Caribbean Princess
Friday, February 3, 2023
Bridgetown, Barbados—in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies
79F, sunny!
Barbados, a republic since 2021, is an eastern Caribbean Island with a
population of about 280,000 people and 166 square miles. Around the
island are beaches, botanical gardens, the Harrison’s Cave formation, and
17th-century plantation houses. This is
our 9th visit to Barbados and we have toured the island several
times. Today we opted for the downtown area, which is quite metropolitan ($5
shuttle ride for both of us). Many shops are closed, presumably because of the
damage Covid did. We stopped by a three floor fashionable department store, something
like Macy’s.
Many people go to the Boatyard Club (https://www.theboatyard.com/), which we may do next time. For $35/pp the amenities include the use of a beach chair and shared umbrella, ocean trampolines, Free Fall extreme ocean slide, dive platform and rope swinging from Pirate's Pier, free Wi-Fi, fresh water showers, restrooms and changing area and more. I am sure TK would love swinging on a rope from Pirate’s Pier or the extreme ocean slide. After all, he is the water person.
After walking around for about an hour and a half,
we hailed a taxi ($10) and returned to the ship for lunch.
By now readers have guessed that we really aren’t
doing much on this cruise, just enjoying the sun and the warmth. We used up a lot of energy on the
Mediterranean cruise just two months ago and we have to be ship shape for our next
cruise with Donna and Lawrence!
During dinner, I received an email from Donna asking (for Lawrence) if TK was going to wear a tie at dinner on our next cruise. Of course, TK relayed the answer no. I sent her a text with TK’s photo on what he was wearing tonight, a TB shirt, then me in my new TB jacket and top. She immediately texted back that she had just bought the same TB jacket. Great minds! All four of us are TB fans!
After dinner we headed to the Princess Theater for
the production show, Broadway Ballroom. We enjoyed songs like Hernando’s
Hideaway, Hey Big Spender, I Had a Dream, Mamma Mia, and Dancing Girl. I
was paying attention to the LED screen with Broadway and NYC settings and how
they moved some sets automatically on tracks. Now I know! The theater was packed, but we went early and
had great seats.
TK’s Takes: He was surprised that lobster was served on a regular night--
Do you ever wonder what these islands were like in the late 1700s and early 1800s? What was the water like? The shoreline? Buildings? Rum? Communications?the ships? Just to go back for a short visit
ReplyDeleteInteresting question. In Dominica there was a monument that said this,"This monument is a symbol of freedom and emancipation. It is a tribute to all the enslaved Africans who suffered and were executed in the history of Dominica. It honors the Maroons who risked their lives to fight for the emancipation of all. It pays homage to those who were sold and executed at the Old Roseau Market and who were held at the Barracoon Building in Roseau before being sold and sent to the plantations. This monument salutes the memory of our African ancestors and the immense contribution of their skills to our early infrastructure and the development of agriculture in Dominica through the shedding of their blood, sweat and tears. It celebrates the powerful and lasting influence which our which our African ancestors had on Dominica's present day culture, especially in our forms of music, language, costumes and cuisine. This memorial is a reminder to all Dominicans that we should continue to sustain our African heritage and its many cultural expressions." A lot of suffering. Also, think of pirates.
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