We arrived at Apia at 8:45 on Sunday, February 17th. We had been four days at sea since leaving Honolulu and we had crossed both the Equator and the International Date Line. Along the way we lost Friday, February 15th. The Captain said it was due to crossing the International Date Line but I blame the Russians. Note: Samoa is an independent country and should not be confused with American Samoa.
The Queen Victoria was greeted at the dock by a local choir singing “I Smile” by KirkFranklin. One of Frances’ favorites.
We disembarked from the Queen Victoria shortly after 9:00 for a short bus tour of Apia. Our first stop was the fruit market but, since it was Sunday, the market was mostly closed down.
Our next stop was the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum. R.L.S. came to Samoa when he was about 40 for his health. He had breathing problems thought to be associated with tuberculosis but it should also be noted that he was a heavy smoker. Stevenson died 4 years after relocating to Samoa. The cause was said to be apoplexy (stroke).
The house that he had built in the hills above Apia, Villa Vailima, still stands and is now a museum. Little is left of the the original furnishings as they were mostly sold or shipped back to Scotland but the house is interesting in itself. A few. Original items are left however; a lion skin rug, one of Mrs. Stevenson’s dresses, her sewing machine and a large standing safe to name a few. From the front it looks like a huge mansion but, in order to facilitate the best air flow, most of the building is only one room deep. So looks can be deceiving. It also contains the only two fireplaces in Samoa. For obvious reasons, they have never been lighted. The Villa sits on beautiful grounds with a large lawn in front and native jungle surrounding. Stevenson’s tomb is about 40 minutes walk from the house at the top of Mount Vailima (Vailima is Samoan and refers to the 5 streams that run down the mountain).
Our next stop was the Catholic Cathedral of Apia. It is said to be the largest Cathedral in the South Pacific. After we were returned to the ship.
