Bridgetown

The Barbados flag.

After the botanical gardens, I asked Orlando to drive me down to Bridgetown, Barbados's capital city and the nearest town to UWI Cave Hill. Most of the shops were closed, because today is Sunday, and on the way we passed gaggles of people going to and from church, the old women dressed up to the nines in bright pastel dresses with matching hats, the girls with their hair neatly braided, the little boys in long pants and collared shirts. We stopped down by the main promenade in town, where a boardwalk lines the waterfront and fountains and statues grace the square in front of the Houses of Parliament.

This statue was built to commemorate the installation of piped water to Barbados's capital on March 29th, 1861. It was lovely, but -- the irony! -- it was bone dry! No water running to this fountain!

This monument, on the other hand,was created for a different reason which I've now forgotten. Pretty, though, isn't it?

These, if you can believe it, are Barbados's Houses of Parliament.


Orlando says people always think it's a church, and I certainly can't blame them for the mistake. Parliament was deserted, as it was a Sunday, but I found an open gate and couldn't resist poking around inside for a look at some more of the beautiful architecture.

The building style reminded me powerfully of Yale, but with a tropical twist.

For example, you'd never see this color on the ironwork in New Haven!


According to this placard (as with all pictures on this blog, just click to make it larger), the Houses of Parliament were built in 1860, with the west and east wings opening about a decade or so later. The building is still in immaculate condition.

The promenade by the water.

I have to admit that my favorite part of visiting Bridgetown was the Parliamentary buildings, but the boardwalk and promenade along the water were also lovely. Down by the mouth of the harbor you could see where a couple of enormous cruise ships were anchored, as apparently they always are this time of year. (The constant refrain of the weekend was, "Are you from the ship?") If I ever go back, I think I'd like to see Bridgetown in full bustle, with people everywhere and shops open onto the street. Still, I really enjoyed the feeling of a quiet Sunday in a country where that day is taken very seriously as a day of rest, and I did enjoy having the Houses of Parliament to myself.