WEDNESDAY   
BARBADOS

Another early morning view from the balcony as we approach Barbados.
A couple of naval vessels. Actually I thing they are the Barbadian Coast Guard.
Another island, another big sign. I don't know who the lady is. As you can see there are several cruise ships in port.
Barbados has one of the best national flags in the world.
We finally docked near a decent-sized city, but there was a little bit of a walk to get there from the port.
Some colorful buildings along the way.
The sign at the top of the building says Barbados Public Workers' Co-Operative Credit Union Limited. Not sure if it once was or still is.
As my sister kept calling it, here is the Rihanna Memorial. (Note: she is not dead as of this writing) It is just one marker in the National Heroes Square. The writing on it actually calls her The Right Excellent Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
The Parliament Building.
The unimpressive striped building is The Pool Hall. From what I can tell from reviews on Google, it is an actual pool hall and bar.
So, along with gas stations, grocery stores and adult businesses (coming soon), another frequent favorite photo spot is a cemetery. This is the one at St. Michael's Cathedral.
From the list of names on the headstone that I cannot really read that well, there are lots of people buried in this plot.
The grave of Emma Sophia Colebrooke, wife of the Governor of Barbados and the Windward Islands Colonel Sir William Colebrooke. She died while he was in office.
Brevet Major Edward Michael de Wend, 4th Battalion 60th Regiment, who dies at the Garrison of Saint Ann's, Barbados on May 9, 1816.
I couldn't get a good photo of the exterior of the cathedral, but it was Ash Wednesday so the place was open for business.
It says that on or near this site stood the Sessions House where the Parliament of Barbados first met in June 1639. That's a good way of covering your bases. It happened here or somewhere around here anyway.
The back side of the Nidhe Israel Synagogue.
They have their own cemetery too.
The main branch of the National Library Service of Barbados Free Library. It was funded by Andrew Carnegie like the library we saw in San Juan. This branch closed after 100 years in 2006 and will be undergoing renovation at some point.
We saw several of these boxes on the ground. At first I thought it was a trap for some animal called a moh, but then I realized that MOH probably means Ministry of Health. My guess is it is to kill mice or rats or some other kind of vermin.
The Barbados Police Service Central Station.
The Old Fire Brigade House was constructed in 1858 to house the Bridgetown Fire Company. When the station was relocated in 1955, it became the office Weights and Measures building. It is now a museum and gallery space.
A crowded pedestrian shopping street.
The Old Town Hall was built in 1730 but looks like a more recent construction. That might be because it fell into disrepair and was redeveloped and reopened in 2003.
The Old Town Hall is across the street from St. Mary's Anglican Church.
In the wrought iron is written Barbados Mutual Life Assurance Society. They sure knew how to put up a building back in 1895. Nowadays it would just be glass and steel or crappy looking concrete.
It is just a Scotiabank branch now, but it was once called the Bank of Nova Scotia. There seem to be some plaques on the corner, but I cannot read them. Maybe they say how old it is.
Another one of those wonderfully colorful Caribbean facades.
Philadelphia Lane. Nothing more to say.
After the walk back to the port.
We were wondering about this older looking cruise ship that was docked in front of ours. Turns out it is the Freewinds, owned by a company affiliated with the good ol' Church of Scientology. We could see the rear decks from our balcony, but we could not spot Tom Cruise or any of his wacky cult pals.
One of the main dining rooms on the ship was called The Commodore Room. Even though we were 2300 miles away from Nashville, there was a reminder of Vanderbilt. Of course constantly checking my work email every day was also a reminder.

TO SAINT LUCIA