Day 68 - 12/13/23 - Bridgetown, Barbados

 Today found us in Bridgetown, Barbados.  The crew of the Zaandam gently guided it into its tight docking position behind a bulk fuel ship and across the port from the Viking Sun.  There was a bit of a delay before we were cleared to disembark the ship.  Our group of 12 was ready to go in the Ocean Bar by 8:15 and we were off shortly after that.  It's a bit of a walk to the terminal building and because we were on a private excursion, we had to walk out to near the taxi stand.  


One of the drivers phoned our driver, "Skinny" Carson, who arrived shortly after the call.  He truly is a skinny person and seemed to be well known by the other drivers.  He, unfortunately, had a cold and that affected his voice.  We had use of his 15 passenger van and himself for the day for $400 for the 12 of us.  He tried to gauge  our interest and on balance did very well.  I personally would have liked to have less of the downtown area and use the time out of the city.  But on balance, the itinerary he took us on was quite delightful.  We covered about 70 miles in a counter clockwise circumnavigation of the island.  Below is a tracking map of our route.  After 12 we stopped at a grocery store for a chance to eat some lunch or have some snacks as there wouldn't be anything for the remainder of the trip.  Some of the high points of the trip for me was the National Heros Square and the several beaches along the east coast of the island.  The one drawback about the tour was the lack of an audio system in the van which made it very hard if not impossible to hear him consistently in the back of the van. This tends to be a universal problem when using these types of small 15 passenger vans.


We were back at the port shortly after 4pm with an all aboard time of 5:30pm.  Many of the vendors were closed up already which was disappointing.  While we were gone the bulk petroleum tanker was gone and in its place was Steven Spielberg's yacht, Seven Seas. It's pretty impressive.  As we approached the gangway, I noticed that Captain Smit was there and we spoke a few sentences.  There were still 60 people to come back to the ship after I boarded, but all tour groups had returned.


This evening we had reservations for the LIDO Seafood Boil at 5:30pm.  This time we only ordered one pot and it was perfect!  We really liked the lobster bisque, and the seafood broth was also very yummy.  I found the crab and lobster a bit tough, but tasty.  One pot is a perfect size for a couple to eat.  It's the last seafood boil of this cruise.

Our evening entertainment was the Turkish pianist, Naki Ataman, who played another 45 minute concert of music from the 20th century without stopping and saying not a word and accompanied by Victor, base guitarist, and Shaun, the drummer.  Afterwards, I chatted with Luca, the Italian tenor, and told him how much I appreciated his shows.  We did a walking lap around the deck before retiring a bit earlier than the past few nights.  I updated my blog and we had some conversation about what we'll do in Dominica tomorrow.  




Former hanger for the Concorde jet


Own bellied sheep (looks like a goat)



National Heroes Square



Mushroom Rock


Yes, she lived here in the slums


Steven Spielberg's Yacht, Seven Seas





Hidden Arch


Blowholes



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