Today we hit Barbados, a glittering gem and the eastern-most island of the Caribbean. We’ve now been to this island five times, and for us it never loses its charm. While here we took the opportunity to stock up on Mount Gay Extra Old Rum and our favorite soap—Harmony Fruity Soap—which comes in lemon (Ursula’s favorite), orange (my favorite), strawberry, and apple. I also had two bottles of my favorite Caribbean lager—Banks Beer. That’s saying a lot because I usually don’t drink lagers or pilsners, preferring instead a nice ale. But there’s something about Banks and its distinctive aftertaste (remarkably reminiscent of Old Bay Shrimp Spice) on a hot, humid, Bajan day in the sun.
Bridgetown is a lovely little walking city and an absolute photographic jewel. I never fail to get some winning shots here, and the myriad views available give the photographer some neat little compositional challenges. But if you’re more into shopping than scenery, Bridgetown doesn’t disappoint in that category, either. All the usual suspects are here—Diamonds International, Columbian Emeralds International, Little Switzerland, et al—ready to pry your cash from your wallet or redline your credit card before you ever realize what hit you.
But the real excitement for me this port was the ship docked in line with ours. As many followers of this blog are aware, I’m currently writing a murder mystery set aboard a ship called The Globe, which is based upon the very real cruise ship The World. As such, I’ve been doing quite a bit of research on this vessel. So, imagine both my surprise and delight when, while seated for breakfast, I saw that the ship docked just off our bow was . . . you guessed it . . . The World. We even stopped and chatted with the security officer (ironically, it’s the security officer aboard The Globe who is both my story’s narrator and protagonist). And, no, we did not get a tour. That’s reserved for those who pre-clear through The World’s corporate headquarters in Miramar, California.
Nevertheless, I did get a few exterior shots, and that alone helps immensely in determining interior descriptions for the settings of my current work-in-progress.
Enjoy the photographs, and I’ll try to get back to you after our visit tomorrow to Antgua:
Today we hit Barbados, a glittering gem and the eastern-most island of the Caribbean. We’ve now been to this island five times, and for us it never loses its charm. While here we also stocked up on Mount Gay Extra Old Rum and our favorite soap—Harmony Fruity Soap—which comes in lemon (Ursula’s favorite), orange (my favorite), strawberry, and apple. I also had two bottles of my favorite Caribbean lager—Banks Beer. That’s saying a lot because I usually don’t drink lagers or pilsners, preferring instead a nice ale. But there’s something about Banks and its distinctive aftertaste (remarkably reminiscent of Old Bay Shrimp Spice) on a hot, humid, Bajan day in the sun.
Bridgetown is a lovely little walking city and an absolute photographic jewel. I never fail to get some winning shots here, and the myriad views available give the photographer some neat little compositional challenges. But if you’re more into shopping than scenery, Bridgetown doesn’t disappoint in that category, either. All the usual suspects are here—Diamonds International, Columbian Emeralds International, Little Switzerland, et al—ready to pry your cash from your wallet or redline your credit card before you ever realize what hit you.
But the real excitement for me this trip was the ship docked in line with ours. As many followers of this blog are aware, I’m currently writing a murder mystery set aboard a ship called The Globe, which is based upon the very real cruise ship The World. As such, I’ve been doing quite a bit of research on this vessel. So, imagine both my surprise and delight when, while seated for breakfast, I saw that the ship docked just off our bow was . . . you guessed it . . . The World. We even stopped and chatted with the security officer (ironically, it’s the security officer aboard The Globe who is both my story’s narrator and protagonist). And, no, we did not get a tour. That’s reserved for those who pre-clear through The World’s corporate headquarters in Miramar, California.
Nevertheless, I did get a few exterior shots, and that alone helps immensely in determining interior descriptions for the settings of my current work-in-progress.
Enjoy the photographs, and I’ll try to get back to you after our visit tomorrow to Antgua:
Decisions — Murder in Paradise
The Globe — Murder in Luxury
R. Doug Wicker — Author 
What fun! My sister and I spent a day in Barbados several years ago while on a cruise . . . did a rum “crawl” and had such a good time!
Yeah . . . we’ve always loved it here in Barbados.