| Slideshow: Photos of Things To Do on the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia, West Indies |
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| Diamond Botanical Gardens, Mineral Baths, and Waterfall near Soufriere (French for Sulphur). The sulphur springs from which the town of Soufriere got its name, are a weak spot in the crust of an enormous collapsed crater, the result of volcanic upheaval 410,000 years ago. Similar hot springs feed the mineral baths on the Diamond Estate built originally in 1784 for the troops of King Louis XVI of France so they could benefit from the therapeutic waters. It is claimed that Empress Josephine, wife of Napolean Boneparte bathed in the original baths while spending holidays at her father's plantation in Soufriere called "Mal Maison." In 1928, Mr. Andre du Boulay, owner of Soufriere Estate and Diamond Baths, excavated the site and restored two baths out of the original 12 that had been destroyed by the "Brigands" during the French Revolution. These baths are fed by the original spring water, similar to "Aix le Bain" in France. The original holding tank built in 1784 is still in use. |
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