Barbados

Apr 18-19
Apr 17 AC185 YYZ-YVR, AC112 YVR-YYZ, Apr 18-19 AC966 YYZ-BGI, AC 967 BGI-YYZ, Apr 20 AC185 YYZ-YVR, AC112 YVR-YYZ

One of the strange things about airfares is that you often pay the same amount or less to fly further. This was certainly the case for tickets to Bridgetown, Barbados. As I continue to chase my 3 million mile Air Canada lifetime status, I’m very tempted by these opportunities, so I booked a flight starting in Vancouver to Barbados for a short getaway, mostly for the miles, but also for the destination.

Apr 18

The nice thing about the schedule was that, although we had to go to and from Vancouver, we went through Toronto and were able to get home and sleep in our beds each night. So, after recovering from a full day of travel on Friday, we had a mid-morning flight to Barbados. We were upgraded to a nice lie-flat business class seat, which meant we arrived ready to get out and explore. After checking into the hotel on the outskirts of Bridgetown, we went for a walk.

Walking on Hastings Beach near our hotel

Pavillon Court, a historic colonial building, features distinct red brick construction, with bricks originally brought from England as ballast in ships

Wild Allamanda, a tropical evergreen vine widely grown as a garden ornamental across Barbados

Mosaic decoration along the beach walk

Walking the boardwalk

The waves were quite active

Continuing our beach walk

Red flags make it clear that the water is not for swimming

Making it clear where and when we are

Stopping for happy hour along the beach

Watching the sunset before grabbing dinner

Staying close to the hotel, we grabbed dinner at a pizza truck that was actually quite tasty, then headed back to the hotel for an early night.

Apr 19

With a car rental and a mid-afternoon flight back to Canada, we wanted to get an early start to explore the island. Without much of a plan, we started in Bridgetown and then found a few interesting locations referenced in the Lonely Planet.

Chamberlain Lift Bridge leads into Bridgetown and stays open on a fixed schedule to allow the ships to go out to sea in the morning

A terracotta and ceramic art relief displaying the historical names of Barbados: Ichirouganaim, Los Barbados, and Barbados

Dolphin Fountain, located in National Heroes Square (formerly Trafalgar Square), erected in 1861 to celebrate the introduction of piped water to the city

Barbados Cenotaph, a historic war memorial located at National Heroes Square

Parliament Buildings (1874) overlooking National Heroes Square. Completed in 1874, these house one of the oldest legislatures in the Commonwealth, first established in 1639

More of National Heroes Square

Monument to the Barbadian Family represents how the ancestral family allowed the modern Barbadian family to rise, thrive, and triumph over an oppressive past

Historic cannons along the waterfront

Heading out of town we stop at St. Nicholas Abbey, a 17th-century plantation house located in Saint Peter

Horse statue on the plantation grounds

Historic train runs through the property

Helmeted guinea fowl get their name from the bony “helmet” on top of their head, called a casque

A better look at the a casque

The St. Nicholas Abbey sugar plantation and rum distillery

Some of the historic machinery near the distilery

Some of the distillery equipment demonstrating the rum making process. We were there before it officially opened, so toured the grounds on our own

Looking down to the coast from Cherry Tree Hill

Morgan Lewis Windmill in St. Andrew, a historic sugar mill built in 1727. It is the largest and only surviving complete sugar windmill in the Caribbean.

Fisherman's Pub waterfront bar

The chickens had free rein in the coastal town of Speightstown

Cherry Beach in Speightstown

Local cat looking for a little attention

Hermit crab a little far from the beach

A small canal winds through the town to the beach

Arlington House Museum, a restored 18th-century historic building

The boardwalk wasn’t the best maintained, but opens into the beach

The Speightstown Mural tries to create a landscape illusion on the bridge wall

Speightstown Stone Map, historical sculpture showcasing the nearby cultural heritage and coastal views

Garrison Savannah, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The grassy area in the foreground is the Garrison Savannah Horse Race Track

The Garrison cannons

Prominent red building with the white trim is the historic Main Guardroom and clock tower, built in 1803 for British forces in the garrison

Monument to Those Lost in the 1831 Hurricane (also known as the 36th Regiment Soldier Memorial)

The George Washington House, a yellow plantation home in Barbados where Washington stayed in 1751 for two months, his only foreign travel

Having completed our tour of the island, we headed back to the hotel before the full heat of the day kicked in. We relaxed in the hotel prior to heading to the airport for our flight back to Toronto and a repeat of our trip to and from Vancouver on Monday.