Nine Days of Grenada: Day 2

The Forts

After 1657, the island belonged to the French for just over a hundred years. It became an exporter of sugar cane (also distilled into rum). They constructed Fort Royal on a small hill along the ocean near what would become the town of St. George’s.

In 1763, as part of the Treaty of Paris, France ceded Grenada to Britain, who renamed the strategic fort overlooking the port and ocean: Fort George.

In an apparently rapid change of heart, the French invaded Grenada in 1779 and defeated the British. During their four-year tenure, the French built high hilltop forts facing inland, which would have stopped their own invasion if the British had thought to build them. The forts never fired a shot, though, since the Treaty of Versailles gave the island back to the British in 1783.

We like to explore the forts in the last hour of daylight, then watch the sun set over the ocean.

Fort Matthew is larger and sits slightly below Fort Frederick on Richmond Hill. Since being a military bunker, Fort Matthew has also been a mental institution. The U.S. Invasion in 1983 left it in ruins, but some websites state that you can still reserve it for private events.

Today, the fort is mostly stone and weeds. There is an 18^th century kitchen with an arched brick ceiling and big wood-heated kettles, but also some mid-20^th century cabinets and electrical wiring. We leave the kitchen and walk past a sign indicating where not to urinate.

Beyond another wall is a courtyard with a stage. Behind the stage is a row of cells with wooden doors and small barred windows. Several of them have signs stating, “Dressing Room.”

Stairs lead to a lower level, past a huge room with the wooden floor rotted out and replaced by vegetation. Around the back wall, a tunnel leads into the darkness. We like to follow it, bent to avoid the low curved ceiling. The dropping sun pours in side tunnels, lighting our way. Bats begin to leave their hanging spots, fluttering into the evening. The whole thing is deliciously creepy and seems like it should be off-limits, but is open for us to explore.

We leave Fort Matthew and climb to Fort Frederick, which has a couple of interpretive signs. This fort features stone-walled levels with open grassy areas. The views are breathtaking in all directions.

Inland, the green-carpeted mountains layer up and away from us, with folds and valleys. We can see Sam’s turquoise school building with the adjacent open sports field in the high sloping valley of Tempe. Facing South, we can see the peninsulas of Fort Jeudy and Lance aux Epines and the uniformly peach-colored buildings of St. George’s University.

To the west, the sun eases to the horizon. Below us, the town of St. George’s glows in pastels, houses stacked up the hillside behind Fort George, which is in our direct line of sight.

One evening, two men arrive on top of Fort Frederick with a huge kite. Kites are popular in Grenada around Easter, and although this type of hexagonal kite makes a grating buzzing sound while flying, I love to see people of all ages enjoying the pull of wind on a string. These men launch their kite into the setting sun.

On another evening, we brought some beers and watched the kids cartwheel around the grass while the sky grew orange and pink. Most evenings, a few people meet there to practice Kung Fu.

The wind blows steadily at the top of Fort Frederick. At sunset, the island feels peaceful, despite the original purpose of these walls and a rocky history.