Following on from my last post, detailing the first stop on the cruise, at Funchal, Madeira, we then spent 6 rather windy days crossing the Atlantic, before landing at a cloudy Bridgetown, Barbados, on 22nd November.
We disembarked to take a minibus tour across the island, from the Caribbean Coast to the dramatic east coast. Our first stop was at St Johns parish church
Built in 1846 to replace the church that was destroyed by the Great Hurricane of 1831, this classic Gothic church is solid and soaring. The church grounds are serene and the cliff-edge site 800 feet above sea level, commands a sweeping view of the picturesque east coast, as may be seen in the two images below.Moving on from St Johns, we next travelled to Bathsheba, with its breathtakingly beautiful wide white sand beaches which stretch along a dramatic coastline of striking
Rock Formations against which the Atlantic rollers break in cascades of foam. What at first glance look like huge boulders washed up on the beach are actually rock formations broken away from ancient coral reef!
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| Bathsheba Rock Formations |
Finally we went to the Highland Centre, located at the heart of the island, 1,004 feet above sea level. The Centre offers spectacular views not seen anywhere else in Barbados, overlooking a beautiful and lush natural valley below, beyond which you can make out the blue waters and breaking white caps of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of the island.
Finally, I couldn't resist taking a photo of this sign, right at the top of the Highland Centre!
We did walk around Bridgetown in the afternoon, but with the rain, I didnt take many photos, though it was at least warm! And just to prove it was raining, a view from the minibus on our return to Bridgtown following our island tour.
Fortunately, the rest of the cruise was spent in warm sunshine. Our next port of call was St Lucia, which will be featured in my next post!
