Barbados was the second island country in our itinerary which we had already visited years before.  In fact we visited it last 1997 on our very first cruise with Carnival.  I remember us not exploring the island enough  at that time.  We simply took an excursion to Harrison's Caves and then explored the downtown a bit.  Little did we know, there was more to see in the downtown area than just duty free shops.  This time around, given the culture vultures that we are, we were determined to see the sights in the capital that we missed the first time around.  Barbados is a major financial and cultural hub in the Caribbean.  Cruise lines come and dock here very often and Bridgetown's downtown as well as its garrison form part of UNESCO's World Heritage list.

From what I remember this terminal building looked brand new and slick the first time we went to Bridgetown in 1997.  Fast forward to 2009, it no longer looked brand new but the shops inside were good and interesting.  There was definitely a lot to buy for last minute shopping before the ship sailed for the next port later in the evening.  There was a tourist information inside too.

We didn't sign up for any shore excursions here.  From the cruise ship terminal, we took a shuttle to the city center and we each paid $2 to get there.  It was a short 5 to 10 minute shared van ride with a few other passengers from the ship.

Bridgetown, the country's capital, was a must see for us.  We like visiting cities whether they are big, small, rich, or poor.   It was very early when we arrived in Bridgetown and many commercial and retail establishments were still closed or just opening up for the day.

Every time I think about Bridgetown, I remember the Parliament Building more than any other site or attraction in the city.  One would be hard pressed to miss it.  It is such a huge and important building right in the middle of the city.  We went inside and bought tickets to its museum.  A very nice young lady employee, a native of Bridgetown, likewise toured us around the Parliament together with other visitors from the UK and the US.  It was nice to see where the country's politicians worked.  The interior looked very stately and British.  Unfortunately neither pictures nor videos were allowed inside.

On the other hand, inside the museum, we were allowed to take pictures of the exhibits to our heart's content.  The museum's galleries showcased the contribution to the nation of important men and women from different sectors of Barbadian society from politics to education to sports.

In front of a floor to ceiling mural depicting different scenes of life in different times in Bardadian history

Back in the commercial part of town, we saw Chefette.

We saw two KFC restaurants when we were touring Bridgetown.  Chefette however was another fast food restaurant we saw that was also selling fried chicken in Bridgetown.  The building where Chefette is now actually used to the site of Dacosta Bank back in the late 1990s.  It was so festive in Bridgetown when we were there.  Marc and I went to a local supermarket and bought some delicious rum cakes to take home with us.  Those cakes vanished in a couple of days upon our return from the trip.  They were that good.

I just had to take a picture of this bank.  I loved its architecture so much.  It looked like a building one would see in New Orleans with the wrought iron balconies.  Simply beautiful.

There were tons of duty free shops and local department stores around here.  We visited a few and looked at some watches.  We didn't by any though. Watching the locals go about their daily lives was super interesting and enjoyable.

After some window shopping, we continued exploring the city and headed for St. Michael's Cathedral and the Jewish Synagogue.

One of the arched side entrances of the cathedral

Right outside the cathedral's premises, we saw this beautifully decorated very old and vacant building.

It looked like it was built during the British colonial period.

From here we went to the Jewish Synagogue.

Marc inside the synagogue.  Upon entry, we were both required to wear the yarmulke o Jewish cap at the back of our head.  The synagogue had lots of them in a basket by the entrance for male visitors to wear should they not have one.  After visiting the synagogue, we headed out to visit the museum next door.

The museum charged a fee to go inside.  We didn't mind paying a fee but when the employee told us that it was going to cost us $25 per person to go in, we had a change of heart.  Just as we were about to leave, the man changed his mind and said that we could both go in for $25.  We stayed.  While in the museum we met a lady from New York who was was traveling to the Caribbean aboard the Queen Mary 2 with her husband.  She was a school teacher just like myself and encouraged me to teach my students about the Jewish faith and the holocaust in Europe during the Second World War.

The museum was not very big but the exhibits were fantastic.  In fact, the entire building looked like it was just newly built.    It related the Jewish life in the island.  There were many artifacts on display.  I highly recommend a visit to this museum.

After spending a big chunk of the day sightseeing, we headed back to the cruise ship terminal.  Just before we went inside however, we went to the nearby stores and bus terminal for the locals.   The bus terminal reminded me so much of Manila.

Finally back at the cruise ship terminal, the clear blue waters of Barbados was simply AMAZING.  We saw the Queen Mary 2 docked there too close to our own Grand Princess.

The Grand Princess

While waiting for the Grand Princess to sail away, we saw another ship with a German name docked closeby.  It had Mein Schiff written on it and it turned out to be one of the old Celebrity ships which a German company bought, remodeled, and now sail commercially.  What was interesting about the ship was that some of its passengers were sunbathing in their birthday suit on the very top deck.  It was so very German!

Next stop,Trinidad and Tobago.