stairs in the exorcist!
ReplyDeleteWe had stairs where I went to college. Most of the dorms were build on a hillside, it seemed like a mountain, above the classroom buildings. I never counted them, but they were a challenge after track practice.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos. I love the idea of stairs connecting the streets on different levels in a hilly area. We don't have these sorts of stairs in the town where I live, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteSince my house is on a hillside, my life is all about stairs. I have one neighbor who lives below me and we joke that to borrow a cup of sugar requires expedition gear. Even if I start on my lowest level--the deck--it's three flights of stairs to her house and three more down to her kitchen. We always carry water. :-) Lovely stair pictures and the metaphor of the stairs is perfect for writers as well as psychoanalysts.
ReplyDeleteI love all these stairs! I think they evoke powerful ideas for creative types because of the reasons you mentioned. I get the same shivering feeling when I see doorways too...both act like a portal of transformation for me, moving from one place to the next.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these!!
Wow, those stair pictures look like they could have been taken in my hometown of Hong Kong! Even the vegetation looks the same. Must be a similar climate. Beautiful! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Bish .. stairs - we have them all over the place here in the UK .. but I guess if I think of stairs everywhere .. I think of the tube and escalators .. and always try and walk up them (perhaps not so much now!) .. but extra exercise ...
ReplyDeleteThe stairway to heaven .. steps lead us forwards and upwards ... stairs always do that .. or quickly to the journey that starts below ..
Cheers and I love your photos .. Hilary