November 06, 2015

Caribbean Sea

On Board the MS Royal Princess: Day Seventeen

Bridgetown, Barbados

 

[NOTE: I’ve grown weary of writing the usual bullshit narrative; so I’ve decided to dispense with it and present the raw notes I took on my iPhone instead.]

 

The Parliament building in Bridgetown, Barbados.
The Parliament building in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Fields of sugarcane in Barbados.
Fields of sugarcane in Barbados.
Looking up at the branches of a Royal Poinciana tree.
Looking up at the branches of a Royal Poinciana tree.
The ruins of an old sugar mill outside of the Foursquare Rum Distillery in Barbados.
The ruins of an old sugar mill outside of the Foursquare Rum Distillery in Barbados.
Idyllic painting of sugarcane fields, planted and harvested, to make rum.
Idyllic painting of sugarcane fields, planted and harvested, to make rum.
Inside the Foursquare Rum Distillery.
Inside the Foursquare Rum Distillery.
A copper pot still in the distillery.
A copper pot still in the distillery.
The smokestack outside of the distillery.
The smokestack outside of the distillery.
Barrels of rum at Foursquare Rum Distillery.
Barrels of rum at Foursquare Rum Distillery.
Bottles of Foursquare Rum on the shelf and ready to be drunk.
Bottles of Foursquare Rum on the shelf and ready to be drunk.
Recently planted field of sugarcane off the side of the road in Barbados.
Recently planted field of sugarcane off the side of the road in Barbados.
Homes in the Barbados countryside.
Homes in the Barbados countryside.
Sign outside of the Mount Gay Rum Bottling Plant (the distillery is on the northern part of the island).
Sign outside of the Mount Gay Rum Bottling Plant (the distillery is on the northern part of the island).
Portico outside one of the buildings at the bottling plant.
Portico outside one of the buildings at the bottling plant.
Outside of the Mount Gay Rum Bottling Plant.
Outside of the Mount Gay Rum Bottling Plant.
The original Mount Gay pot still from 1760 AD.
The original Mount Gay pot still from 1760 AD.
The different types of rum produced by Mount Gay that were available for tastings.
The different types of rum produced by Mount Gay that were available for tastings.
Mount Gay Rum Tricentennial Selection, a limited edition, premium rum created to celebrate the tricentennial of Mount Gay Rum.
Mount Gay Rum Tricentennial Selection, a limited edition, premium rum created to celebrate the tricentennial of Mount Gay Rum.
The port at Bridgetown, seen from the MS Royal Princess.
The port at Bridgetown, seen from the MS Royal Princess.
Three other cruise ships docked at the harbor in Bridgetown, Barbados.
Three other cruise ships docked at the harbor in Bridgetown, Barbados.

-woke up at 08:25, showered, dressed, exited the ship just after 09:00

-bus to terminal building (it’s a large port and you can’t just step off the ship, walk to the end of the pier, and be in the city within a few minutes like most of the other islands I visited on this cruise), exited the terminal, found appropriate tour bus, found a seat, waited to begin at 09:15

-drive through Bridgetown (oldest building, parliament, Trafalgar Square, one of two bridges that the town’s name comes from), past sugar cane fields, to Foursquare Rum Distillery

-tour of distillery and tasting of 3 types of rum and 1 liqueur

-back on bus and to Mount Gay bottling plant (distillery is on north part of the island)

-started at visitor center with rum punch, toured bottling facility (no photos), watched a video on the history, tasted 3 types of rum, walked to bar adjacent to gift shop and tasted silver rum and kuba liqueur (like a mix between eggnog and Baileys)

-back in bus and back to ship

-lunch at Horizon Court: salad, broccoli, meatballs, seafood lasagna, fish skewers (with slices of bell peppers and onions), iced tea; then a coffee

-finished watching ‘Entourage’ – somewhat funny, certainly the best comedy they have available on this cruise ship

-relaxed in room and started watching ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’

-took a short break for a cup of oolong tea and a cup of earl grey tea

-finished watching ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’

-dinner at Horizon Court: Italian night: ravioli stuffed with spinach and cheese, gnocchi, meatballs in marinara sauce, eggplant and mushroom lasagna, cheese tortellini, fried balls stuffed with meat and rice, salad (made with sun-roasted tomatoes, croutons, and balsamic vinaigrette), iced tea

-dessert: coffee and chocolate chip cookies

-back to my room to relax, started watching ‘Lambert and Stamp’

-watched the disco deck party on deck 16 from 21:15 to 22:20

-grabbed a cup of English Breakfast tea from Horizon court

-back to my room to watch some more of ‘Lambert and Stamp’

-had 4 Guinness beers, 2 Blood and Sand Cocktails, and 1 Piña Colada at Club 6, talked with the Canadian real estate man some more

-went to bed around 02:00

 

An open journal or an exercise in narcissism.